Blue Lake Bush Bean

Blue Lake Bush Bean , No Staking ! Good for the table, the market, and canning, Organically grown Heirloom Bean. Great Flavor !
Beans have so much going for them. They are very easy to grow. There are countless varieties. Countless ways to preserve them and prepare them. Combine them with a grain and you have a perfect protein (which is great for vegetarians)
Whether you call them string beans, snap beans, green beans, or bush beans, they are one of the most favored vegetables for gardeners to grow during the summer months.They have high quality flavor, and last a long time once harvested, making them easy to handle and cook with

This stringless snap bean matures early and offers superior flavor, color, texture and ease of picking. A bush variety, it does not need staking. The beans are long and straight. Excellent steamed or used in salads. Originally developed as a canning bean, but it soon grew to be a fresh favorite, too. Its predecessor, Blue Lake pole bean, is also an heirloom and has been around since the early 1900s. Blue Lake Bush was developed from Blue Lake pole bean in 1961. Very productive. Resists bean mosaic virus. Produces most of its harvest within a few weeks, leaving time for a second crop or a vacation!

• Light: Full sun
• Pod size: 5 to 6 inches
• Matures: 48 days
• Plant spacing: 8 inches apart
• Plant size: 2 feet tall

Plant Bush Beans Very Close Together
Bush beans don't mind being crowded and will still produce a good crop. The best reason for planting them fairly close together is you want the leaves of the plants to grow into a shade canopy that will cool the soil and stop weeds from growing.
Plant bean seeds in "blocks" that are 2 feet (.61 m) by 2 feet (.61 m). Plant your seeds 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) apart and don't thin when they come up.
1. Wait For Warm Weather
Beans like warm soil, so for best germination when sowing your seeds, wait until the soil temperatures are warmer than 60° F (16° C).
If you plant the seeds in cold soil, the beans will germinate very slowly leaving them vulnerable to rot and soil-borne diseases.
Beans planted in cold soil just won't grow very quickly, and you won't save any time or get a faster harvest because beans planted in warm soil will grow very quickly and catch up to early sown beans within a few weeks.
There are some varieties that are mentioned below in the Bush Bean Chart that grow OK in cool soil such as 'Provider', but overall you are better off waiting for warm soil.
Also, by waiting for warmer weather, you will avoid any danger of a late frost that can damage the growing tips of young bean plants and kill them.
Note: If you have a very short growing season and you need to sow as soon as possible, then you will want to warm your soil artificially by covering it with plastic for a few weeks before you sow your seed.
Once the seedlings emerge, make sure to protect them from the cold with a floating row cover until all danger of frost has passed.
Bush Beans Like Mulch, If you live where summers are hot and dry, mulch your beans to help keep the moisture in the soil. Many people like to use shredded newspaper mixed with grass clippings, or compost.
Harvesting;
Regular harvesting is the number one way to guarantee a prolonged bean harvest. You should pick your beans at least every other day, and you should pick you beans before their pods swell and fill up with seeds.
When the seeds finish forming inside the pods, it sends a signal to the plant to stop growing, which is something you don't want, so keep those beans picked.Also, when beans pods get too big, they are not as tender and tasty as when they are young bean pods.