Bean Plant Growth

If you are planning a garden, knowing the full cycle of bean plant growth can allow you to maximize the bean growing season, optimizing the amount of beans you get for the effort that you invest in.

All types of beans, ranging from the green bean to chick peas, are a healthy addition to any diet. High in protein, the bean is one of the base ingredients in a vegetarian's diet, as well as an excellent side dish for those with a preference for meat.

If you are building a bean garden, the first stage of bean plant growth is the seed. High quality seeds have a much higher chance of the plant taking root, which will result in a higher yield in your plot. While these seeds may be a bit more expensive, the total increase of bean plant growth is worth the investment, especially if you intend on having a larger garden.

To optimize bean plant growth, planting should be done when the temperature drops no lower than 61 degrees F or 16 degrees C. If the temperature drops below this level, your plants will not germinate, and may perish.

Once your seeds are planted, the time it takes for the plant to hit the seedling stage ranges from three to approximately forty days, with the average being eleven days. A seedling is a very young plant that has just begun to break the surface of the soil. This part of the bean plant growth cycle is vital, as a healthy seedling will grow into a robust plant. If your crops are planted too early, your crops will be unhealthy and the amount of crop gained later in the cycle will be diminished.

From the point that your plant has become a seedling, it requires an average of at least fifty days for your plant to produce pods and be ready for harvest. This means that there is realistically only one grow cycle for these crops in a year. Planting of beans should happen no sooner than March to make certain that your crops have had plenty of time to mature during the season before fall frosts strike. Frost can massively harm bean plant growth, and work should be done to avoid this. In colder environments, this can be tricky, as the time needed for bean plant growth is closely tied to when frosts finish and begin.

The bean plant is an yearly plant, which means that it can regrow itself for at least three growing seasons. However, many gardeners will completely till the soil, killing the old bean plants and planting new each season to ensure that the bean plant growth cycle avoids frost from harming their crops.