How many beans to grow?

With the gardening season nearing, it’s time to consider what to plant and how much to plant. When considering how many beans to plant, follow these general rules.

As a rule, when planning for how many beans to plant in a season, you will need:

• fifty feet of row per person for bush beans, or
• thirty-five feet of row per person of pole beans.

Many gardeners make a distinction for planting amounts between varieties (e.g., common Vs. lima) or usage (snap Vs. dry), but this is not necessary; the rules hold up.

If you plan to dual-purpose your beans, to use and consume them both as snap and dry beans, then double your row footage per person.  Additionally, marking which rows will be used as snap or dry beans is recommended to ensure the best possible quality and sufficient quantity for each use.  Keep in mind that snap beans are harvested while young tender, and dry beans need time to mature and dry on the vine.

Seed savers should plant an additional ten feet of dry bean row and then select the best dry bean as seeds for next year’s garden and a few extra as reserve seeds in case of crop failure.