Maine Garden Ideas
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Types of Garden Beans

Picture
Beans are a popular garden vegetable in Maine. They are prized for their mild flavor, making them an ideal snack straight from the garden. Most children like beans both raw and cooked making them the perfect addition to nearly any meal. Like many vegetables, beans come in several varieties. Although they all have similar flavor, they do differ in both taste and texture.

Green Beans

Picture
Green beans are the most common garden beans and may be referred to as string beans. The name string beans comes from the fact that older varieties of bean had a tough 'string' down the seam of the pod. Modern beans are stringless. Green beans are cooked and served with meat or poultry.
Picture
Photo Courtesy of Pine Tree Seeds

Purple Beans

Purple beans are typically grown as a novelty as the pods are purple, but turn bright green when cooked. These beans make a colorful addition to salads, but don't count on the beautiful purple in cooked dishes. Some claim purple beans have a more intense flavor than green beans.

Yellow Wax Beans

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Yellow wax beans may also be referred to as yellow string beans, especially by older gardeners. These beans are similar to green beans, but have a mild, sweet flavor. Yellow wax beans are typically cooked and served with cream and butter during the summer and canned for winter use.

Snap Beans vs String Beans

The term snap bean has replaced the older term string bean as new hybrids of beans no longer have a string along the seam of the bean pod. 

​Snap beans are not a specific type of bean. Snap bean referred to any bean that is snapped (or cut) into sections for cooking.

Shell (or shelled) Beans

Shell (or shelled) beans are not a variety of bean. The term refers to mature beans that are shelled and cooked similar to garden peas.

Growing Habits of Beans

Bush Beans

Bush beans grow to a height of 12 to 24 inches, depending on the variety. They do not require staking or trellising. These include green, yellow and purple varieties. Bush beans are typically planted in rows in the garden, but can be planted in containers.

Half Runner Beans

These beans are a cross between bush and pole beans. They typically grow to heights of 36 inches. Half runner beans require a low fence or trellis, but are not as demanding as pole beans. These too come in a variety of colors.

Pole Beans

Pole beans grow to heights of 10 feet or more and require a pole, fence or trellis. They are prolific producers with large pods. Many claim the flavor of pole beans is superior to the flavor of bush beans. Pole beans may be yellow, green or purple,  with green being the most popular.

Keep in mind the overall height when choosing beans for your garden. Look for a variety that matches your space.

Try growing yellow, green and purple beans together to add visual interest to your vegetable garden. 

More about BEANS

Growing Beans
Growing Pole Beans
How to Make a Teepee Trellis
Copyright © 2014 Nannette Richford



  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables