Soil Types for Green Beans

Loamy soil

• Loamy soil is the preferred type for growing green beans successfully. Loamy soil is rich and black and is filled with composted particles that hold moisture like a sponge. It is neither too wet, as in pooling with water, nor too dry. This quality allows for evenly moist soil during the growing period of the plant. It prevents stressful conditions that invite bugs to come and munch on leaves. It is closer to the correct pH, and provides optimal growing conditions, increasing the plant's disease resistance. A meter or a soil test can be used to check the soil's pH level.

Sandy Soil

• Sandy soils tend to be dry and dry out quicker than loamy soils. It is impossible to get a good crop of green beans grown in pure sand. Green beans grow beautifully in the home garden if compost, worm castings, peat moss, or other moisture-holding organic matter is mixed into the sandy soil. Organic matter increases the nutrient content of sandy soils, which helps green beans to thrive and also adjusts the pH to be closer to the 5.8-6.8 range that the beans prefer. Mix a 1 to 2 ratio of sandy soil to the organic matter of your choice to increase the soil's moisture-holding capacity.

Clay soil

• Clay soil is usually too wet or too dry. It dries, shrinks and cracks or puddles when the rains come and seems to stay wet forever. Clay particles are flat and compact together, making a slick and gooey mess in the garden. It is not ideal for growing green beans. This type of soil must be heavily amended with sand and organic matter to help break up its sticky mass in order to grow green beans successfully. Equal amounts of clay, sand, and organic matter can be mixed together to create a soil that is closer to loamy. It is necessary to check pH as in clay soils it tends to be too low for green beans. Soils release their nutrients for the plant when the pH is in the correct range of 5.8 to 6.8.