How to Grow Pole Beans: A Mainstay Summer Veggie

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Green beans or “snap beans” are a timeless staple crop for summertime. They’re reliable, they preserve well, and they make a hearty side dish to go with your meat and potatoes over the winter. At one time, snapping and stringing beans for the canner was a summer chore everybody was doing, here in Appalachia and elsewhere.

Before planting snap beans in your garden, you’ll need to know the difference between bush beans and pole beans. Bush beans have a compact, upright growth habit and don’t require any support. These varieties produce a bunch of beans at once. After the big bean finale, they’re done for the year. Vining pole beans need something to climb on, mature a bit slower, and produce beans over the whole warm season.    

I prefer growing pole beans for a few reasons. Growing beans vertically reduces leaf disease, you don’t need to bend or crouch to harvest the beans, and it’s a lot easier for me (and my bird helpers) to scout for pests. It also frees up space in the garden. Beans make good companions for lots of veggies, so I can plant other crops in the same bed, fairly close to my big ol’ wall of beans.

Pole beans are the best choice for folks who want to enjoy fresh beans throughout the summer, too. Sure, beans freeze or can nicely, but there’s nothing like a pot of freshly picked green beans. Your pole bean plants will produce plenty of beans for using fresh, canning, freezing, and maybe a batch or two of pickled dilly beans.

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Pole Bean Varieties

When you think green beans, you’ll assume they’re, well, green. But some pole bean varieties produce pods with unique colors, like purple, yellow, and striped. Pole bean pods also have different shapes and characteristics depending on the type. Here’s some bean lingo to know for when hunting for seeds:

Romano: Italian snap bean varieties with flat, meaty pods. These hold their texture and crunch when cooked up in a pot with a few slices of thick-cut bacon.

Wax: Used to describe bean varieties with yellow pods.

French Filet: Bean varieties that produce slender, delicate pods. They’re known to be sweet and crisp, and the tender pods are great for lighter cooking such as sautéing when harvested young.

Interested in drying your own soup beans? Pole beans are often picked when the pods are immature and eaten snap bean style, but some types also work well for harvesting, shelling, and drying fully mature beans (more on that later).

Some notable pole bean varieties you might want to grow:

Rattlesnake: Produces both solid green pods and purple-streaked pods from multicolored flowers. Rattlesnake yields well in hot, humid climates, and these plants mean business: the vines typically reach about 10-12 feet but can easily surpass 15 feet if they grow a wild hair. This old heirloom was grown by Native American tribes thousands of years ago. The pods can be eaten fresh if picked small or allowed to mature for drying beans.

Seychelles: The perfect standard green beans with white seeds and zero strings. No worries if you leave them on the vine a bit too long; unlike many beans, Seychelles pods can get pretty big without becoming tough or unpalatable. This vigorous hybrid variety is also resistant to Bean Mosaic Virus and, in our experience, less prone to bacterial leaf spot.

Monte Gusto: An heirloom French Filet variety that produces slender yellow pods with brown seeds. Monte Gusto will give you heavy yields until the frost, and the pods are stringless when picked around 8 inches or smaller.

Kentucky Wonder: This 1800s Appalachian heirloom gives other pole bean varieties a run for their money when it comes to vigor, production, and disease resistance. It produces large, richly flavored green pods that are stringless and tender when immature and also great to dry for soup beans.

Cherokee Trail of Tears: Produces a mix of green and purple pods with jet black seeds. It’s another dual-purpose bean that can be eaten fresh as immature pods or shelled for drying. This variety was carried across the US by the Cherokee people during the Trail of Tears, the forced march from the Tennessee Smoky Mountains to Oklahoma that left thousands of Cherokee dead. Now, it’s a symbol of the Cherokee’s strength and lasting influence.   

Northeaster: Classic Romano-type bean with flat pods. Maturing at around 55 days, it’s one of the earliest pole bean varieties, making it ideal for a late summer planting or a shorter growing season.  

