growing guide: green beans

Green beans are a wonderfully versatile vegetable to use in stir-fries, soups and stews. No summer picnic is complete without a three-bean salad of kidney beans, garbanzos and crisp, tasty green beans. And when the holidays roll around, many people wouldn’t consider their Thanksgiving spread complete without a green bean casserole.

Beans are such an easy crop to grow that elementary school children are often sent home with a tiny bean plant in cup. What better crop for the beginning gardener, then? With just a little effort, you can harvest your own delicious green beans.

And growing green beans in a Tower Garden® is even easier than growing them in the ground. No kneeling, no bending, no tilling, no dirt!

Of course, there are some tips and tricks you should know about for growing healthy, productive bean plants in a Tower Garden®.

Read on to learn how to: select a variety, sow seeds, transplant seedlings, pinch, fight pests, and know when to harvest. Get ready … get set … grow!

THE ANATOMY OF A GREEN BEAN PLANT• Main Stem:�thetrunkofthegreenbeanplant

• Petioles:�themini-stemsthatattachtheleavestothemainstem

• Flowers:�smallwhitepetals,whichformneartheintersectionofleavesandstemthatpollinatethebeanswiththehelpofpollinators,suchasbees

• Beans:� theediblepartoftheplant,consistingofapodcontainingseeds

• Leaves

THE ANATOMY OF A TOWER GARDEN®

• Rockwool Cubes:�Thegrowingmediumusedtosowseeds

• Net Pot:�Thecontainerusedtoplantseedlings

• Growing Pot:� OneofseveralinterconnectingsectionsoftheTowerGarden®

• Plant Port:� TheopeningsintheTowerGarden®wheretheplantsgo

• Tomato Cage:� Theringedstructureforprovidingextrasupporttocertainto-matovarieties

In a nutshell:�• Theseedgoesintotherockfiberstarterplug…

• Therockfiberstarterplugwiththeseedlinggoesintothenetpot…

• Thenetpotgoesintotheplantsite…

• Therearefourplantsitesinagrowingpot…

• FivegrowingpotsmakeaTowerGarden®…

• Andthetomatocage(orplantsupportcage)surroundstheTowerGarden®!

GROWING GUIDE:� GREEN BEANS

2GROWING GUIDE:� GREEN BEANS

BEFORE YOU PLANT:� Choosing Your VarietiesTherearetwotypesofgreenbeansplants:bushandpole(alsocalledvine).Thebeanstheyproduceareidentical,buttheygrowindifferentpatterns.YoushouldchoosewhichevervarietyfitsbetterintoyourplansforothercropsyouwanttogrowinyourTower,orwhicheveryoufindmorevisuallypleasing.

Bush TypeBushbeanvarietiesbranchoutandgrowinabushyshape,hencethename.Theymaygrowuprightandtallorsemi-uprightandcompact,generallyreachingaheightof24-30inches.

Advantages:

• Bushyplantgrowthiseasiertomanage.There’snoneedtostakeortrainvines.

• Bushbeansmaybereadytoharvestslightlyearlierthanpolebeans.

• Bushbeansusuallyproducealltheirbeansinashorterperiodoftime.Ifyouareintendingtofreezeorcanyourcrop,orifyouhaveacrowdtofeed,havingtheharvestreadyallatonceisconvenient.

Drawbacks:

• Bushbeanshaveashorterproductiveperiod.However,plantingsuccessivecropstwotothreeweeksapartwillgiveyouacontinuousharvest.

Pole or Vine TypeMostvarietiesofpoleorvinebeansgrowtobe6-8feetlong,buttheyhavebeenknowntoreachheightsof10-15feet!Asaresult,polebeansneedacage,trellisorothersupportivedevicenexttotheTowersotheplanthasitsownplacetogrow.

Advantages:

• Polebeanshavealonger,morecontinuousharvestingseason,whichmeansyougettoenjoyyourbeansforalongerperiodoftime.

