How to Care for Green Bean Plants

Insert a 4-foot tall wooden stake into the ground 3 to 4 inches behind pole bean varieties by pounding it with hammer. Tie gardening tape loosely around the stake and the bean vine and knot it behind the stake. Once the beans start to grab the stake, cut off the tape. Bush bean varieties do not require staking.

Spread 1/2 cup of a 10-20-10 granular fertilizer over the area under the beans for every 10 feet of planting space. Refertilize once per month, unless you use a time-release fertilizer, in which case follow the intervals recommended on the packaging.

Water the green bean plants once per week to a 6-inch depth and direct the water only at the roots of the plant and not the leaves. Additional watering is needed at the peak of summer to prevent the soil from drying out.

Spread a layer of organic mulch under the green bean plant to conserve moisture. Do not allow the mulch to touch the stalk of the plant since this can cause disease.

Pick the bean pods as soon as you notice a bulge in them. Grasp the bean in one hand and the plant stem in the other before pulling the bean off. If you constantly pick the beans when they are ripe, the plant produces beans longer into the growing season.

Examine the bean plant regularly for beetles, which you should pick off with your hands. Also look for aphids which lay white eggs on the bottom of leaves. If aphid eggs are seen, pull off all infected leaves and discard them.