Blue Lake Bush Bean

Fabaceae

Industry standard snap bean. Developed 1961 from pole variety. Round, 5.5-6.5 inch stringless pods. Bush habit — no support needed. Determinate 2-3 week concentrated harvest window, then done. Excellent for canning and freezing. EXCELLENT succession candidate — sow every 2-3 weeks for continuous harvest.

At a Glance

Days to Maturity

50–58 days

Sun

6+ hours

Container

Yes

3+ gallon pot

Height

1.3–1.5 ft

Zone Planting Guide

Your USDA Zone:

Growing Guide

Germination

Germination Time 7–10 days

Optimal Temp 75°F

Seed Depth 1"

Watering

Weekly Water 1 "

Needs Moderate

Method Base watering only. Avoid overhead — promotes rust/blight.

Soil

pH Range 6–7

Resilience

Heat: Medium Cold: Low Drought: Medium

Nutrition

Feeding Intensity Light feeder

Harvest

Pods snap cleanly when bent. Pencil-thickness. Before seeds visibly bulge through pod wall.

Storage Harvest pods young and tender; frequent picking increases yield.

Companion Planting

Good Companions

Silver queen sweet corn Classic companion; beans can benefit from corn as a living trellis in mixed plantings.

Avoid Planting Near

Green onion scallion Alliums are commonly listed as poor companions for beans.

Softneck garlic Alliums are commonly listed as poor companions for beans.

Sources

university Colorado State Extension — Growing Beans seed-catalog Johnny's Seeds seed_catalog Park Seed seed_catalog Gurney's university University of Maryland Extension — Growing Beans in a Home Garden university Virginia Tech Extension — Beans (VCE Publications) university Virginia Cooperative Extension — Companion Planting in Gardening (SPES-620) university UC Master Gardener Program (UC Davis) — Companion Planting Chart

More Vegetables

Blue Lake Bush Bean Planting Dates by Zone

Planting dates for Blue Lake Bush Bean vary by USDA hardiness zone. Select your zone below for frost dates, start-indoors timing, and a full monthly planting calendar.

Zone 5A Zone 5B Zone 6A Zone 6B Zone 7A Zone 7B Zone 8A Zone 8B Zone 9A Zone 9B

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