• Becausetheharvestisspreadout,ifyouaregardeningforasmallfamily,youwon’tbeoverwhelmedwithripepro-duce.

• Polebeansareidealforhumidclimatesbecausetheydryquicklyafterrainfallandarelessvulnerabletodisease.

Drawbacks:

• Becausetheytendtobeleggy,polebeansrequiremoreattentiontomanagetheirgrowth(forexample,trainingthetendrils).

BEFORE YOU PLANT:� Deciding When to PlantFormostareas,thebesttimetoplantgreenbeansisafterthefearoffrosthaspassed(whichcanbeaslateasmid-MayorearlyJune,dependingonwhereyou’relocated).Thebesttemperaturerangeforgreenbeansis60-80degrees.Youmightwanttoreplaceearlylettuceplantingswithyourbeansoncenighttimetemperaturesstopfallingbelow55degrees.

Beware:Alightfrostcankillmostvarietiesofbeans!Ontheotherhand,temperaturesabove80degreeswillcausetheplant’smaturationtoslow.

Howlonguntilyou’rereadytoharvest?Thebeansarereadytopickwhentheyareaboutasthickaroundasapencil—afterthattheycangettough.Thatshouldbeamonthtosixweeksaftertransplanting.

Tower Garden® Tip: Alateseasonplantingispossible;justgiveyourselfatleast75daysbeforeaveragefirstfallfrostdateforyourarea.

PLANTING:� Seed Sowing and Germination

Step1: LocatetheslabofRockwoolcubesandplaceintheseedstartertray.

Step2: ThoroughlywettheRockwoolcubesbycompletelysubmergingtheslabfor30minutesinTowerTonicnutrientsolution.ThiswillstabilizethepHofyourcubes.After30minutes,thoroughlyflushcubeswithfreshwater.

Important:BecausetheRockwoolrepelswater,youcan’tgetawaywithjustsprayingit.Youreallyneedtosoakit!

3GROWING GUIDE:� GREEN BEANS

Step3: Drainallexcesswaterfromtheseedstartertray.

Step4: Sowoneseedpercube.

Step5: Besuretheseedhascontactwiththecubeandlightlycoverwithcoarsevermiculite,whichwillhelpretaintherightamountofmoisture.Gentlysprinklealittlewaterovereachholetowetthevermiculite.Somepeopleliketosoakthebeanseedforseveralhoursorovernightinroomtemperaturewaterbeforesowing.However,thisisnotabsolutelynecessary.

Step6: Afterseeding,putalittlewaterintothebottomofthecontainer.Ifpossible,usefilteredwaterwithoutchlorine.Donotclosethelid.

Step7: Placeseedstartertrayoutsideinsemi-shade(abenchortablewilldonicely)untiltheseedshavegerminated.Alwayskeepabout1/8”to1/4”offreshwaterinthebottomofthetray.

Step8: Oncetheseedshavegerminated(about7-14daysorlongerincoolertemperatures),IMMEDIATELYplaceout-sideinfullsunfor7to14daystoincreasetheirhardiness.

Step9: Makesureyoursproutedseedshave1/4”offreshwaterinthebottomofthetrayeachmorningsoyourseed-lingswon’tdryoutduringtheday.AddTowerGarden®fertilizersolutioneveryothermorninginplaceoffreshwater.

Step10:Tento14daysaftergermination,andoncethefearoffrosthaspassed,yourseedlingsshouldbereadytotransplantintotheTowerGarden®!

PLANTING:� Transplanting into the Tower Garden®

Youcanexpecttotransplantyourbeanseedlings10to14daysaftergermination.

Theexacttimeframedependsonthedateofthelastfrostinyourarea.You’llknowyourplantsarereadywhentheyhaveagoodrootsystemgrowingfromtherockfiberstarterplugs.

Ifyou’reusingaSubmersibleHeater[linktoURL]andafrostblanket,youcanstarttransplantingthreeweeksbeforethesuggestedplantingdate.JustmakesureyouheatthewaterintheTowerTonicreservoirtoaminimumof70degreesuntildaytimetemperaturesrisetothatlevel.