Soil Needs

Since beans are light feeders and capable of producing their own nitrogen, they don’t need rich soil to thrive. They’re a good crop choice for parts of your garden that aren’t as fertile, such as newly added beds or rows that haven’t had much amending yet. Beans can also adapt well to a wide soil pH range and different soil types.

While they’re not too picky, pole beans do need good drainage, and they don’t enjoy hard, compacted soil. Too much compaction will hinder sprouts from emerging. It’ll also make it difficult for your bean plants’ shallow root systems to properly absorb water and nutrients.

For soil that tends to compact, loosen things up and mix in some compost where you’ll plant your bean seeds. After planting, add a light layer of mulch to keep the soil moist and prevent it from hardening up again. Bean seedlings don’t have any trouble sprouting through a little mulch. If you’re concerned about soil drainage, plant bean seeds on raised rows or mounds.    

Trellis or Support

Pole beans need a sturdy trellis to grow on, since the vines grow large and get heavy when they start to produce. To make your life easier, decide on a trellising system and get it all set up before you plant. That way, you won’t have to worry about accidentally squishing bean seedlings while you work.

A pole bean trellis doesn’t need to be too complicated. It just needs to be tall enough the vines don’t outgrow it (5” or taller, depending on variety) and strong enough they can’t pull it down (they will try).

Some Simple Pole Bean Trellis Options:

Trellis Netting: Inexpensive trellis netting tied to T-posts or sturdy stakes works well for pole beans. The only problem is that it’s flimsy and needs to be secured carefully. I like to run a strong wire across the tops of the posts and tie the netting to it so it doesn’t sag.

Cattle Panel, Hog Panel, or Welded Wire Fencing: These can be secured vertically to T-posts or stakes like trellis netting, and they’re much sturdier and easier to reuse.    

The Bean Teepee: Tie some bamboo poles or saplings together at the top to create a “teepee” and plant the beans around the base. If you’re not as concerned about saving row space, this is a cute, rustic way to trellis pole beans. Just make sure the poles aren’t too big or run some twine around them. Otherwise, the bean plants may have trouble getting a grip.

When to Plant Pole Beans

Pole beans are a summer crop, and most varieties won’t do much growing when they’re too cold. If you plant bean seeds in cold soil, they’ll take a long time to germinate. Some may rot before sprouting, and slow-growing little bean seedlings are a target for pests and damping off disease. The longer you can wait for that soil to warm up, the quicker they’ll grow, and the better stand you’ll get.

In our zone 7 garden, pole beans are the last warm season crop to go in the ground, sometime in mid to late May. By that time, soil temps are nearing 70 degrees F and nightly lows aren’t dropping below 50.

You don’t need to worry much about the weather getting hot when it comes to timing pole bean planting. They can grow and produce in the 90s without issues. In really excessive heat, the plants may take a break from pod production, but they’ll start back when temperatures moderate.

Sowing Pole Beans

Plant bean seeds about 1 to 1.5 inches deep, with 3 to 5 inches of space between the seeds. I like to aim for at least 4 inches. Planting depth might vary depending on the variety and size of the seed, so refer to your seed packet for specifics.

Because of their tough, thick seed coats, bean seeds need plenty of moisture in order to sprout properly. Seeds that dry out may not germinate, or stuck seed coats may tear off the seedlings’ cotyledons (little seedling leaves) during sprouting. Water you bean seeds in well after planting, and don’t let the soil get too dry while waiting for seedlings to emerge. Again, a light layer of mulch helps to keep soil moisture consistent.

Should you soak pole beans before planting?

Some sources say to soak bean seeds overnight before planting to soften the seed coats and improve germination. However, I haven’t had great luck with this method. The several times I’ve tried soaking, I had a higher number of bean seeds rot in the ground. Maybe that was a coincidence, but in any case, I don’t soak. Planting the seeds dry and keeping them well watered has always given me better results.

Can you start pole beans indoors?

Beans of any variety are known to be touchy about transplanting. Disturb the roots, and the seedlings will likely go into shock and stall out. For that reason, direct sowing pole beans outdoors is the best practice. If you need to start indoors to get ahead of a very short growing season or pest problems, some gardeners have luck using soil blocks to reduce root disturbance.  

