Bean Seeds

When to Sow Bean Seeds

Beans are spring vegetable seeds that are best sown in warmer months when the soil has warmed up after the last frost. You can also plant them in summer for a later harvest. 

If you can’t wait, beans can be started indoors roughly 2-3 weeks before the last expected frost and transplanted once the ground warms up. This gives your beans the best possible start, and you get an even earlier crop!

How to Grow Bean Seeds

To grow beans from seed, plant them 2-3cm (1in) deep in a sunny, well-drained spot after the last frost. Space the seeds every 5-10cm (2-4in) in rows 30-40cm (12-16in) apart to give them plenty of room to grow. Beans prefer neutral soil, so if your soil levels are on the acidic side, add horticultural lime to raise the pH. Water them well after planting and keep them moist (but not waterlogged) throughout the growing season.

Beans take a week or two to germinate, depending on the temperature, and are relatively low-maintenance. Grow climbing beans on a support like a trellis or stake to help them grow upwards. Harvest regularly to encourage your bean plants to grow even more beans until the end of the season!

Growing Bean Seeds as Companion Plants

Bean plants make for the ideal companion plant for many different plants. By planting your bean plants alongside others as companion plants, your bean plants can provide benefits for your other plants, and vice versa. 

In particular, bean plants provide nitrogen within the soil they grow, being a highly important nutrient for many types of plants. There is a classic companion planting trio of corn seeds, bean seeds, and squash seeds, known as the Three Sisters method, which is well worth trying. The corn plants provide support for the bean plants, the bean plants provide nitrogen for both, and the squash plants provide ground cover.

Shop Mr Fothergill’s Beans Seeds Today

Grow your own delicious bean plants with Mr Fothergill’s range of bean seeds. Our collection includes varieties suited to Australian gardens, making it easy to enjoy home-grown beans in no time. Whether you're after runner beans, broad beans, or bush beans, you’ll find it all in our collection!

While you’re here, explore our range of flower seeds, fruit seeds, and garden equipment to complete your garden. Find Mr Fothergill’s bean seeds and more at all good garden centres, major hardware stores, or shop online today!