Step1: GentlyseparatetheplugsintheRockwoolslab.Doyourbesttobreakasfewrootsaspossible.

Step2: YourassembledTowerGarden®shouldalreadyhaveanetpotineachplantingport.Placeeachcubewithitsnewlyplantedseedlingintooneofthesenetpots.Guideanyhangingrootsfromthenetpotintothegrowingpot.

Step3: BeSUREthebottomoftheplugissecurelyagainstthebottomofthenetpot.ThisalignstheplantforoptimalirrigationinsidetheTowerGarden®andkeepsitfromgettingtoodry.

Note: Ifyouaretransplantingyoungplantspurchasedfromagardencenter,flowersalreadyontheplantmayfalloff.Don’tworry;newflowerswilldevelopaftertransplantshockhasabated,usuallyinaboutaweek.

Tower Garden® Tip:Putyourtomatocageonearlysothebeanswillhavesomethingtogrownonandaroundforaproperlysupportedplant.

PLANTING:� Setting Up a Tomato (Plant Support) Cage

PlantbeansinthebottomoftheTower.Ifyou’replantingbushbeans,youprobablywanttouseatomatocageforextrastructuralsupport.Ifyou’replantingpolebeans,youdefinitelywantto!

Thebesttimetosetupthetomatocageisimmediatelyafteryou’vetransplantedyourgreenbeanseedlingsintoyourTowerGarden®.Thatway,astheplantsmature,thecagegivesthemthesupporttheyneedtogrownaturally.Followthedirectionsthatcamewiththetomatocageforassembly.

Beansareaggressivegrowers,soyouwanttomakesuretheydon’ttakeovertheothercropsontheTower.Astheten-drilsgrow,youcantrainthemaroundthecagebygentlytakingthetendrilsandwrappingontothedesiredsurface.Theywillquicklyestablishahold.Ifyouuseatrellis,trainthebeanstowardthetrellisonthenorthside,sothegrowingvinesdon’tblockothercropsfromthesun.

Tower Garden® Tip: Forbranchesthatareheavilyladenwithfruit,useapliablematerial(usedpantyhoseworksgreat!)togentlytiethemtotherungsofthetomatocage.

4GROWING GUIDE:� GREEN BEANS

PRUNING:� Is it Necessary?

Bush-typegreenbeanswillbranchandgrowwithoutneedingtobepruned.Youmayoccasionallyhavetomovesomeofthebranchessotheystayontheirsideofthetower.Youmightalsowanttocutawildbranchifneeded.

Polebeansdon’tneedtobepruned,otherthantoremovediseasedorbrokenstems.Somepeopleliketosnapoffsmallerormisshapenblossoms,whicharenotasproductive,sotheplantcanconcentrateitsenergyonthehealthierblossoms.

MAINTAINING PLANT HEALTH:� How to Keep Your Plants Happy

TowerGarden®sarewonderfullyfreeofsomeofthebothersoftraditionalgardening:there’snoweeding,tilling,kneeling,orgettingdirty!Justafewbasicmaintenancestepswillkeepyourplantshealthyandhappy.

Maintain Tower Tonic LevelsBecauseyourTowerGarden®doesn’tuseanydirt,yourplantsaretotallydependentonTowerTonictogettheirnutri-tionalneedsmet.(Kindoflikeababyandabottle.)

• MaintaintherecommendedTowerToniclevelsatalltimestoallowyourplantsmaximumuptakeofthenutrientstheyneedtogrow.

• WithayoungTowerGarden®,checktheTowerToniclevelstwiceaweektolearnhowquicklyyourplantsareutilizingthetonicsolution.Later,asyourplantsgrowlargerandtherootshavereachedthereservoir,you’llprobablyneedtorefillthetonicsolutioneverytwotothreedays.

Avoid Plant Stress It’swell-documentedthathealthyplantsarelessdesirabletoinsects!Aplantthatisstressedinsomeway—whetherfromlackofwaterornutrients,orfromheat,windorcoldstress—becomesaneasytargetforpestsanddisease.

