Bush Beans, The Crop that keeps on Cropping

Last year, I had an incredible bush bean harvest. We canned about 48 pints, froze several quarts, and ate green beans with dinner until we nearly got tired of them. (Nearly. It’s hard to get sick of young, crisp green beans fresh from the garden.)

Even more impressive? All of this came from just two 3×6 raised beds.

Here’s how I did it—and how you can, too.

1. Build Your Soil First

I spent the winter prepping my beds with the help of my rabbits. Rich, balanced soil is the foundation of every successful garden, and this made all the difference.

Read about that, here.

2. Companion Plant with Chamomile

I swear by companion planting. It helps with pest control, attracts pollinators, improves nutrient uptake,and sometimes even enhances flavor.

Beans play well with many plants because of their nitrogen-fixing ability, but in my climate, chamomile is the clear winner. It thrives alongside beans, and as a bonus, you can harvest and dry the dainty, daisy-like blooms for comforting winter teas.

One tip: chamomile is delicate compared to beans. I start it indoors using my Uruq hydroponic system and transplant it into the beds before the beans go in. This gives it a head start before the fast-growing beans take over.

3. Rethink Spacing

Forget what you know about rows and spacing. In each 3×6 bed, I planted six tight rows and spaced seeds just two inches apart. I didn’t thin a thing.

This method discourages weeds, encourages dense production, and only works if your soil is rich and well-balanced. I planted one seed per hole, and they all came up strong.

4. Harvest Young and Often

I prefer tender beans—no pithy giants here. Once beans hit the 2–3 inch mark, I picked them every two to three days. Regular harvesting encourages more blooms and keeps production high.

When the plants finally slowed down, I cut them off at soil level, leaving the nitrogen-rich roots intact. Then I cultivated and replanted.

5. Plant More Than Once

I got three full plantings using this method.

The third round ran into frost damage by October, but that was fine—we still enjoyed a few late beans and the roots continued to benefit the soil. On our mountaintop homestead, frost dates can vary wildly. I keep planting late in the season just in case we get a long, mild autumn. Often, we do—and it’s worth the gamble.

Looking Ahead

This year, I’m rotating my beans to new beds and using the same methods. We’ll see if last year’s success was luck or a repeatable system. Either way, I’ll keep planting, harvesting, and preserving beans as long as the season allows.

This post contains affiliate links. I do not link to anything I haven't purchased, used, and believe in.

The artwork is my own.

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