# Spacing on bush beans



## Hannah90 (May 2, 2012)

Folks,

I am writing out my garden plan (again) and I am trying to figure bush bean spacing. I have read a gazillion different views :catfight: I am wanting to implement permanent beds into the garden. I can't decide on 24'' wide beds or 36'' wide beds. 

For the bush beans, if I planted them in 24'' beds, some folks say I could plant four inches apart lengthwise, then 6 inches widthwise. Leaving me with four rows of bush beans in a 24'' wide bed.... does that make sense? Would it work?


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## wally (Oct 9, 2007)

hannah, i have 3 x 12 raised beds, I plant three rows of beans. First row at 6" 2 row @18",3 row @ 30". seed Spacing is about 6 inches in each row, off setting by 3 inches the middle row....good luck


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## Hannah90 (May 2, 2012)

Ah ha! After looking through my seeds, I settled on 3 ft beds. I will try this spacing! Excellent!


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## goatlady (May 31, 2002)

I plant my bush beans in a 4x4 raised bed, 4" apart all directions, so I get 144 bean seeds in that 4 x 4 bed with excellent production. I usually can harvest at least 35# of beans in the growing season from that 1 bed.


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## tentance (Aug 16, 2012)

i plant much closer than that, covertly in the front yard garden. then again i am using bush style cowpeas, and they dont get very tall or wide.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I plant tendergreen bush beans in a 3' wide bed, 1 row seeds 8" apart. The plants get 3' tall and fill in solid, 3' wide. All my beds are 3' wide, I rotate beds, never the same thing twice....James


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

8" spacing in double staggered row. Some varieties should be 12" for maximum production. If you don't believe it, plant one bean all by itself and see what growth you get. Crowd them and they can only grow straight up instead of being a bush. 

Martin


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## Hannah90 (May 2, 2012)

Well, I have several varieties I want to plant to see which ones suit my family best, and lots of space to do it. So, I suppose this will be a fun experiment. I'll try some at 6" three wide and some 8" staggered rows. Maybe do some 12" and some at 4! What the heck, right?


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## geo in mi (Nov 14, 2008)

Paquebot said:


> 8" spacing in double staggered row. Some varieties should be 12" for maximum production. If you don't believe it, plant one bean all by itself and see what growth you get. Crowd them and they can only grow straight up instead of being a bush.
> 
> Martin


You know, I tend to agree with this. For years, I have planted my beans like an old soybean farmer with fairly wide rows, but pretty short in the row distances---maybe four inches at best......Well, soybeans do grow up and not too much out, but the bush beans need to branch out. Plus, a good wind can take down a whole row........ And usually I have suffered from moisture problems and gotten quite a bit of funky stuff down in the depths.......especially in late Fall beans, and dry beans, with more than usual moisture...

geo


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

I've tried triple rows and invariably the inner row suffers. The plants have no room to expand and often ended up as just a single stem with few side branches. Farmer friend plants for canning company. Seeds plants in threes and spaced at 15" and rows 24". At harvest time, field is solid green.

Martin


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

Paquebot: Can you clarify:Seeds plants in threes"? Do you mean three seeds/hole? Or planted in triangles at that distance.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

The plate on the drill was one to pick up and drop 3 beans at a time. Depending upon how many times each bounced while going down the tube, they may have dropped an inch to 2 inches apart and in roughly a straight line. 

Martin


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