When to Plant Beans in Seattle for a Bountiful Harvest

As a cool climate city with mild summers, Seattle offers prime conditions for growing fresh garden beans. With the right approach, you can harvest bountiful crops of this delicious vegetable from midsummer through fall.

When and how you plant beans makes all the difference in having a successful bean crop in Seattle. In this guide, we’ll cover optimal planting times, recommended bean varieties, tips for maximizing your harvest, and how to care for bean plants throughout the season.

Overview of Growing Beans in Seattle

Beans thrive during Seattle’s warm, dry summers. Most gardeners do a first planting in late spring and continue sowing beans every 2-3 weeks until midsummer. This provides a continuous harvest from July through September.

The key is choosing faster maturing bush and pole bean varieties suited to Seattle’s climate Some top picks include

Bush – Provider, Contender, Hialeah, Royalty Purple Pod
Pole – Blue Lake, Kentucky Wonder, Scarlet Runner

Beans grow best in full sun with consistent moisture and fertile soil enriched with compost. They are also heavy nitrogen feeders Gardeners in the Seattle area can expect good yields with proper care

Optimal Planting Times

Timing is everything when it comes to planting beans in Seattle. Follow these guidelines:

Start seeds indoors: 3-4 weeks before transplanting date
Transplant outdoors: Late May to early June
Direct sow outdoors: Early June through late June
For fall crops: Early to mid August

Ideally, beans should be sown after daytime temperatures are reliably 60-65°F and nighttime lows stay above 50°F. This is usually early June in the Seattle area.

Beans are highly sensitive to cold, wet soil and will rot if planted too early. Waiting until June ensures the soil has warmed sufficiently for the best germination rates.

Spring & Summer Planting

Here are tips for spring and summer bean plantings:

Spring: Sow beans outdoors in early to mid June for harvests starting in late July. Focus on bush varieties that mature quickly, in 50-60 days.
Summer: Continue making small plantings every 2-3 weeks until late June. Choose pole and bush beans in a mix of harvest times. Staggering planting dates extends the harvest.
Fall: Sow bush beans in early August (60 days before first fall frost) for a late season crop. Fast maturing beans like Contender and Gold Rush work well.
Try sowing bean varieties with different maturity dates together to enjoy fresh beans for months. Companion plant quick maturing bush beans with longer season pole beans.
Plant beans where they’ll receive full sunlight. Morning sun is essential.
Space rows 18-24 inches apart and thin seedlings to 4-6 inches apart. Wider spacing reduces disease risks.

Growing & Care Tips

Here are some key tips for getting the most out of your bean crop:

Prepare soil well in advance by mixing in 2-3 inches of mature compost or manure. Bean plants need fertile, loose soil with a pH of 6.0-6.5.
Sow seeds 1-2 inches deep. Bean seeds will rot if planted too shallow or in cold, muddy soil.
Provide sturdy trellises, fencing or poles for pole beans to climb. This improves yields and air circulation.
Water bean plants regularly, about 1 inch per week. Consistent moisture is vital, especially once flowers and pods start forming.
Apply a balanced organic fertilizer when plants start blooming and again when pods form. Beans are heavy feeders.
Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and keep soil cooler. Grass clippings, leaves or straw all work well.
Scout for aphids, Mexican bean beetles, bean leaf rollers and other potential pests. Control them early before infestations take hold.

Follow these best practices and you’ll enjoy a productive bean crop in your Seattle garden.

Fall Care and Harvesting

By late summer, bean plants will be in full production. Here are some tips for fall care:

Keep plants consistently watered as pods swell. Reduce watering as plants fade in fall.
Remove any diseased or insect damaged leaves promptly to maintain plant health.
Pick beans regularly to encourage more pod production. The more you harvest, the more beans will grow.
Harvest bush beans when the seeds inside are about the size of a BB pellet. Pick pole beans when pods are slender and snap easily.
Light frosts won’t immediately damage plants. Use row covers to prolong the fall harvest season.
Harvest all remaining pods before a hard freeze kills foliage. The plants likely won’t recover.

