Green beans are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. And it is not too late to plant them. From planting to picking takes 45 to 65 days, depending on the variety.

Bush beans are the easiest to grow because they don’t need to be staked, but some gardeners prefer pole beans, which are easier to pick and produce more food per square foot of garden space.

Grow what you like to eat. There are standard green beans, like those you find at the supermarket. Others come in yellow and purple. Some beans, like Italian or Romano beans, are flat. Others are the true French haricot verts, longer and skinny. I’m not even mentioning the ones you grow as dried beans, because it’s too late to plant them this year as they need more time in the garden.

Planting is simple: Beans like well-drained, neutral soil with a lot of compost. Plant seeds about one inch deep and about four inches apart. Some people still use single rows, but I prefer bands about 30 inches wide, which lets you make more efficient use of space by having six rows about six inches apart.

Water the seeds as soon as they go into the ground and continue to water them regularly until they sprout.

You will have about two weeks of picking on each planting, so if you want beans over an extended time, either succession plant, in other words plant the same variety every two weeks, or plant varieties that have varying harvest dates.

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