Dehydration,starvation,heat,wind,andcoldcanallcauseaplanttowilt.Therefore,thenumber-oneruleforkeepingplantshealthyistopreventwilting!

• Alwaysmaintainacooltemperaturewithinthereservoir.TowerTonicshouldneverfeelwarmerthanthetemperatureofyourskin.

• Onaverywindyorextremelyhotday,turntheirrigationtimertorunconstantlyforthemoststressfulhoursoftheday.Justremembertoturnthetimerbacktoitsnormalcyclingtimes!

Tower Garden® Tip: Ifyourtowergardenhastobepartlyshadedduetoyoursurroundings,itisbettertohaveafternoonshadewhenthedayisthehottest!

Keep it CleanWhenitcomestoyourTowerGarden®,cleanisgood.Youdon’thavetopassthe-white-glove-test,butkeepingyourTowerGarden®debris-freediscouragesplantpathogens.

• KeepyourTowerGarden®inascleananareaaspossible.

• Removemostmature,yellowingorbrittleleavesfromthebaseoftheplant.

• Keeplooseplantdebrisandinsectdebrisclearfromthetopofthereservoirtank,andplacethecompostofdiscard-edtomatoplantclippingswellawayfromyouractivelygrowingTowerGarden®.

5GROWING GUIDE:� GREEN BEANS

Manage PestsLikemostcrops,greenbeansarevulnerabletopests.Thesevarybyregionandtimeofyear.Fortunately,growingplantsoffthegroundinaTowerGarden®isoneofthebestwaystoavoidpests!Followingarethemostcommonpestsaffect-ingbeans.

Aphids

Aphidsaresmall,soft-bodiedinsectsthataremostcommonlygreenandblackincolor,butmayalsobegray,brown,pink,red,yellow,orlavender.Theytendtofeedontender,younggrowthcausingittoappearpuck-eredordeformed.Thoughtheyarevisibletothenakedeye,theyalsoleavebehindanexcretionknownashoneydew,whichisanothermethodofidentification.

What to do if you have Aphids: Therearenumerousmethodsofaphidcontrol,includingbotanicalsprayssuchasinsecticidalsoap,pyrethrum,

rotenoneandhorticulturaloils.Beneficialinsectssuchasladybugswillalsohelptoeradicatethepest.

Leafhoppers

Identifiablebytheirwedge-shaped,lightgreenbodies,leafhoppersareacommonproblemforbothgreenhouseandfieldgrowers.Theycanbedetectedbystipplingonthetopoftheleaves,givingtheappearanceofwhiteorpaleyellowspots.Thedamagedcausedisnotsolelycosmeticsincetheseinsectsalsoareknowntotransmitviraldiseases.

What to do if you have them: Botanicalsprayssuchasneem,pyrethrum,rotenoneandhorticul-turaloilspraysareyourbestbetforcontrollingleafhoppers.

Mexican Bean Beetles

Beetlesarethemajorfoliagefeedersoftheinsectworld.Brownish-yellowwith16spotsontheirbacks,Mexicanbeanbeetlesresembleladybugs.Theyspendtheirentirelifecycleontheplant,feedingontheundersidesoftheleavessotheycaneasilygounnoticeduntiltheirpopulationsincrease.

What to do if you have them:TherearenumerousmethodsofMexicanbeanbeetlecontrol.Youcanusebotanicalsprayssuchaspyrethrum,rotenoneandinsecticidalsoap.Pestsmayalsoberemovedbyhandanddestroyed,butifyouusethismethod,besuretoalsoremoveanyleavesthatharboreggs.

Manage DiseaseNotallplantproblemsarecausedbypests;somearecausedbydisease.Herearetheonesmostlikelytoaffectbeans.

