Phaseolus vulgaris var. nanus
Bush bean
Common names: Green bean, French bean, Snap bean
Photo: Rasbak · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
Description
The bush bean grows compactly without a trellis and delivers plenty of tender pods from July onwards. As a legume it gathers nitrogen through root nodule bacteria and leaves the bed better than it found it. Raw beans are inedible because of phasin; only cooking makes them digestible.
Care instructions
Sow the seeds only from mid-May (week 20), once night frosts are over, in clusters of five about 3 cm deep. Hill the young plants up slightly so they stand firm. Water regularly at the base, above all during flowering, and pick the pods young and continuously; that keeps new ones coming.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
sandy, loamy, humus-rich, well-drained
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
Companion planting
Good neighbors
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
particularly well establishedLeguminous plants collect nitrogen in the soil, from which Brassicaceae benefit as heavy feeders.
For example White cabbageRadishKalebroccolicauliflowerbeet greens and 31 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Peas and beans provide carrot and celery with nitrogen and grow as shallow-rooted plants without competition next to each other.
For example DillParsleyCorianderCarawayparsley rootparsnip and 14 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)
Beans and peas enrich the soil with nitrogen, which cucurbits, as heavy feeders, can make good use of.
For example ButternutHokkaidoSpaghetti squashMexican minich cucumberInca cucumberBitter melon and 6 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Rather not
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
particularly well establishedAllium species inhibit the nitrogen‑fixing rhizobia of legumes through their root exudates, which slows their growth.
For example ChivesDaffodilSnowdropornamental garlicAgapanthus lilyWild garlic
Source: basic crop‑rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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Varieties
6 varieties‘Berggold’
You’ll find a yellow wax bean with bright golden, meaty pods that stay buttery tender without strings.
‘Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco’
The Italian *‚Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco’* bean has distinctive cream-colored pods that are flame-red, hence the name 'Fire Tongue'.
‘Marona’
A modern, disease resistant filet bean that you can also grow well in damper situations.
‘Maxi’
A productive, robust filet bean with long, straight green pods that hang above the foliage and are therefore comfortable to harvest.
‘Purple Teepee’
This variety carries deep purple pods that stand well above the foliage, which makes them easy to spot when picking.
‘Saxa’
An open-pollinated classic that has stood in German gardens for almost a century.
Notes from real gardens
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