Dwarf Bean
Easier to manage bean variety and a heavy cropper
I’ve not had the best of luck with growing beans in the past. They become a little out of control and they take up a lot of space.
That’s why, this year, I’m growing a dwarf variety, but which will still produce a huge crop.
This is a week by week diary of the growing, maintenance and harvesting of dwarf beans.
Quick tips
- Sow 3 seeds for each vertical support
- Quick grower
- Seeds can be sown from April → July directly outdoors
- Prefers full sun
- Can be multi sown
- Don’t sow in the same place as last year, to prevent root diseases
Dates
To grow dwarf beans through the Summer, use the following dates:
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow indoors | I | I | I | I | ||||||||
| Sow outdoors | O | O | ||||||||||
| Harvest | H | H | H | H |
Pests
Dwarf bean are susceptible to the following pests:
Types of dwarf bean
We are growing “Sonesta” dwarf bean this year which we received for free with our subscription to Grow You Own magazine, which is worth the price for the free seeds alone. The seeds can also be found here from Thompson & Morgan or here from Mr.Fothergills.
Watch it
I have compiled the growing diary for dwarf beans into a short video for you:
Growing diary
I started this diary, and sowed these seeds, on the first week of May (23rd week of the year).
Week 1: Sowing
I have built a simple bamboo support for my dwarf beans. It’s about a 1.5m tall and is three bamboo sticks, tied at the top, with a length of twine zig-zagging between the three sticks.
A support will hold three plants. For each support, make three holes with a dibber or your finger.
Drop a seed into each hole.
… and cover with some compost.
Lastly, give it a really good water and write a label so you remember what you have planted.
Growing these beans in a planter with another crop which would not grow very tall is a really good use of space. The two different crops (in my case, carrots and beans) wont compete for light and beans have a very short root system.
Week 2: Germination
We have at least one seedling which has poked it’s head out of the soil. Nothing else from the other 8 but it’s still early days.
Germination for dwarf beans can take betweek 7 -> 10 days, so I expect more seedlings in the coming days.
Week 3 → 7: Growing nicely
There is now one strong seedling per hole. I was expecting a better germination but at least we have one per upright support.
Beans are damaged badly by the soil drying out as their roots aren’t that deep. Keep an eye on this and give it a water when it needs it.
They have grown a little taller come week 4:
The dwarf beans are growing in a wooden trough which is filled with carrots at this time of the year. As carrots don’t grow that tall and wont block the sunlight from the beans, they make a good team.
Once they are a little taller, they may need to be tied to the supports to give them a helping hand but we don’t want to do it too early otherwise it could encourage the plant to have a weak and thin stem.
Checking in this week (now week 7), the dwarf beans are just starting to outgrow the carrot tops. This will give them access to more light and should boost their growth.
Week 8: Tie in when needed
Support the stem with a few short lengths of twine when the plant needs a little support, which is either:
- When it’s starting to lean away from the supports
- When it’s at risk of being damaged by the wind
You don’t need to pull the ties too tight as this could damage the stem or restrict it’s growth. A loose loop will do.
Week 9: Pods growing
This week shows some pods growing:
All we need to do now is wait for the pods to grow and:
- Keep the plant supported as it grows
- Keep the plant well watered and use a liquid feed once a week
Harvesting
Checking at the start of week 10, we can see that some of the pods are ready to be harvested.
You know they’re ready when you can see the pods looking ribbed (aye) rather than smooth. This means that the beans have developed their shape.
Harvesting will also encourage the plant to put more energy into growing the other (and hopefully more) pods.
To harvest, simply pinch or pull off the pod from it’s connecting petiole (the bit that connects to the stem).
There you have it. Dwarf beans in just 10 weeks.
Article written on Jun 01, 2020
Updated Aug 14, 2020