Anthracnose

Amajordiseaseofbeans,anthracnoseiscausedbyafungusandisresponsibleformajorcroplossthroughouttheworld.Thisdiseasehastheabilitytoreachepidemicproportionsinwetgrowingconditions.Itresultsinreducedyieldsdueinitiallytopoorseedgermination.Symptomsofanthracnoseappearonseedlingsgrownfrominfectedseeds.Darkspotsappearonthestemsandtheyoungleaves,whichcanstuntorkilltheplantduringitsseedlingstage.Inolderplants,redorblacklesionsmaybefoundontheundersideoftheleaf,wheretheytendtogounnoticed.Thepodsthemselvesdevelopblackcircularlesionswithareddish-brownborder.Thesepodsmayshrivelupanddevelopseedsthatexhibitthesamelesions.

What to do if you have it:Anthracnoseislesscommoninaridregionsofthecountry,butifyouliveinawetterarea,besuretogrowfromdisease-freeseedorpurchasehealthyseedlings.Propercareandaircirculationwillhelpmaintainyourplants’healthbecausediseasesaremorelikelytostrikestressedplants.Makesuretheareaisclearofthepreviouscrops’plantdebrisandpracticegoodsanitationmeasuresbetweencrops.Therearenochemicalsonthemarketlabeledforhometreatmentofthisdisease.

6GROWING GUIDE:� GREEN BEANS

Bacterial Blight

Bacterialblightinfectionsoccurduringwarmweather.Infectionsdeveloponpartsoftheplantthathavebeenpreviouslyinjuredthroughinsectfeedingorweather-induceddamage,suchashail,windorhardrainfalls.Thesymptomsappearaswater-soakedlesionsontheundersideoftheleaves,whichdryandbecomebrownandbrittle.Ayellowborderusuallydevelopsaroundthedeadtissue.

What to do if you have it: Besuretogrowfromdisease-freeseedorpurchasehealthyseedlings.Propercareandaircirculationwillhelpmaintainyourplants’healthbecausediseasesaremorelikelytostrikestressedplants.Makesuretheareaisclearofthepreviouscrops’plantdebrisandpracticegoodsanitationmeasuresbetweencrops.Youcanbeproactiveandtreatplantsagainstinfectionwithpreventativehydrogendioxideorcoppersprays.

Downy Mildew:

Acommonfungaldiseaseofbeans,DownyMildewlookslikefinewhitecottonorfrostingandtendstoinfectthelowerleavesoftheplantfirst.Thisdiseasecanspreadrapidlyandkillplantsduringcool,moistconditions.

What to do if you have it: Besuretogrowfromdisease-freeseedorpurchasehealthyseedlings.Propercareandaircirculationwillhelpmaintainyourplants’healthbecausediseasesaremorelikelytostrikestressedplants.Youcanprotectplantsagainstdownymildewinfectionwithcop-persprays.

For more info:

Foradditionalinformationonhowtohandlecroppests,consultyourlocalofficeoftheCooperativeExtensionSystem,anationwide,governmentaleducationalnetworkthatprovidesfreeusefulinformationonagriculturalpractices.

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/partners/state_partners.html

When to replace your plants:

Ifaplanthasbecometoodiseaseddespitecontrolefforts,replacewithnewplants.

HARVESTING• Yourgreenbeansarereadytopick!Keepthesethingsinmindwhenharvesting:

• GreenbeanswilldevelopaboutamonthtosixweeksaftertransplantingintoyourTowerGarden®.

• Youngerbeanswillbemoretenderandhavefewerstringsinsidethepod.Forbesttaste,harvestbeforethebeansshowexcessiveswelling.Justsnaporcutthebeansfromthestem,takingcaretonotdamagethestem.

• Earlyharvestmightbejustafewpods,butasthecropmaturestheharvestwillbemoreplentifuluntiltheheatofsummerslowstheplant’sgrowth.Harvestingpromotesthenextsetofnewpods.

• Youwilleventuallynoticeseveralofthemostmatureleavesturnyelloworbrown.Don’tbeconcerned.Theseleavesmayberemoved,butthiswillbeanindicatorthatyourgreenbeanswillbefinishedwithinafewweeks.