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Vegetable
Climbing bean
Phaseolus vulgaris
A productive summer legume that crops for months up a trellis, giving more beans per square metre than bush beans. Sow seed directly once the soil is warm; it rots in cold, wet soil. Pick pods young every couple of days to keep the vines producing.
- SunFull sun
- Spacing15 cm apart
- First pick9–11 weeks
- FrostFrost tender
- HeatHandles heat well
- Sow depth25 mm
When to plant where you live
Checking your area…
Add climbing bean to my gardenVarieties (4)
- Blue LakeClassic round stringless green bean; heavy and reliable
- Lazy HousewifeOld stringless variety; flat pods, heavy cropper
- Purple KingPurple pods that turn green when cooked; vigorous and easy to spot when picking
- Scarlet runnerPerennial runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) with red flowers; better in cooler spots, stops setting in hot spells
Neighbours
Grows well with
Keep away from
From seed to plate
Plant
15 cm apart, seed 25 mm deep. Full sun.
Water
Regular water.
Feed
Little needed.
Pick, from about 9 weeks
Pick young and often to keep them coming.
Good to know
- Put up a 2 m trellis or teepee before sowing
- Sow a second batch in midsummer for an autumn crop
- Don't feed with nitrogen-rich fertiliser; it gives leaves not beans
Common problems
- Seeds rot before emergingwait until soil is warm (above about 16 °C), don't water heavily until shoots appear
- Bean fly or aphidskeep plants growing strongly; hose off aphids, remove badly damaged seedlings
- Flowers drop in heatwater deeply, mulch, pods set again when temperatures ease
- Rust (orange spots under leaves)remove affected leaves, space for airflow, don't save seed from infected plants
If you use a garden chemical, follow the label exactly. Try organic options first, and ask the community or Plant Doctor if you're unsure.
Guides
Safety: Raw beans (especially dried) contain lectins (phytohaemagglutinin); cook before eating.
Where this information comes from
- Australian seed company regional sowing charts (temperate zone) (germination, low confidence)
- Alberta Agriculture: Soil temperature and field vegetable germination (FAQ) (germination, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
- ABC Gardening Australia fact sheets (growing, medium confidence)
- Gardenate: Growing Beans - climbing (comparison only) (growing comparison, medium confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
- Sustainable Gardening Australia: planting guides (sowing window, medium confidence)
- Poisons information centre plant guidance (Australia) (toxicity, medium confidence)
- Centre for Food Safety Hong Kong: Phytohaemagglutinin poisoning (Food Safety Focus 208) (toxicity, high confidence, checked 27 Oct 2026)
Reviewed by AI cross-check (Claude), not a horticulturist on 27 Oct 2026. Version 2.