French bean
Phaseolus vulgaris · Green bean in the US
In a typical UK garden, sow indoors late March to late April, sow outside early May to early August, plant out early May to early June, and harvest late June to late October.
When to sow, plant and harvest
Last frost around 20 April, first frost around 31 October.
- Sow indoors
- late March to late April
- Sow outdoors
- early May to early August
- Plant out
- early May to early June
- Harvest
- late June to late October
Growing facts
- Spacing
- 15 cm apart, rows 45 cm apart
- Square foot
- 9 per square (30 cm squares)
- Sowing depth
- 4 cm
- Ready in
- 50 to 70 days from sowing
- Grows to
- 45 cm
- Hardiness
- Tender: killed by any frost
- Sun
- Full sun
- Crops for
- About 8 weeks
Growing tip
Wait until the soil is warm before sowing, as bean seed rots in cold, wet ground.
Neighbours
Legumes are one crop rotation group. Try not to grow them where any of the family grew in the last two or three years. How crop rotation works
Guides
Green beans in zone 6 go in once the soil warms in May
In USDA zone 6, sow green beans directly outside from early May to late July, once the soil has warmed. Sow a short row every three weeks for beans from late June until the first frost in mid-October. You can also start them indoors from late March to late April.
Why French beans wait for warm soil, and when to sow them
Sow French beans indoors from late March to late April and plant out from early May to early June, after the last frost. Or sow outdoors from early May to early August. Sow a few every month for pods from late June to late October.
More legumes
Where these figures come from
Every crop in VegLog was checked against published growing advice. Dates are worked out from average frost dates, so they shift with your garden. For french bean, we used:
Grow french bean with VegLog
Add french bean to a bed and VegLog reminds you when to sow, plant out and pick, timed to your own town's frost dates.
