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Vegetable · Easy to grow
Dwarf bean
Phaseolus vulgaris · also Bush bean, French bean
A compact, fast summer bean needing no trellis, cropping about 8 to 10 weeks after sowing. Sow directly into warm soil from spring to midsummer. It crops in a burst, so sow a new row every 3 to 4 weeks for a steady supply.
- SunFull sun
- Spacing10 cm apart
- First pick8–9 weeks
- FrostFrost tender
- HeatHandles heat well
- Sow depth25 mm
When to plant where you live
Checking your area…
Add dwarf bean to my gardenVarieties (4)
- Borlotti (bush)Speckled pods for fresh or dried shelling beans
- Bountiful ButterYellow stringless pods; easy to see when picking
- Gourmet Delight / SnapperRound stringless green beans; reliable home types
- ProviderCopes with cooler soil so suits early sowings; heavy cropper
Neighbours
Grows well with
Keep away from
From seed to plate
Plant
10 cm apart, rows 45 cm, seed 25 mm deep. Full sun.
Water
Regular water once flowering.
Feed
Little needed; beans fix their own nitrogen.
Pick, from about 8 weeks
Pick pods young and often.
Good to know
- Pick pods young and often to keep plants producing
- Don't pick in wet weather; it spreads leaf diseases
- Little or no nitrogen fertiliser needed
Common problems
- Seeds rot in cold soilwait until soil is about 16 °C, don't overwater until seedlings emerge
- Bean fly and aphidskeep plants growing strongly; remove damaged seedlings, hose off aphids
- Rust and other leaf diseaseswater the soil not the leaves, space for airflow
- Flower drop in heatwaveswater deeply and mulch
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.
Safety: Raw dried beans contain lectins; 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 - dwarf (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.