- Type
- Legumes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Season
- Summer
- Sowing
- From seed
Pole Bean (Green Bean)
Phaseolus vulgaris
Plant protein, eaten pod and all - the climbing green bean
Pole beans are a climbing type of common bean, grown not for the mature dried seeds but for the tender young pods you eat whole, the way you would a green bean or snap bean. Because they climb a support, they pack a generous harvest into a small garden plot, and they carry plant protein and fiber. Beans of this group hold lectins, though, so the pods are cooked through and never eaten raw. For the protein content and research behind the mature dried seeds, see the entry on the common (kidney) bean.
Year-Round Calendar
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 4
- 5
- 7
- 8
- 9
Where It Grows
- Main producer Produces more than three quarters of the world's green beans.
- Major producer Planted year-round in the cool fields of the Javanese highlands.
- Major producer Grown on the northern plains and the southern plateau, timed to the cool season.
- Major producer Centred on the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts, with winter volume coming from greenhouses.
- Major producer Europe's largest green-bean producer, where the crop for canning and freezing is harvested by machine.
The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) was domesticated separately in two places, Mesoamerica and the Andes, so its origin does not trace back to any single country. After it crossed to Europe in the 16th century, the lines eaten as young whole pods rather than mature seed were refined there, and today the crop is grown to fit the cool season across Asia, Europe and North Africa. The FAO counts green beans and dry beans as separate items, and the ranking above is on a green-bean basis.
- Optimum
- 18~25℃
- Range
- 10~30℃
- Hardiness
- Not hardy
The plant is frost-tender, and seed rots in soil below 10℃. When days run above 30℃ and the heat holds overnight, the flowers drop and no pods set. In many places sowing is split between spring and late summer to dodge the peak heat of midsummer.
In Korea Nationwide
Sown in open fields nationwide in April–May and picked from July to September. In midsummer the flowers drop and the harvest slackens, but in the highlands (cool upland farming) of Gangwon it carries on through the summer.
How to grow
- Light
- Somewhere sunny
- Soil and depth
- 25cm deep
- Spacing
- 25cm
- Watering
- Generous at flowering
- Feeding
- Base dressing is enough
- Harvest
- While the pods are tender and the beans have not yet swelled. Pick often and it keeps setting
What makes the difference. Skip a few days of picking and they turn stringy. Look every other day
Common problems
- Aphids You will see Sticky new growth What to do Wash them off
This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.
Health Benefits
Shares the evidence base with common beans. Pole beans (the edible-pod green bean) are a climbing variety of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), so they share the same evidence base for protein and fiber. For the detailed composition and the supporting research, see the common bean entry. This concerns composition only and has no bearing on the prevention or treatment of disease.
Nutrition
- Plant protein (in the young pods and the beans) — protein held in both pod and bean, more concentrated in the bean as it matures
- Fibre and vitamin K (spread through the young pods) — insoluble fibre that gives the pod its bite, alongside a fat-soluble vitamin
Plant protein Plant protein is present even when the young pods are eaten whole, and the protein of the beans grows more concentrated as they mature.
Dietary fiber & vitamin K Dietary fiber is abundant, and vitamin K and folate are present as well.
Never eaten raw Beans of the common bean group contain the lectin phytohemagglutinin, and undercooked pods or beans can cause stomach upset. Blanch or stir-fry the pods thoroughly, and soak mature beans before boiling them until soft. Even freshly picked pods are not eaten raw.
Pairings
○ Garlic (stir-fried) — Saute with garlic in a little oil to bring out their crisp-tender bite and aroma. Garlic
○ Sesame (seasoned) — Blanch, then toss with sesame seeds and sesame oil for a nutty namul-style side dish. Sesame
○ Salads — Briefly blanched and tossed into a salad, they add color and crunch.
△ Undercooked pods and beans — Beans of the common bean group carry the lectin phytohemagglutinin, and raw or undercooked ones can bring on stomach pain, vomiting or diarrhoea. Even freshly picked pods are never eaten raw; blanch or stir-fry them through. Mature beans are soaked first, the soaking water discarded, then boiled until soft. Long cooking at a low temperature can leave the lectin intact, so bring the pot to a proper boil. Kidney Bean
Varieties
- Climbing type (Seed) — Runs past two meters and needs a support, but the long picking season yields the most from a small bed.
- Bush (dwarf) type (Seed) — Stops at about 50cm and grows without staking, though the pods ripen together and the harvest ends quickly.
- Flat-pod type (Seed) — Wide, meaty pods with real bite, and they toughen more slowly if a picking is a few days late.
Source: Rural Development Administration (Nongsaro)