Plant Those Beans, Baby!
Updated: Feb 26
Bush beans are one of those vegetables you can sneak in for a one last time crop! There is an "IF" to my previous statement (sorry)! IF you live in zones 1-4, unfortunately, the growing window is gone. Zones 5-10 have growing windows dependent on each hardiness/growing zone.
You will get beans if you follow "the basics" from a previous blog. (1) Find out your first frost date. (2) Look for varieties that fit into your time frame (For example, here in zone 6 we have 70 days till the first frost date. I am going to look for varieties that have maturity days around 50-55 days).
(3) Add an extra 10 days to the maturity date. In my zone, my best choice is to look for varieties that fall under the 60-65 days to maturity.
I will be able to harvest beans, but they won't be as productive as they were in the summer because of the shorter days (less sunlight) and the cooler temperatures.
#gardening #beans #kitchengardenexpert
As of August 1st, here are the approximate numbers of weeks before the first frost.
Zone 5: approx. 10 weeks (70 days) Zone 6: approx. 10 weeks (70 days)
Zone 7: approx. 11 weeks (77 days) Zone 8: approx. 12 weeks (84 days)
Zone 9: approx. 14 weeks (98 days).
I love to grow heirloom varieties when possible. Bush varieties in the 50–55-day maturity range include: Calima, Cantare, Jade, Roma II, Red Swan, Golden Butterwax, and Contender Beans. (I am a big fan of https://www.rareseeds.com)