Disappearing beans/bean seedlings?

If you notice gaps in your rows or seedlings vanishing overnight, you may have pests coming around. Pole bean plants are most vulnerable to pests like slugs, earwigs, and cutworms when they’re small. A larger slug can easily eat a whole bean sprout as a midnight snack. To protect young bean sprouts from pests, you can sprinkle a barrier of diatomaceous earth (DE) around the rows.

Sometimes, pests might get to your beans before they have a chance to sprout. We have the occasional wireworm (click beetle larvae) in our soil, and those guys will hollow out a bean seed or two. Our little songbirds also get tempted by the seeds if they notice I’ve planted them. To prevent bird theft, I’ll often cover my seed rows with some old window screens I keep around for that purpose.

In many cases, the best way to get around bean seedling pests is to give your seeds/seedlings the right environment to outpace them. With properly amended soil, warm soil temps, and plenty of water, pole bean seedlings can grow larger quickly enough you won’t have many pest losses. If you do lose a few seeds/sprouts, just go through and stick a replacement seed in the gaps.    

Watering, Fertilizing, and Training Pole Bean Plants

Watering

Pole beans are naturally more drought-tolerant than bush bean varieties. Mature pole bean plants can survive hot and dry weather on their own, but they may drop flowers and pods if those conditions set in for a while.

To keep your plants producing during a hot summer, add a thick layer of mulch to conserve moisture and give them a long, deep watering about once per week when you’re not getting rain. I run a soaker hose for several hours to irrigate my beans. Young bean plants benefit from more frequent watering; twice a week during dry spells will keep them growing at a steady pace.

Fertilizing

Like other legumes, beans are nitrogen fixers. They use special bacteria called Rhizobia to convert nitrogen from the air into a form they can absorb. This means they don’t need to get much of their nitrogen from the soil. Using high-nitrogen fertilizers for beans can actually lower your yields.

Usually, you won’t need to feed your pole beans with much of anything other than a little compost. If you do fertilize, stick to natural options with a low NPK number, such as bone meal, kelp meal, or worm castings.

Every now and then, bean seedlings may turn a little pale and slow growth, especially if your soil is low in organic matter. This is because they don’t develop their nitrogen-fixing ability until they’re a bit older. In this case, you can use a gentle water-soluble fertilizer to give them a nitrogen boost. I like to give bean seedlings a one-time dose of liquid fish emulsion if they look like they need it.    

Training

As long as you have a proper trellis set up, pole beans don’t require much training. They’re natural climbers, and they’ll just do their thing. Sometimes, though, you’ll get the odd silly bean seedling who can’t find the trellis. You can gently wrap the little vine around the trellis or use a clip or tie to help it figure things out.

Some gardeners also like to “pinch” pole bean vines when they reach the top of the trellis. This helps keep them tidy and encourages them to grow side shoots instead of growing taller. I never pinch my bean vines, but it may be worthwhile if you’re working with a smaller trellising system.   

Pests and Disease

Beans are typically last on the list of crops you’ll need to worry about when it comes to pests and diseases. As with any crop, though, there are some bad bugs that love beans, along with a handful of diseases that can show up when conditions are right.

Pole Bean Diseases

Bacterial Blight: Beans can get a few different types of bacterial blight, including Halo Blight, Common Blight, and Bacterial Brown Spot. These are fairly impossible to tell apart, but the typical symptoms are necrotic (brown) leaf spots with yellow borders and foliage loss. In bad cases, the pods may get spots also.

Rust: Another common bean leaf disease, this fungus causes brownish to orange speckles on leaves and pods. The spots might have yellow halos, and they sometimes merge together and cause leaf drop.

Focusing on plant health is the top way to prevent any harvest losses from bean leaf diseases. With loose, well-drained soil and a proper trellis for airflow, pole beans can outpace disease. They’ll produce plenty of nice pods even if a few leaves get spotty here and there. It’s also important to buy seeds from a reputable source, since some bacterial diseases carry over from infected seed.    

