MY MICHIGAN GARDEN
Blue Lake Bush Beans
Annual
Plant Height: 15-18"
Bean Pods: 6-7"
Planting Depth: 1"
Soil Temp, Germ: 60-90°F
Days to Germ.: 6-14
Plant Spacing: 2-4"
Days to Maturity: 55-60
Full Sun
Moderate Water
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GROWING DATES
Seeds Planted:
May 20
Growth Begins:
May 27
First Harvest:
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Green Beans, Bush (Phaseolus vugaris)
Originating in Mexico, Central & South America. A food staple for thousands of
years, beans can be enjoyed at several stages: as fresh snap beans when
the seeds are just beginning to fill out and the pods are tender and tasty;
as shell beans when the beans are more mature but still tender when removed
from the pod; and after the seeds have fully matured and dried and are
available for later use as a staple source of protein and starch.
Beans are valued for their beauty, for their nutritional value, as seed
for growing plants, and for their ability to fix nitrogen at their roots.
Bush Beans stand erect without support. They yield well and require the
least amount of work. Green bush beans were formerly called "string beans"
because fiber developed along the seams of the pods.
Blue Lake Bush Bean: this vigorous, productive bush yield extremely
tender and sweet, round, stringless, green pods. It is also excellent for
freezing.
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Propagation:
Plant directly in garden, 6 seeds per foot 1" deep in rows 18-36 inches
apart when danger of frost has passed.
Keep seed bed evenly moist.
Soil & Water:
Beans will grow in any good garden loam. Heavily-fed, rich soils will grow
larger plants and will hasten productivity for some varieties. Most beans
will grow and produce well with a balanced soil fertility achieved through
general fertilization with compost. It is beneficial to inoculate bean seeds
with rhizobial bacteria before planting to encourage greater productivity
and the fixing of nitrogen, especially if you are planting beans in a new area
Harvesting:
Harvest when the pods are firm, crisp and fully elongated, but before the
seed within the pod has developed significantly. Pick beans after the dew
is off the plants, and they are thoroughly dry. Picking beans from wet
plants can spread bean bacterial blight, a disease that seriously damages
the plants. Be careful not to break the stems or branches, which are brittle
on most bean varieties. The bean plant continues to form new flowers and
produces more beans if pods are continually removed before the seeds mature.
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Bush Beans June 13
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Bush Beans July 3
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