Homegrown pole beans are one of the joys of summer. Delicious, green, and nutritious, pole beans are easy to grow, even if you don’t have a large garden space. Because pole beans grow vertically, you can grow pole beans even in a small Square Foot Gardening plot or raised bed.
What Is Square Foot Gardening?
The idea of planting vegetables in straight rows is turned on its head with Square Foot Gardening. Created by Mel Bartholomew, author of the book “Square Foot Gardening,” the gardening method focuses on growing more vegetables in less space.
Square Foot Gardening plots are small but scalable – 4 feet by 4 feet could be multiplied into a 4-foot-by-8-foot bed. These garden beds are divided into 1-foot squares, and each square is managed individually. Since there are no spaces for walking between rows, less land is wasted.
Square Foot Gardening is perfect for those with small yards. Even those limited to an apartment patio or balcony can grow pole beans in a Square Foot Garden via planters.
What Pole Bean Varieties Are Best for Square Foot Gardening?
The best pole bean varieties for you depend on your garden zone. These varieties tend to perform well in most parts of the United States, producing lots of green beans for enjoyment now or later.
Kentucky Wonder
An heirloom pole bean variety, Kentucky Wonder produces stringless, 7-inch pods that are best enjoyed while young. Plant in full sun in Zones 3-11.
Scarlet Runner
With eye-catching red blossoms, Scarlet Runner could double as an ornamental plant. Scarlet Runner loves full sun and grows in Zones 7-11 as a perennial and as an annual elsewhere.
Blue Lake Stringless
Plant Blue Lake Stringless pole beans if you want lots of flavorful beans. This heritage pole bean variety produces 5-inch pods that are best enjoyed as young snap beans. Blue Lake Stringless grows well in full sun in Zones 3-11.
Asian Winged
A native of Southeast Asia, Asian Winged pole beans have four winged edges and a pleasant nutty flavor. They love having full sun and grow well in Zones 3-11.
What’s at Stake
Pole beans will produce more if they are staked or have strings or a trellis to grow on. An old ladder, strings, wooden stakes, and a bit of wire fencing such as chicken wire, a wooden trellis, or a tomato cage are a few staking options.
Benefits of Square Foot Gardening
Square Foot Gardening can be a great way for novice gardeners and people who don’t have a large backyard to enjoy gardening. Square Foot Gardening has benefits for gardeners of all skill levels.
Easy To Start
Because many Square Foot Gardeners fill their raised beds or planters with bags of soil, planting pole beans is quick and easy. Even if you are using the soil of your yard, Square Foot Gardening is easy because of the small amount of space involved.
Low Maintenance
Square Foot Gardening lets pole beans or other vegetables you like fill a square foot. Since you aren’t leaving rows of unplanted ground between plants, weeds won’t be able to take root. Watering and fertilizing these small gardens is also easier.
Higher Yield
Square Foot Gardening makes the best use of land, so you get a higher crop yield for every square foot of your Square Foot Garden.
More Accessible
If bending down gives you back pain, plant your Square Foot Garden in a raised planter. Gardening can be made more accessible for everyone through Square Foot Gardening.
How to Plant Pole Beans
Once your Square Foot Garden is ready for spring planting, follow the directions on the seed package, planting one to four seeds per square foot. Set up supports for pole beans when planting seeds to avoid hurting roots later. About 65 to 80 days later, you will be harvesting pole beans. Pick every three to five days to keep your plants producing.
Benefits of Pole Beans
The delicious flavor isn’t the only perk of planting pole beans in a Square Foot Garden. Pole beans are a source of vitamins A, B-6, and C. Along with calcium, iron, potassium, and heart health support.