Annual Legume · 54 varieties

Bush Bean

Name: Bush Bean growing data
Creator: GardenTrack

Phaseolus vulgaris

Fabaceae — the same plant family as pea, pole bean, cowpea, lima bean and 9 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Bush Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is an annual legume. It wants full sun and pH 6–7 soil, with about 1 in of water weekly. It matures in about 50–60 days from sowing. Watch for mexican bean beetle and bacterial blight. Below: its full sourced profile from 8 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Sun Full sun

Water Moderate

Matures 50–60 days — from seed from seed

Mature size 2 ft

Spacing 2–4 in

Soil pH 6–7

Frost Tender

When to plant bush beantypical · zone 6b

Your zone

…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Germinating

Seedlings

Growing

Flowering

Pods filling

Harvest

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is direct sown. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing bush beanevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Sun: Full sun
Soil pH: 6–7
Soil texture: Loam, Well drained
Frost tolerance: Tender
Suffers in days above: 90–95 °F

No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it, the temperature that would kill it and a warm-night limit. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.

The plant

Mature height: 2 ft
Growth rate: Fastest
Spacing in row: 2–4 in
Between rows: 24–36 in
Planting depth: 1 in
Container size: 2 gal
Support: Self-supporting
Grown from: Direct sow

There is no line here for how wide one plant gets, because we have no figure to put there. We went looking and wrote down what we read — it is missing on purpose, not because nobody checked.

Water & feeding

Water needs: Moderate
Water per week: 1 in/wk
Critical water: Flowering, Pod fill
Feeding: Low

Timing & fruiting

Days to maturity: 50–60 days from seed
Harvest cues: Pods tender snap stage

Planted again for autumn

South Carolina — Piedmont: Jul 20 – Aug 1
South Carolina — Coastal Plain: Aug 1 – Sep 1

Published by the extension service for its own regions, and quoted here for those regions only — converting them would mean assuming a frost date somewhere else. The chart says when, not whether to sow seed or set out plants, so we do not either. Only South Carolina so far.

Sow by: early Sep typical · zone 6b

50 days to maturity from sowing, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.

Edible parts per source: fruit, seed.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first

PestsMexican bean beetleBean leaf beetleAphidsSpider mitesCutwormsLeafhoppersThripsStink bugs

DiseasesBacterial blightRoot rotWhite moldGray moldRustDamping offPowdery mildewCercospora leaf spot

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

Companionswhat to plant near bush bean

Onions & garlicTraditional

The most consistent 'no' in companion planting. Unproven, unanimous.

Companion pairings from university extensions; badge = how strong the evidence is.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit and seed; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

PeopleToxic raw seeds

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

Featured varieties54 with their own page

Antigua Snap · 60d Black Coco Bean Dry · 85d Black Turtle Bean Dry · 102d Blue Lake 274 Snap · 66d Borsalino Filet · 60d Bountiful Snap · 47d Bush Blue Lake 274 Bean Snap · 57d Bush Romano Bean Romano · 59d Calypso Bean Dry · 90d Cherokee Wax Wax · 50–55d Contender Snap · 50–55d Derby Snap · 55d Dragon Tongue Wax · 55d Empress Snap · 55d Gold Mine Wax · 53d Golden Rod Wax · 55d Golden Wax Wax · 53d Goldilocks Wax · 52d Goldrush Wax · 55d Great Northern Bean Dry · 85–90d Greencrop Romano · 53d Hutterite Soup Dry · 85–95d Improved Golden Wax Wax · 50d Ireland Creek Annie Dry · 80–85d Jacob's Cattle Bean Dry · 88d Jade Snap · 53d Kenearly Yellow Eye Bean Dry · 89d Kentucky Wonder Bush 125 Bean Snap · 57d Marfax Bean Dry · 86d Masai Filet · 57d Maxibel Filet · 65d Navy Bean Dry · 80–90d Nickel Filet · 54d Pencil Pod Golden Wax Wax · 50–65d Pinto Bean Dry · 90–95d Provider Snap · 50d Purple Queen Snap · 52d Red Kidney Bean Dry · 102d Rocdor Wax · 52d Roma II Romano · 60d Royal Burgundy Snap · 55d Slenderette Snap · 55d Soldier Bean Dry · 89d Speckled Bayo Dry · 65d Strike Snap · 45d Tavera Filet · 54d Taylor Dwarf Horticultural Bean Shell · 68d Tenderette Snap · 55d Tendergreen Improved Snap · 53d Tiger's Eye Bean Dry · 85d Topcrop Snap · 55d Velour Filet · 51d Venture Snap · 55d Vermont Cranberry Bean Shell · 95d

Open one and add it to your garden — it lights up here. The rest of the 54 are in the full list below.

