With the right care, you’ll have a huge, delicious green bean crop. Most varieties grow best with air temperatures of 65-85 degrees, at least six hours of sunlight daily, well-draining soil and a total of 1-2 inches of water per week. Pole green beans require a trellis, teepee or other support structure to climb. For top-heavy bush beans, you might add short canes or posts. Amending heavy soil with mulch or compost will help drainage.

Pests like Mexican bean beetles, aphids, spider mites, groundhogs and deer love green beans, too. Use appropriate treatments for prevention and control; fencing is the best defense against larger animals. Keeping the vines dry with good air circulation will reduce the risk of fungal diseases.

Jump-start the growing season by seeding green beans indoors 4-6 weeks before you expect to transplant them. Sow seeds about an inch deep (less for small seeds) and 2-4 inches apart in trays or pots. Keep the soil moist at temperatures of at least 60 degrees and preferably 70-80; lower temps slow germination and increase rotting. If you can’t provide 6-8 hours a day of natural sunlight, use grow lights to supplement your seedlings.

Do not plant or transplant green beans until two weeks after the final spring frost. Choose a different site from the previous year for the best soil health. You can succession plant beans every 2-3 weeks until July or August for a continuous harvest come fall. For in-ground planting, place pole beans 4-6 inches apart at the base of the trellis. Beans should be spaced by 2-3 inches in rows 2-3 feet apart.

Any green bean variety can be grown in a container. Choose a pot that is at least eight inches deep with drainage and appropriate support. Water them whenever the top of the soil feels dry.

To produce large, healthy green beans, use a slightly acidic soil and fertilize every 3-4 weeks with a balanced or 10-20-10 fertilizer. Avoid high-nitrogen formulas; legumes make nitrogen, so excess amounts will mean great foliage but low bean output. Side dressings of organic matter can help poor soil, but do testing to confirm whether this is necessary.

Green beans do poorly in cold temperatures and will not survive most winters. Let them grow as long as possible for soil nitrogen enhancement, then pull the plants from the ground before the first fall frost. Green beans can be grown indoors year-round, so bring container plants inside once daytime temperatures start regularly falling below 65 degrees.

Although green bean pruning is not necessary, serious gardeners can do up to three stages. Give young plants (3-4 inches tall) a mild trim to help them develop more side shoots. When flowers begin forming, remove any dead/diseased leaves. Finally, once pole beans reach the top of the trellis, cut off the tip so the plant grows more outward.

As soon as bean pods form, you can start harvesting. This will take 50-55 days for bush beans and 55-65 days for pole beans. Carefully pluck or snap the pods off the vine. For the best texture and flavor, harvest before the pods start bulging. The more you pick, the more beans will grow.