Grow Perfect Beans Every Time

If you could only grow one crop, what would it be? Beans of course! The most prolific, keep-on-coming versatile veggie a gardener can grow. What's not to love?
They're also incredibly economical on space as well as on your grocery bill because you can grow them vertically in a stunning variety of ways, which Ben demonstrates in this week's episode.

For more tips on growing blissful beans, perfect peas and luscious legumes, check out this playlist

If you love growing your own food, why not take a look at our online Garden Planner which is available from several major websites and seed suppliers:
and many more...

[sherriianiro]

I had a praying mantis in my pole beans that ate the aphid infestation I had. I almost picked him because I thought he was a bean! That little guy also took out the gypsy moths on my broccoli too! I grow organically anyway but what I learned from this is how nature takes care of everything and it's part of the overall ecosystem. He was a happy camper and so was I!😊

[larrystarnes]

I am growing beans from seeds my mother froze from Dad's crop of 1991. She passed away @103years of age and we found these seeds in her freezer labeled 'Old Timey Green Beans you can't buy in the store anymore. I991"
They are currently flourishing in my garden!

[TheWendable]

I REALLY love this man for his genuine enthusiasm and explaining every process in great detail. As a newby to veg & herbs it can be overwhelming so thank you for simplifying it and keeping a smile on your face as you do it, very inspirational 🤗

[ghostwalkerairsofttech]

I planted only 8 bean plants last year and got 3 gallon sized bags chock full from them...my friends were thankful that we had so many and we gave them away to them..this yield was gained by picking often.

[haikufarm]

If you've never allowed runner beans to fully mature and then harvest them as dry soup beans, I recommend it! They don't stay pretty during the cooking process, sadly, they turn a brownish-grey color, but the taste is amazing and, of course, dried beans will store well for a long time. Last night we made soup from the last of our stored butternut squashes and a cup of dried beans: it was a delicious gift from our 2022 garden.

[marekmantaj]

Initially I wanted to just plant few cherry tomatoes as a side project and came here for advice about germination. Here I am a month after I started watching your channel with potatoes and lettuces already in my garden and some beans, broccolis and a zuchini waiting for the right time to transplant. And I've set up a bokashi compost and vermi compost as well to support that garden later on. Thank you for all the work you do on this channel, you've helped me find a new hobby and a surprisingly strong stress relief. My little garden with 3 raised beds is now my happy place :D.

[k.p.]

I am so pleased with my garden, so far. I have picked pole bean 2 times, green beans 2 times, and today, I picked maybe 2 pounds of wax beans. Next weekend, it's tater digging day. I'm not used to having a producing garden..I'm blessed! SO blessed. Thanks, Ben!

[superiorbean]

I have got to say this is probably one of the most helpful videos I’ve seen recently gardening wise. I never actually really knew how to grow beans until this video, I’m definitely going to take into account so many of his tips and tricks to hopefully yield Ana amazing crop this year. Thank you for the tips

[minternet]

Thank you! 🥰 That beeer my slugs must be attending AA meetings because no beer traps works in my garden 😎

[liamhemmings]

This chap is better than anyone on the tellybox.

[Alyss]

I got the kids at our library to plant pole beans in mid-March to get them excited about our Seed Library and gardening in general, and let them choose whether they wanted to take them home or leave them at the library. Just over a month later, and the ones sitting in our library's windows have done surprisingly well and have started to flower! They really are remarkably resilient things, and so fantastically nutritious. Great video as always :)

[hmmm..]

Thank you for another great video. I learned the following technique from a man from Mexico that I think is worth sharing: He hung jute twine on a nail down the fence to the bean plant and the beans grew right up them. At the end of the season, I just cut the twine to remove the entire plant when it was finished. So easy, and very inexpensive!!

[juliekraft]

I acquired a 8×10 galvanized chain link dog pen that I use to grow out pole beans and there is plenty of room in there for some squash as well. That leaves us with extra room for other things in the garden.🤗

[jackieo]

Thanks for another great video! Slugs are my nemesis

[tulipsmoran]

My standby beans are Seychelles stringless fillet pole bean, Maxibel bush stringless filet and the new improved Blue Lake 274 bush bean. Great tips! I envy you with your bees - I've attempted for two summers to raise bees. I set up four hives facing the southeast at the edge of the forest that abuts my property. I then bought four jumbo pkgs of Italian honey bees. They built thier hives in the nest boxes and were prolific and happy. Unfortunately my rural neighbors do not understand the role honey bees and other pollinating insects play in our crops and gardens. The elderly fellow across the road sprays copious amounts of Sevin on everything and anything that flowers on his 2 acre property. The father in law of my abutting neighbor got the bright idea to spray for ticks and mosquitos "to protect the grandchildren". Problem is he sprayed middle of the day when the clover was in full bloom. I lost three complete hives - collapse from the toxic pesticides and the fourth terribly weakened which did not survive the winter. I went around and spoke to these folks letting them know how their insecticides are killing bees and shared my 3 hive collapses. I then ordered 4 more pkgs of Italian honey bees early spring the next year - same thing. I've abandoned attempting to raise bees. In the meantime, pollination here is sketchy to say the least with the stupidity and calloused attitudes of some of these folks. Just one of the many problems when urban folks relocate to rural areas.

[The_GlassCannon]

I'm sorry this isn't relevant to the video but your garden planning app is clutch, thank you so much for hosting it, super helpful!

[normskiash]

Sewn my runners in the greenhouse 3 days ago, living between Manchester and Liverpool, I've left it late to be safe. Grew them for the first time last year, growing twice as many this year. Keep up the good work you are doing... Oh love the arches by the way, have to keep my eyes open for something like that.

[robertmoore]

A cautionary tale of beer: Due to the high rainfall of West Virginia, coupled with dense clay soil, slugs are a problem most of the year. Once upon a time I tried using beer in tin pans around the cabbages and beans. What I failed to understand at the time was that it would attract others who otherwise wouldn't make nuisance of themselves. Specifically, the stray feline population was, unbeknownst to me, a huge fan of Oktoberfest. I got an evil eye from the neighbors for a month after tom cats from 10 blocks away had their drunken brawls in a 500 yard radius surrounding my home keeping the neighbors up in the witching hours of night. Once the deer got wind of it, they ran off the cats and trampled the garden seeking out that lovely brew for themselves. They even snubbed the corn I planted for them to keep them out of the garden. Thankfully their body weight prevented them from a drunken state, but their demands for more beer pawing at the ground every night for a few weeks decided that only Brussel sprouts along the fence & container plants on the porch would survive that year. As they say in our hollers, "Welp, how'd that work out fer ya?". Not too good! Should folks find themselves in similar habitat, I found success with early application of Epsom salts sprinkled around the perimeter of the garden, pruning low branches at earliest opportunity, mulch around base of stalks, and daily inspection of the garden to manually pick them off. The detriment of salt washed away with frequent rains, and the potassium just got tilled into the compost at the end of the season. I imagine somewhere out there, folks who are trying to keep deer off their roses and tulip bulbs have finally found a "trap crop" to distract them.

[andybonneau]

I prefer bush beans since they all come in at the same time which facilitates canning and preservation. Great video, thanks.

[jeanetteschultheandOnly]

I love wax beans...they are so good when you grow them yourself.