Bush snap beans
Fabaceae · Direct sow · compact garden planning guide
| Bed spacing | 6 × 6 in (152.4 × 152.4 mm) |
|---|---|
| Minimum sun used | 6 hours per day |
| Root depth used | 200 mm (7.9 in) |
| Container volume used | 10 L |
| Spring preparation | 7 to 14 days from your last frost |
| Maturity estimate | 50–65 days from sowing |
Square-bed spacing, root-space and sun thresholds, spring offsets, germination check ranges, harvest occupancy and clearance days are selected planning settings. They are not universal cultivar rules or a guaranteed harvest schedule. Packet, nursery and local guidance take precedence.
Before planting
Wait for frost risk to pass and soil to reach at least 60°F (16°C); check the local forecast.
Establish
Use one sound seed per position; replace failures only when soil remains warm.
Tend and harvest
Keep pods and foliage dry where possible; bush varieties need no trellis. Pick tender snap pods before seeds inside become prominent.
Plans using this crop
Spring starts · 6+ hours sun
4×8 salad and bush beans
Two separate 4×4 zones, with cool-season lettuce first and warm-soil beans later.
Leaf lettuce · Bush snap beans
Spring starts · 6+ hours sun
4×8 compact summer bed
Tiny Tim dwarf tomatoes, bush beans and compact basil for a sunny summer start.
Tiny Tim dwarf tomato · Bush snap beans · Compact basil
No indoor seed starting · 6+ hours sun
4×8 two-crop simple bed
Two large blocks for a gardener who wants fewer crop types and no trellis.
Bush snap beans · Swiss chard
Spring starts · 6+ hours sun
4×8 four-family rotation starter
Four numbered zones represent four botanical families for next-year planning.
Leaf lettuce · Small round radishes · Short carrots · Bush snap beans
No indoor seed starting · 6+ hours sun
4×8 late spring starter
Purchased summer seedlings and direct-sown beans when indoor sowing is already past.
Tiny Tim dwarf tomato · Compact basil · Bush snap beans
References
- UMN Extension: Growing beans
Direct sow bush beans in warm soil. Six-inch square cells are our compact-bed setting, not the conventional row spacing in this source.
- UMD Extension: Growing vegetables in containers and salad tables
Sun exposure, drainage, growing media and crop-specific minimum volumes; our thresholds are conservative planning settings.
- UMN Extension: Planting the vegetable garden
Cool and warm season establishment; weather and soil readiness matter. Minnesota month dates are not used as global dates.
- UMN Extension: Planting for fall harvest
Maturity is a cultivar-dependent estimate; our extra 14-day fall buffer is an explicit planning assumption.
Updated 2026-10-13. We have not field-tested the plan in your climate.