When

• Plant beans after all danger of spring frost is passed and the exposure to cold weather is at a minimum. Beans are planted in two-week intervals between the middle of May and the beginning of August.
  
  

Depth

• All bean varieties are planted 1 inch below the top of the soil. This protects the bean seeds from dehydration and bird predation. Keep the soil moist while the seeds are germinating.
  
  

Rate

• Bush beans are planted 2 to 4 inches apart in rows 18 to 24 inches apart. This type of bean plant is placed closer than pole beans. Pole bean plants are larger than bush beans, so space them 4 to 6 inches apart with rows spaced 30 to 36 inches apart.
  
  

Alternative

• If planting in hills, place four to six seeds even-spaced in the top of the hill. The hills are spaced 30 inches apart. The spacing is important in hill planting because the bean plants grow together in a mass.