When to plant Beans
Calendar windows
Dates shift with your latitude — they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Killed by any frost — plant out only after the last one.
Practical notes
Wait for soil at 12°C — cold, wet ground rots the seed rather than germinating it. Pinch out climbing tops at the top of the support to push energy into pods.
Knowing when to pick
Pick young, before the seeds bulge through the pod, and pick often — a single pod left to ripen shuts down flowering.
Storing the crop
Blanch for two minutes and freeze; they keep quality all winter. Drying beans stay on the plant until the pods rattle.
Crop rotation
Follow legumes with a leafy crop — the nitrogen they fix in their roots is free fertiliser.
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Watch for
Full guide: beans diseases and pests (5) → with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.