Growing Bush Beans In Pots - Indoors, Terrace, Balcony

Growing Bush Beans in Pots

Hello gardeners, today we are with a new topic again. The article is all about growing bush beans in pots. Do you want to know how to grow bush beans in pots? Well, and then follow this complete article to know about how to grow bush beans in pots. In this article, we also discuss all the requirements for growing bush beans in pots. This information may be helpful for growing bush beans in containers in the backyard, Polyhouse, and Greenhouse

Introduction to Growing Bush Beans in Pots

Bush beans are one of the best plants for the beginning gardener to grow. Starting them from seed is very easy, and they will even give you an easy return on your investment. And there is nothing like watching bush bean sprouts emerge from the soil.

A Step By Step Guide for Growing Bush Beans in Pots

You will not need a green thumb or even a lot of space to successfully grow bush beans in pots. Container gardening is a very great project for beginners. You need to spend a few minutes researching what kind of beans you want to grow and get the right size pot for it. As long as your plant gets enough sunlight and water, you should be rewarded with a very healthy harvest within a few months.

Selecting the Seeds for Growing Bush Beans in Pots

Bush beans usually grow nearly about 2 feet or 61 cm high, so they are very great plants for balconies or small spaces. They also grow very faster than runner beans. If you would like to try your hand at growing bush beans, you need to consider picking up one of these popular varieties:

Contender
Kentucky Bean
Purple Teepee
Top Crop

Suitable Pot for Growing Bush Beans in Pots

Buy a pot that is at least 2 gallons or 7.6 L in size. If you want to plant more than 1 seed in each pot, you need to plan on leaving 3 inches or 7.6 cm of space between them.

If you’re looking at terracotta or ceramic pots, you need to buy one that is not glazed since the glaze traps moisture and then can make the roots rot.

You need to check the bottom of the pot for drainage holes or drill them yourself. You should not forget to flip over the pot and then look for drainage holes so the roots of your bush bean plant don’t become waterlogged. You should notice at least 2 or 3 holes. If you don’t see any and you are using a plastic pot, you can drill your holes along the bottom edge of the pot.

Use a power drill with a very strong bit to drill through the plastic. Make the holes equal distances apart so water easily drains from the pot.

Suitable Soil for Growing Bush Beans in Pots

Get potting mix or you can combine loam, compost, and sand to create your own. Bush beans love healthy soil that has a pH from 6.0 to 7.0 Most of the potting mixes have a pH around 6.0, so you can easily buy a few bags of it or mix equal parts of compost, loam, and even builder’s sand.

Suitable Time for Planting Bush Beans in Pots

You need to wait to plant the seeds until the danger of frost has passed. Bush bean seeds germinate faster when the soil is between 21 and 27°C, so you need to wait until after the last frost date to plant. Want to check if the soil is very warm enough? Buy a soil thermometer and then push the tip down into the soil. Make sure it is at least 21°C before you plant.

Sunlight Requirement for Growing Bush Beans in Pots

Place your pot in a place where it can get 8 hours of sunlight. Like most plants, bush beans need a lot of direct sunlight so put your pot where the bean plant gets ample sunshine. If you are working with a limited balcony or patio space, you need to just put it in the sunniest spot possible.

Some bush bean plants are fine with just 6 hours of sunlight a day, but they might not produce as many beans.

Suitable Temperature for Growing Bush Beans in Pots

You need to maintain temperatures between 21–27°C for ideal and optimal growth. Your bush beans will quickly put on healthy growth if the soil is warm. Pay attention to your weather forecast and then consider covering your pots or bringing them inside if the temperature is going to drop below 16°C.

Even cold temperatures that are above freezing can easily make it hard for your plants to grow leaves and beans.

Planting Procedure of Bush Beans in Pots

Mix the fertilizer into the top of the soil 3–4 inches or 7.6–10.2 cm of soil in your pot. Fill your pot with enough potting mix to come 3 inches or 7.6 cm from the top. Then, you need to spread a 5-10-10 or 10-20-10 fertilizer over the soil in your pot and then mix it into the top 3 or 4 inches or 7.6 or 10.2 cm of the soil before you plant the bush bean seeds.

You will not need much fertilizer. You just sprinkle a light dusting over the surface of the soil in your pot and then mix it into the soil.

Bush beans don’t need regular fertilization. An initial nutrient that can boost before you plant the seeds is perfect.

Push bush beans 1 inch or 2.5 cm deep into the soil. Make a 1 inch or 2.5 cm hole with your finger and drop a seed into it. To save a little time, you can scatter the seeds over the surface of the soil and then push each one down 1 inch or 2.5 cm. Then, cover the seeds with potting mix.

Leave 2–3 inches or 5.1–7.6 cm of space between each bush bean seed. You can plant more bush beans in a pot since most of their growth is vertical. You need to plan on spacing each bush bean plant nearly 2 to 3 inches or 5.1 to 7.6 cm apart.

You can probably sow 2 to 4 bush plants in 1 very large pot.

Give each bush bean 4 to 6 inches or 10 to 15 cm of space. Bush beans take up a lot more room in the pot, so you need to leave more space between each seed. If you don’t leave at least 4 to 6 inches or 10 to 15 cm of space, the plants can crowd each other and they will put on as much growth.

You’ll get more bush beans if your plants have room to grow.

