Blue Lake Pole Bean Seeds

Blue Lake Pole Beans are is a reliable producer of classic and tasty beans. Pods are long, round, and stringless with a tender texture. Can be used fresh, shelled, and dried.

Planting by Zones

Zones 9-10

• Pole beans are best sown directly into the soil after the soil has warmed to at least 70°F. This is typically in late April or May. Like all plants in the legume family, pole beans fix nitrogen in the soil.

Zones 2-8

• Pole beans should be direct sown when the soil is at least 70 degrees.

Planting Pole Bean Seeds

• Plant seeds 1″ deep into well-worked and thoroughly watered garden soil. Beans thrive in full sun locations. Beans can be planted as close to 7″ apart.
• Once the seedlings have germinated, and have their first set of true leaves, fertilize regularly with an organic liquid fertilizer.
• If you are planting seeds in starter pots, plant out into the garden when they are 5-6″ tall and healthy. Space to at least 7″ apart.

Growing Pole Bean

• Pole beans are incredibly easy to grow and a great choice for gardens with little room. By growing vertically, gardeners grow more food in smaller spaces.
• Keep weed-free by pulling any weeds that may compete with your plants.
• Let your pole bean plants climb up the structure of your choice. You can build a tepee with sticks, use a trellis, cattle panel, or any other structure that will allow them to grow up freely.

Succession Planting Pole Bean

• If you enjoy large amounts of beans, succession planting is a good idea. Start a new round of seeds every 10-days.

Growing Pole Bean in Containers

• Pole bean is an excellent crop for growing in containers. Make sure your container is at least 10″ deep. Keep in mind containers will dry out faster because they have more surface area and less soil to hold onto moisture. We recommend that you grow your plants close to a structure that the beans can grow up; a trellis or tepee can be added to the pot.

Harvesting Pole bean 

• The key to happy pole beans is to harvest often. The more you harvest, the more beans you will get. Make sure you harvest your beans at the optimal size for fresh eating. If you wish to grow the beans for dry beans, simply let the beans dry on the vine and harvest for dry bean use. Any bean can be used as a fresh bean when it is young, and a dry bean when it is dry.

Southern California Pro-tips

• In areas of Zones 9 and 10, pole bean is an easy crop to grow.
• Mulch heavily around your plants to ensure the soil does not dry out or heat up too much.
• During our hottest months of August, September, and October, plants can suffer from the heat. During this time, using shade cloth can help protect the plants from extreme heat.

Companion Flowers/Crops

• Since pole beans require support to grow up, you can grow small plants at the base for beautification and to help the soil remain cool. We love to plant gaillardia at the base of our pole beans.
• Don’t just grow one pole bean this year! Experiment with all the great colors and flavors of pole beans we offer. Try our Blue Lake Pole Beans, Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans. Yard Long Beans, Golden Pole Beans, Kanti Pole Beans, and Scarlet Runner Beans.

Additional Learning Resources

• New to starting crops from seeds? Please watch our Seed Starting Presentation to learn the basics!
• Learn about growing all our crops on our YouTube page!
• Having pest issues? Check out in-depth information for pests that can be an issue to beans at the UC Integrated Pest Management site.