How to Grow Beans From Dried Seeds at a Grocery Store

Summer is the season for growing beans. Bush beans, which stop growing at a predetermined height, and pole beans, which grow on long beanstalks, thrive in full sun and warm weather. The best-loved bean varieties are the scarlet runner, which gardeners grow for its prolific red flowers; green beans, grown for their edible pods; and fava or lima beans, which gardeners dry and save for winter meals. You can easily grow these bean plants from dried beans available at many grocery stores.

Bean seeds
Garden hoe or pitchfork
Bamboo stakes or wire supports
Ties

Instructions

- 1
  Dig the soil in your planting bed with a spade or pitchfork. Amend and enrich the soil by spreading a 1- to 2-inch layer of organic matter, such as peat moss, chicken manure or compost. Mix the organic matter with the garden soil.
- 2
  Plant the bean seeds, one at a time, by pressing each seed into the soil, 1 inch deep. Plant the seeds 2 to 4 inches apart in double parallel rows, 12 to 18 inches apart, leaving 36 inches between each double row. Water the seeds daily until they sprout.
- 3
  Thin the seedlings when they are 3 to 4 inches tall, leaving 4 to 6 inches between seedlings. Drive bamboo stakes into the ground around pole beans to support the vines as they grow.
- 4
  Pick green beans when they are young and tender. Let dried beans mature on the plant until the bean pods turn brown and the beans inside are hard to the touch. Dry the beans at room temperature for two weeks, then store them in airtight containers.

How to Propagate Runner Beans

How to Use Pole Beans

Growing Beans