If you are planning a garden, knowing the full cycle of bean plant growth can allow you to take full advantage of the bean growing season, optimizing the amount of crop you get for the effort that you put in. All types of beans, ranging from the common snap pea to soy beans, are a healthy addition to any diet. High in protein, the bean is one of the base ingredients in a vegetarian’s diet, as well as an excellent side dish for those with a preference for meat.
For those working a garden, the first stage of bean plant growth is the seed. While these seeds may be slightly more expensive, the overall increase of bean plants growth is worth the investment, especially if you intend on having a larger garden.
To maximize bean plant growth, planting should be done when the temperature drops no lower than 61 degrees F or 16 degrees C. If the temperature falls below this level, your plants will not germinate, and may die.
Once your seeds are planted, the time it takes for the plant to hit the seedling stage ranges from three to approximately forty days, with the median being eleven days. A seedling is a very young plant that has just started to break the surface of the soil. This phase of the bean plant growth cycle is vital, as a healthy seedling will mature into a robust plant. If your seedlings are dehydrated or over fed, your crops will be unhealthy and the amount of beans gained later in the cycle will be smaller.
Once your beans are planted and have begun to crack the surface, it takes an average of at least fifty days for your plant to create pods and be ready for harvest. This means that there is realistically only one grow cycle for these crops in a season. Planting of beans should happen no earlier than March to ensure that your plants have had adequate time to grow during the season before fall frosts strike. Frost can serious harm bean plant growth, and care should be taken to avoid this. In colder climates, this can be tricky, as the time needed for bean plant growth is closely tied to when frosts end and begin.
The bean plant is an annual plant, which means that it can regrow itself for at least three growing seasons. However, many gardeners will completely till the soil, killing the old bean plants and planting new each season to ensure that the bean plant growth cycle avoids frost from damaging their crops.