With attentive care and timely harvesting, your fall bean crop can continue producing into October. Just be ready to take action if an early cold snap threatens your plants.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Here are some potential issues and how to address them:

Rotting seeds – Repair soil drainage, wait for soil to warm up before planting
Flowers or pods dropping – Increase watering, apply fertilizer to bolster plants
Stunted plants – Test soil nutrients and pH, rule out root rot
Low pod yields – Review growing conditions and make adjustments as needed
Pods stay small – Ensure adequate and consistent watering during pod formation
Leaf spot diseases – Improve air circulation, promptly remove affected leaves
Insect pests – Identify pests and use organic methods to control them

With proper care and maintenance, it’s possible to minimize many issues. Stay vigilant in looking for problems and take quick action.

Enjoying Delicious Homegrown Beans

There’s nothing quite like picking a fresh bean in the garden and enjoying it right away! With optimal planting times and careful maintenance, you can grow beans successfully in your Seattle garden.

Pay close attention to seasonal soil temperatures, choose faster maturing varieties, and make successive plantings for the biggest harvests over an extended period. Your whole family will benefit from the wholesome flavors of homegrown beans.

So get your seeds or seedlings started at the right time this season. Before you know it, you’ll have bountiful beans to enjoy in backyard stir fries, green salads, casseroles and more.

when to plant beans in seattle

Planting Dates for Fall

Use this chart as a planning guide and a starting place. The frost dates are averages based on historical data; this is NOT a prediction for the coming year. While the majority of gardeners use frost dates as a guideline for planting, some locations in the U. S. do not have frost; in addition, some difficult areas simply dont match up perfectly with the dates provided. When you plant will also depend on whether you are growing in a “microclimate” (a low spot or the side of a slope). Watch the weather, talk to fellow gardeners, and take notes on what works in your garden!.

Why Do You Start Seeds Indoors?

When you start seeds indoors (in seed trays or starter pots), they get a head start on the growing season. This is especially important in places where the growing season is short. Starting seeds indoors also allows young, tender plants to grow in a stable, controlled environment. Outdoors, plants can be hurt by sun, bugs, diseases, drought, frost, rain, and temperatures that are too high or too low. This is especially true for young plants that are just starting to grow. You can control these things inside to help your plants grow quickly and give them the best chance of doing well when they are moved outside.

It’s best to start seeds about 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost date for most plants that can be moved inside. This gives the plants plenty of time to get big and healthy enough to make it to the garden when they’re ready. Read more about starting seeds indoors here.

How To Plant Bush Beans

FAQ

What month do you plant beans?

When soils are above 60ºF, space rows 18-24 inches apart and plant seeds 1 inch deep and 2-3 inches apart in the row. Plant beans every 14-21 days until mid-July for a continuous crop throughout the growing season.

Can you grow beans in the Pacific Northwest?

Dried beans come in both bush and pole varieties. Pole beans are grown on a trellis, take up less space than bush beans, keep producing for a long time, and are easy to pick. Bush beans are earlier, which work well in our Pacific Northwest gardens with the short growing season and cool summers.

When to plant seeds in Seattle?

Our climate is cool and wet in the spring and fall, and usually above freezing in the winter. That allows gardeners to plant fall and over- wintering crops like kale, collards, sprouting broccoli, leeks and carrots in late July, August and early September, and garlic or cover crops in October.

When to plant peas in Seattle?

A: You can set out transplants as early as late February and as late as mid-May. Direct-seed peas mid-March through late April. They don’t germinate or grow well when temperatures get above 75°F, so it’s best to sow them early!

When should I plant beans?

The following vegetables can be planted in summer or early fall for winter and early spring harvest. Plant Bush beans until late July to produce a good crop before frost. The plants develop more rapidly in the warm summer months than in early spring. Pole beans require more time to develop and should be planted by July 1 for a fall crop.

When should I plant fava beans & beets?

Pole beans require more time to develop and should be planted by July 1 for a fall crop. Plant Fava or Broad beans the second week of November for June Harvest. Beets can be planted until August 1 and produce a dependable crop. If you want beet greens, plant until September 1.

Are beans easy to grow?

Beans are one of the easiest and most rewarding vegetables to grow in your garden. The difference in taste between a grocery store bean and one hand picked from an organic garden is like night and day.

When is the best time to plant a vegetable garden?

The truth is that there is no perfect answer, as the best planting times depend on your soil temperature, microclimate, whether or not you’re using plastic cover or mulch, and when you hope to harvest your produce (to name a few variables).