All 54 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked

Variety	Type	Habit	Days	Color	Disease	What it is known for
Antigua	Snap	Bush	60	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS BCTV HALO_BLIGHT ANTHRACNOSE	Botanical Interests describes this astakes the heat
Black Coco Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	85	Black
Black Turtle Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	102	Black
Blue Lake 274 Heirloom	Snap	Bush	66	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Borsalino	Filet	Bush	60	Yellow	ANTHRACNOSE BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS HALO_BLIGHT BACTERIAL_LEAF_SPOT	Territorial Seed Company describes this asno strings
Bountiful Heirloom	Snap	Bush	47	Green		Reimer Seeds describes this asno strings
Bush Blue Lake 274 Bean Heirloom	Snap	Bush	57	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS NY15
Bush Romano Bean	Romano	Bush	59	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS RUST	McKenzie Seeds describes this asno strings
Calypso Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	90	Black, White
Cherokee Wax Heirloom	Wax	Bush	50–55	Yellow	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS NY15_MOSAIC
Contender Heirloom	Snap	Bush	50–55	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS	Urban Farmer Seeds describes this asno strings
Derby	Snap	Bush	55	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS	Jung Seed Company describes this asno strings
Dragon Tongue Heirloom	Wax	Bush	55	Yellow, Purple
Empress Heirloom	Snap	Bush	55	Green		Uprising Seeds describes this astakes the heat
Gold Mine	Wax	Bush	53	Yellow	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS HALO_BLIGHT
Golden Rod	Wax	Bush	55	Yellow	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Golden Wax Heirloom	Wax	Bush	53	Yellow		True Leaf Market describes this asno strings
Goldilocks	Wax	Bush	52	Yellow	ANTHRACNOSE BACTERIAL_BROWN_SPOT BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS	Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this astakes the heat
Goldrush	Wax	Bush	55	Yellow	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS CURLY_TOP
Great Northern Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	85–90	White
Greencrop Heirloom	Romano	Bush	53	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Hutterite Soup Heirloom	Dry	Bush	85–95	Yellow		Uprising Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Improved Golden Wax Heirloom	Wax	Bush	50	Yellow	RUST	Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. describes this asno strings
Ireland Creek Annie Heirloom	Dry	Bush	80–85	Yellow		Uprising Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Jacob's Cattle Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	88	White, Red
Jade	Snap	Bush	53	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS RUST NY15 CURLY_TOP	Urban Farmer Seeds describes this asno strings
Kenearly Yellow Eye Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	89	White, Yellow
Kentucky Wonder Bush 125 Bean Heirloom	Snap	Bush	57	Green		Urban Farmer Seeds describes this asno strings
Marfax Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	86	Brown
Masai	Filet	Bush	57	Green
Maxibel	Filet	Bush	65	Green	ANTHRACNOSE BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Navy Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	80–90	White
Nickel	Filet	Bush	54	Green
Pencil Pod Golden Wax Heirloom	Wax	Bush	50–65	Yellow		Firefly Farms & Mercantile describes this asno strings
Pinto Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	90–95	Brown
Provider Heirloom	Snap	Bush	50	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS DOWNY_MILDEW POWDERY_MILDEW POD_MOTTLE_VIRUS	Urban Farmer Seeds describes this asno strings
Purple Queen	Snap	Bush	52	Purple		West Coast Seeds describes this asno strings
Red Kidney Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	102	Red
Rocdor	Wax	Bush	52	Yellow	ANTHRACNOSE BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Roma II	Romano	Bush	60	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS NY15
Royal Burgundy	Snap	Bush	55	Purple	WHITE_MOLD BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS	Botanical Interests describes this ashappy in a pot · takes the cold
Slenderette	Snap	Bush	55	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS POWDERY_MILDEW CURLY_TOP	Urban Farmer Seeds describes this asno strings
Soldier Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	89	White, Brown
Speckled Bayo Heirloom	Dry	Bush	65	Bicolor		Redwood Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Strike	Snap	Bush	45	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS NY15
Tavera	Filet	Bush	54	Green	ANTHRACNOSE BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Taylor Dwarf Horticultural Bean Heirloom	Shell	Bush	68	Brown, Red
Tenderette	Snap	Bush	55	Green		Urban Farmer Seeds describes this asno strings
Tendergreen Improved Heirloom	Snap	Bush	53	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Tiger's Eye Bean Heirloom	Dry	Bush	85	Yellow, Brown
Topcrop Heirloom	Snap	Bush	55	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS NY15	Urban Farmer Seeds describes this asno strings
Velour	Filet	Bush	51	Purple	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS HALO_BLIGHT	Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this asan unusual color
Venture	Snap	Bush	55	Green	BEAN_COMMON_MOSAIC_VIRUS
Vermont Cranberry Bean Heirloom	Shell	Bush	95	Brown, Red

Sources8 cited · 6 organizations

Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
NC State Extension
Purdue Extension
University of Maryland Extension
University of Minnesota Extension
Utah State University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 18 of the 19 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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