You need to water the soil for at least 10 seconds so it can easily penetrate down near the seeds. The moisture will help the seeds germinate so they begin to put on growth.

Providing Support for Bush Bean Plant

Push the trellis into the soil if you are growing bush beans. Since bush beans can easily grow up to a certain height, they need support. Push a flat trellis or 3 stakes of a tepee trellis into your pot before you plant the bush bean seeds. Insert the supports nearly about 4 to 6 inches or 10 to 15 cm down into the soil so they are sturdy.

If you are making your teepee trellis with something like tent stakes, you need to gather the top ends of the stakes and tie them together with a very strong rope. This will make the teepee shape.

Water Requirement for Growing Bush Beans in Pots

Water the bush beans a few times a week to keep the soil evenly moist. Soil that stays moist will encourage seeds to germinate and helps the plant to grow. Since bush bean plants don’t like wet leaves, you need to water them in the morning to give the leaves a chance to dry in the sunshine.

It is very easy to overwater your plants, which will cause root rot. You need to skip watering if the soil still feels moist to the touch.

In case if you miss this: Growing Organic Leafy Vegetables.

Caring Bush Beans Growing in Pots

Remove all the weeds to prevent bacteria and even mould. If you see the leaves with white mould, you need to remove weeds from the plant along with any other weeds in the base of your pot. If mouldy leaves or weeds fill the pot, they can choke out the bush bean plants.

This is the reason it is very important to leave space between your plants. If they are too crowded, mould and bacteria can very easily spread from one plant to another.

Common Pest and Diseases in Growing Bush Beans in Pots

The common pests of bush beans are listed below:

Aphids
Armyworms
Corn earworm
Cutworms
Leaf miners
Loopers
Mexican bean beetle
Stinkbugs
Spider mites

The common diseases of bush beans are listed below:

Alternaria leaf spot
Anthracnose
Bean rust
Black root rot
Fusarium root rot
White mould
Bacterial blight
Bacterial brown spot
Halo blight
Damping-off
Mosaic

Suitable Fertilizer for Growing Bush Beans in Pots

Beans will ask for much in the realm of fertilizing. If you fertilize your pot, it is best to keep a section of the soil very lightly fertilized for bush beans. Soil should be very loose and be made up of primarily organic compost. Beans have nitrogen-fixing nodules in their roots, which means they can return nitrogen into the soil as they grow. Because of this, bush beans only need a slight boost of fertilizer compared to other plants. If you add too much nitrogen-high fertilizer, your bean plant will grow very green but will not produce a good amount of fruit. Make sure there is a very good amount of organic matter in the soil, and let the bush beans do the rest.

Harvesting Bush Beans

Bushbeans Harvest — **Harvesting Bush Beans** (pic source: pixabay)

Harvest your bush beans nearly about 50 to 90 days after sowing. Bush beans will mature faster than pole beans, so plan on harvesting the bush beans 50 to 60 days after you sow the seeds. For either kind of bean, you need to look for plump pods that are long and tender. Then, snap them or cut them from the plant. You should not pull them or you might tear the plant.

Commonly Asked Questions about Growing Bush Beans in Pots

How deep should a bush bean pot need to be?

It needs to be 6 to 7 inches deep.

The depth of the pot size for growing beans varies dependent on the type of vegetable. Pole beans need 8 to 9 inches or 20-23 cm. of soil; whereas bush beans can easily do with only 6 to 7 inches or 15-18 cm. be sure that the pot has several unobstructed drainage holes when growing beans in pots.

Do I need a trellis for bush beans?

Bush beans grow compactly which means reaching about two-feet tall and they do not require extra support from a structure like a trellis.

Do bush beans keep producing all the time?

Bush beans – Plants are very small, compact which means in the two-foot range, and mature more quickly, some within 50 days. So you can easily start them from seed for much of the summer. They produce most of their plant at once, though the plants will keep producing if you keep them well-harvested.

Should Bush beans need to be pruned?

Allow all the side shoots to grow out. Bush beans are bred to be very bushy, so by removing them you are fighting the plants’ natural growth habit. The side shoots also carry leaves, which can provide more energy for making baby beans, and even flowers, which will turn into those baby beans.

How many times can I harvest bush beans?

Pods on bush beans come to harvest over two weeks and pole bean plants will produce pods for a month or more. For continuous fresh harvest through the complete growing season, sow a succession plant of bush snap beans every two weeks. Snap beans can easily continue in the garden until the first frost in fall.

How much sun do bush beans need to grow?

These bean plants require full sun – that means between six and eight hours a day of direct sunlight in most of the regions. Like most garden vegetables, bush beans can even tolerate some shade, but they will be more productive and more vigorous if grown in full sun.

Do bush beans regrow even after picking?

Once you harvest bush beans, you need to cut the plants back so that there are just a few inches of growth and a few growth nodes. After that fertilize them and watch them grow. I have ended up with very good yields and had very enough time to cut the plants back once more.

Do bush beans produce all the summer?

Bush beans will tend to produce a plant over a single period of about two weeks or so about 55 days after planting, depending on the variety you choose, but to have a continuous harvest throughout the summer, do several succession plantings a couple of weeks apart for the biggest yields of it.

Growing Bush Beans In Pots – Indoors, Terrace, Balcony

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