Plant, cultivate, harvest bush beans - this is how it works!

Who plants bush beans in the garden has relatively little work. However, a certain amount of preparation is required before you can harvest the crunchy vegetables.

We had to wait a long time this year before the temperatures finally climbed into the double-digit range. It was rather chilly until the end of March, but now in May spring seems to have finally arrived. Garden lovers will already be in the starting blocks to finally be able to get started.

May is the ideal month to get your garden in shape. But before we can enjoy a lush splendor of flowers or the first vegetables are ready to be harvested, we have to roll up our sleeves. Gardening work that occurs in spring is really plentiful. The small summary of Homeday offers a good overview. But I explicitly picked the bush bean here. Planting and caring for the bush bean is not as difficult as you might think and is therefore also ideal for gardening beginners.

Floor requirements

Before you decide on a certain variety (more on that later), look for a suitable place in your garden. Bush beans like it warm, so a sunny bed is perfect - but partial shade works just as well. As far as the soil is concerned, bush beans are quite undemanding. However, the soil should not be clumpy or crusted. So it's best to go through with the hoe before sowing, remove the weeds and loosen the soil.

Bush beans & runner beans - what's the difference?
If you look closely, you can tell the difference by the name. French beans do not need a "scaffold" to grow. They are low, bushy plants, whereas the runner bean needs a trellis.

Bush beans: popular varieties

I'm sure you've used the expression "I don't care a damn" before. Indifference and irrelevance are meant to be expressed, just as minnesinger W alther von der Vogelweide did. Even if the saying is still in use, the bush bean is anything but irrelevant these days. Here are just a few, but very popular varieties and their properties.

Adriana(Nash Bean)	strong green beans becomes about 14 cm long Height approx. 50 cm
Aramis (heart bean)	tender green filet bean blue-purple-beige speckled core Growth approx. 30 cm
Berggold (Napine Bean)	Yellow-podded wax bean, stringless becomes about 12 - 14 cm long Height approx. 40 cm
Borlotto Rosso (core bean)	late ripening dry bean becomes about 11 - 12 cm long 5 - 6 grains per pod
Cupidon (Nash Bean)	green-podded filet bean becomes about 16 - 20 cm long Growth approx. 30 cm
Delinel (Nash Bean)	Filet bean with stringless pods becomes about 16 - 18 cm long Growth approx. 30 cm
Filetty (Nash Bean)	stringless filet bean medium early ripening becomes about 12 - 14 cm long
Ferrari (seed beans)	particularly thin pods becomes about 12 cm long extremely productive variety
Golden Teepee	high yielding wax bush bean golden yellow, crunchy pods becomes about 14 - 15 cm long
Helios (Nash Bean)	robust yellow bush bean becomes about 16 - 18 cm long very productive
Hildora (Nash Bean)	yellow wax beans with medium-fine pods becomes about 16 - 17 cm long medium early ripening
Jutta (seed beans)	high yield green bush bean becomes about 13 - 14 cm long Height approx. 45 cm
La Victoire (seed beans)	high-yielding bush bean green threadless pods becomes about 14 cm long
Maxi (seed beans)	early maturing green bush bean very productive becomes about 18 - 20 cm long
Nassau (Nassau)	Green bush beans with flat pods becomes approx. 16 cm long Medium early variety, very productive
Saxa (Nash Beans)	high-yielding, green bush bean fast growing resistant to wet and cold weather

Planting French Beans - Instructions

It is correct to say that bush beans are not planted, but planted. Exception: you have pre-grown the beans yourself or bought them pre-grown. The soil must not be too cold, so start sowing in mid-May at the earliest.

1. Prepare the rows and poke a hole about every 25 - 30 cm (row spacing).
2. The planting depth is 3 cm, maximum 5 cm.
3. You can now plant single seeds, or choose the clump variant (3 seeds in one place).
4. Only cover the bean seeds lightly with soil or they may not sprout.

Extra tip for the impatient:

If you soak the seed beans in water a day before planting, they will germinate faster.

Care tips for bush beans

To keep the soil nice and loose, move the hoe between the rows several times during the growth phase. But beware: think of the roots! If the stalk of the plant is clearly visible, we recommend piling up the bush beans. This is not a must, but gives the plant a better hold. As soon as the first flowers sprout, bush beans need plenty of water - so water regularly.

Harvest French Beans

After about 2 to 3 months you will be paid for your work. You can tell when exactly the right time is by the thickness of the sleeves. Harvest bush beans before thick kernels form. The bean pods are simply snapped off, you don't need any tools. Regular clipping is also very good for the further harvest, because this allows new fruit to develop.