When society thinks of fresh green beans, they imagine summer gardens or farmer’s markets yielding produce that will make most taste buds scream for more garden treasures. But imagine your delight when you are able to snap into a fresh green bean in the dead of winter. You, as well as many of my friends and family, have asked how it is even possible to Grow fresh green beans indoors without a garden. The secret? I grow them right in my house in a couple of flower boxes.
Yep, that is right! Growing fresh green beans indoors is not only possible, but it is also a fun and easy project for you or your whole family to do. By using a basic simple flower box near a sunny window, I have turned my small indoor space into a mini-vegetable garden. Not only does growing beans this way allow me to enjoy green beans like I am out in my summer garden, but it fills my home with a hint that spring is only a few degrees away. (Any piece of nature that reminds me of my garden is welcome during the colder months). Let me walk you through my process so your friends can ask how you did it while enjoying a winter harvest of fresh green beans.
Choosing the right variety: Blue Lake 274 Bush Beans are my forever goto
A key to growing green beans indoors is making sure you are selecting a variety that works indoors and tastes amazing. After experimenting with dozens of bush and climbing beans, I found that Blue Lake 274 bush beans are perfect for indoor gardening. These compact and fast-growing plants produce about half a pound of beans per plant. Unlike the pole bean varieties, which require more space and a trellis setup, Blue Lake 274 bush beans are a true “bush” variety. In simple terms, they grow in a more controlled, upright form, making them ideal for small spaces. Using flower box-like containers for your indoor garden is the right fit for this traditional row-grown garden plant.
Setting up your indoor garden: The flower box method is your friend
Fancy equipment? I generally stifle a laugh when asked what fancy equipment I use for growing my green beans. The truth is, yes, you can use fancy equipment, but I find simple processes like setting it and forgetting it tends to yield the best results. Here is what you will need:
· A flower box (I use a total of 4 that are all 30 inches long and 7.5 inches high)
· High-quality indoor potting soil with fertilizer
· Blue Lake 274 bush bean seeds
I use a decorative flower box to look good in my living room. I place them on a black wire rack near my window to collect 6-8 hours of natural sunlight. Please continue reading to understand better why my three unique methods work.
Creating a Succession Planting Schedule Gives a Continuous Harvest Until Spring
If you love the idea of enjoying fresh green beans all winter, you must implement a succession planting plan. I know it doesn’t sound easy, but as I said, I try to keep everything simple with a set-it-and-forget-it attitude. Bush Beans typically come in all at once, and the harvest is about 65 days after putting the seeds into the soil. With that tidbit of knowledge, I succession garden as a trick to constantly have a fresh harvest. Every 2 weeks, I plant 10 seeds, spacing them about every 3 inches. Doing this will help you have a constant supply of fresh green beans without overwhelming yourself with too many plants at once.
Here’s how to get the most out of your four flower boxes:
- Week 1: Start by planting your first flower box with Blue Lake 274 bush bean seeds. Follow the steps for planting, watering, and positioning by a sunny window.
- Week 3: Two weeks later, plant your second flower box. By this time, your first box will have seedlings that are starting to establish themselves. Rotating between planting and growing cycles like this ensures a continuous harvest.
- Week 5: Plant your third flower box. Now, you’ll have one box with seedlings, one with sprouting plants, and one that’s just been planted.
- Week 7: Finally, plant your fourth flower box. At this point, your first box will likely be producing beans ready for harvest. As you harvest from Box 1, it will free up space for replanting.
- Week 9 and Onward: After the beans in the first box have finished producing (around 3-4 weeks after the first harvest), clear out the plants, refresh the soil with a bit of compost or organic fertilizer, and replant with new seeds. This box can now go back into your planting rotation, keeping the cycle going.
Enhancing light with Christmas tree lights
If you wonder or are concerned about the plants not getting enough natural light, especially during the shorter winter days, here is a fun and festive solution I discovered years ago. Christmas lights. They supplement the lighting and give off a little heat to maintain a positive growth environment as the house gets cooler.
Here’s how:
- Choose LED Lights: Opt for LED Christmas lights instead of traditional incandescent ones. LEDs are more energy-efficient, produce less heat, and many newer models emit a broader spectrum of light, which can benefit your plants.
- Wrap or Hang Around the Flower Box: You can string the lights around the outside of the flower box or hang them above the plants. Position the lights close enough to provide some light energy, but not so close that they might overheat the leaves.
- Combine with Natural Light: While Christmas tree lights are great for supplementing light, they’re best used in combination with natural sunlight or grow lights. If you have a particularly dark corner, consider using these festive lights to brighten things up.
- Lighting Schedule: Green beans need about 12-14 hours of light daily. Use a timer to automatically switch the Christmas lights on and off, mimicking a natural day-night cycle.
Not only will your plants benefit from the extra light, but you’ll also add a cozy, festive ambiance to your indoor space—perfect for the holiday season!
The secret to watering: Wicking from the bottom up
Set it and forget it. Watering a dish or container under your plant and filling it when it is empty is the easiest way to know your plants are getting enough water. This bottom-watering method, known as wicking, keeps the soil consistent with its moisture level. Top-down water can sometimes lead to overflowing or excess water pouring all over the floor.
The soil will wick up the moisture through the drainage holes at the bottom of the flower box, ensuring even hydration for all of the roots, no matter how deep they grow. This method conserves water and prevents common issues like mold and fungus gnats that may occur from top-down watering.
Lighting, temperature, and care for each stage
Ensure that each planted flower box gets adequate light throughout all planting cycles. Rotate the boxes every few days (especially as seedlings) to help them get a strong foundation. Also, maintain a green bean’s favorite temperature between 65°F and 75°F. So keep them out of drafty areas.
Water each flower box using wicking to avoid over and under-watering and keeping the soil consistently moist. If you use fresh soil containing fertilizer each time, you should not worry whether the plants are getting enough nutrition. Most soils with fertilizers are good for 6 months, and we use the succession planting method, so about every 60 days, you start the process over again.
Harvesting your indoor beans
My grandfather taught me that beans, peas, and many other plants I grow in the winter do not require pollinators like bees. So, they are ideal candidates for this method of indoor crop gardening.
With proper care, your Blue Lake 274 bush beans will start producing a bountiful harvest 6-8 weeks after planting. Harvest the beans when they are 3-5 inches long for the best flavor. Regular harvesting does encourage more beans to form, so don’t just pick and start the next round. Make sure you know your plants and start the next round when you feel the beans have gone through their peak production. The worst-case scenario is that you might have to go out and buy a 5th flower box and keep the system going.
Final Thoughts
Growing green beans indoors using succession planting allows you to enjoy a continuous harvest of green beans all winter. With just four flower boxes, some quality soil, the bottom-watering method, and a little creativity (like using Christmas tree lights for extra illumination and making your planting area more warm and inviting), you can transform your indoor space into a productive garden.
So why not give it a try and show your friends that you have a green thumb all year round? Get some Blue Lake 274 bush bean seeds and start your summer journey in winter. There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of harvesting fresh, homegrown beans right from your windowsill. Happy indoor gardening and happy holidays!
Feel free to share your indoor gardening experiences or ask questions in the comments below. Let’s keep growing outside of what traditional methods have said!
