Bush beans grow really quickly but need to be harvested all at once and produce a smaller yield. For a plant that can serve as home decor in a small space, grow the Hestia variety, a dwarf runner bean. It only gets up to 12 to 14 inches (30 to 36 cm) tall and doesn’t need a support structure.
Pole beans and runner beans are great container plants and add a pop of natural decor once they grow really high. Pole beans and runner beans need to be trained to grow upward so their stems can spread out and the beans can ripen.
You can also put a very thin layer of gravel at the bottom of your container. The gravel will soak up extra water and offer more drainage so your green beans’ roots don’t get too wet.
Any loose soil still needs to hold onto water and remain moist so green beans can sprout. A mix with silty loam or clay is absorbent without drying out your green beans’ roots. Compost will help the soil retain water, boosting your chances of harvesting the healthiest and ripest green beans.
Add a stake near each runner bean seed. Runner beans “twine”, or wrap around themselves or any nearby support structure. A stake will help keep runner beans from getting tangled up. [5] X Research source
By winter, you’ll probably need to use a grow light. Indirect or filtered sun isn’t enough for green beans to grow well. Install a grow light 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) above your green beans. Turn it on in the morning and leave it on for 6 hours so your green beans get all the bright light and warmth they need. [7] X Research source During the coldest and darkest period of winter, your green beans will need 8 hours of bright light.
When your green bean seedlings grow over 3 inches (7. 6 cm) tall, add mulch to the soil to keep it moist. Your green bean plants will get an extra boost in drought resistance and won’t easily dry out. Use a watering can with a long nozzle. You can control how much you water your green beans, and you’re less likely to soak soil or leaves, preventing the plants from rotting.
Buy a pre-made trellis that’s roughly as high as you’d like your climbing green beans to vertically grow. You can also make your own trellis out of strings and stakes or a wooden frame and wire mesh.
In the winter, you can give your green beans a cup of compost tea every month. This will loosen up dry soil and make sure it’s absorbent and moist. Compost tea also feeds your green beans some added nutrients. [11] X Research source You can also enhance your soil with light fertilizer to keep your green beans’ roots and stems healthy.
You can also use small gardening scissors to trim green bean pods off your plant. If you’d like longer and riper green beans, you can wait and harvest them when they’re the size you prefer.
Some varieties of pole green beans take longer to mature, so pick them over the course of 5 to 6 weeks. Use your picked green beans immediately or refrigerate them for up to a week. You can also freeze or can green beans to use them year-round.
Green bean plants aren’t perennials and can’t be repotted or regrown for another growing season. They can make great mulch, though!