Bean Viruses: Less often, bean plants may catch Bean Common Mosaic Virus or Bean Yellow Mosaic virus from aphid feeding. These viruses cause weird, mottled leaves, stunted growth, and poor production. If you have repeat troubles with bean viruses, you can try resistant cultivars such as Seychelles.  

Pole Bean Pests

Since leaf-eating pests like aphids, flea beetles, and bean leaf-roller caterpillars love to snack on bean leaves, your pole bean plants may start to look pretty hole-y as the summer wears on. Fortunately, pole beans can tolerate quite a lot of pest feeding without batting an eye.

In most cases, spraying or fussing over the plants isn’t necessary. However, these two major beetle pests may affect your bean harvest, if they get out of control:   

Mexican Bean Beetle: If you find orange beetles that resemble lady bugs on your bean plants, you’ve got Mexican Bean Beetles, the lady bug’s vegetarian cousins. These guys chew ragged, lace-like holes along the edges of bean leaves.

Mexican Bean Beetles are best controlled by hand picking when you spot them. I usually just do this while I’m harvesting beans. We’ve found they’re far less destructive than Japanese Beetles, but their spikey yellow larvae will damage some bean pods if you let them go too crazy on your plants.

Japanese Beetle: In our garden, these pretty iridescent beetles are the worst bean pest we have to deal with. They can rapidly skeletonize leaves and cause massive foliage loss when their numbers are high enough. Adult Japanese beetles are tough and really hard to control with natural pesticides, so hand removal is the best option. I usually scout the bean plants in the mornings and knock any beetles I see on the leaves into a cup of soapy water.

Harvesting Pole Beans

Picking all the beans is the most time-consuming (but fun!) part of growing pole beans. Once the plants ramp up pod production, they’ll need to be harvested every few days or so. Leave them too long, and you’ll end up with oversized beans that are tough and stringy.

For snap beans, harvest when the pods have filled out and firmed up, but before the seeds inside start to swell a whole lot. They’ll be around five to eight inches long, depending on the bean variety. If the beans are thin and floppy, they’re not ready yet. If you can see large seeds bulging inside the pod, you’ve waited a bit too long. No worries, though; you can shell any stringy pods and toss the beans in the pot for extra protein.

If you’re growing a drying variety and you plan to dry your own soup beans, you’ll wait until the pods mature and dry on the plants to harvest and shell them. While I do love soup beans, I find that growing drying beans at home isn’t worth the space and effort for me. You’ll need at least three or four plants to produce just one pound of dry beans. Plus, shelling them all is tedious and time-consuming work.    

Some Ways to Preserve Pole Beans

Once picked, snap beans will keep in the fridge for a week or so in a sealed container. For longer-term preserving, you can pressure can them, pickle them, or freeze them. Some folks like to dehydrate them for soup veggies, as well.

Freezing is our favorite way to preserve extra pole beans for cooking later, since it’s a quick and easy way to deal with the frequent harvests. To freeze, I just rinse the beans, snap them, and seal them up in labeled, portion-sized bags. Blanching beans before they go in the freezer will help preserve their vibrant color, but it’s not necessary for texture or flavor.

Saving Pole Bean Seeds

Pole beans make a great preparedness crop because it’s so easy to save and store your own seeds. To harvest seeds, just leave some pods unpicked towards the end of the season and let them mature and dry on the plant.

Once the pods are dry, remove your bean seeds and spread them out indoors to “cure” for a couple of weeks. Then, they’re ready to tuck away for next year. Store bean seeds in an airtight container (like a zip-lock baggie) in a cool, dry place. Bean seeds will keep reliably for up to five years when stored properly.

Note: Some bean diseases are seed-borne, so don’t save seed from any plants that had a bad case of bacterial blight.

Even though it takes a bit of extra work to set up the trellis, pole beans will give you fresh harvests of snap beans from midsummer up until the first frost. This humble summer mainstay never disappoints, if you’re looking to add some beans to your veggie plot rotation.