Open-Pollinated · 50–60 days from direct seeding
warm-season · timing varies by zone
Grows well in
Raised Bed ✓
In-Ground ✓
Container/Pot ✓
Grow Bag ✓
Meet This Plant
Slenderette is a bush bean, which means it grows in a compact self-supporting plant with no trellis needed. The pods are dark green, slender, stringless, and about 5 inches long. It's a heavy producer that matures fast, has strong disease resistance, and holds its quality well even if you miss a day of picking.
Beans are a warm-season crop, so they go in after your last frost once the soil is warm. But once they're in the ground, they take off quickly. One of the most satisfying crops you can grow for fresh eating, freezing, and canning.
What it tastes like: Crisp, clean, and fresh with a satisfying snap. No strings, no toughness. This is the kind of green bean that reminds you what vegetables are supposed to taste like.
How to Grow It
Sun
Full sun. At least 6–8 hours daily. Beans need warmth and light to produce well.
Water
About an inch of water per week. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Avoid wetting the leaves when watering as moisture on foliage encourages disease.
Sowing Details
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Depth1–2 inches
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Spacing2–4 inches, thinning to 3–4 inches
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Row Spacing18–24 inches
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Germination7–10 days. Don't rush planting. Cold wet soil rots seeds fast.
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Days to Maturity50–60 days from direct seeding
When to Plant
Direct sow after your last spring frost once daytime temperatures are consistently in the 60s°F and soil temps hit at least 60°F. Get them in early enough to harvest before your first fall frost.
Zones 7–8
Direct sow after your last spring frost once daytime temperatures are consistently in the 60s°F and soil temps hit at least 60°F.
For a second crop, direct sow in late summer about 60 days before your first fall frost. Beans can't handle frost so time that second planting carefully.
Zones 9–11
Two crops are possible. Direct sow in early spring once daytime temperatures are consistently in the 60s°F.
For a second crop, direct sow in late summer or early fall once temperatures begin cooling.
Grow Friend Tips
Wait for warm soil before planting
Beans are one of the few crops where patience at planting time really pays off. Cold wet soil rots seeds before they have a chance to sprout. Wait until soil temps hit at least 60°F and you'll get fast, even germination. Plant too early and you'll be replanting anyway.
Pick every few days to keep them producing
Slenderette is a bush bean which means it puts out most of its crop in a concentrated window. Picking regularly keeps that window open longer. Leave pods on the plant too long and they signal the plant to stop producing. Check the plants every 2–3 days during peak harvest.
Succession sow for a longer harvest
A single planting gives you a big flush of beans over a couple of weeks. Sow a new short row every 2–3 weeks from your last frost date through midsummer and you'll keep a steady supply.
Don't work around the plants when they're wet
Beans are susceptible to fungal disease and handling wet plants spreads it fast. Do your weeding, thinning, and harvesting when the foliage is dry. It's a small habit that makes a real difference over the course of a season.
They improve the soil a little
Same as peas, beans are legumes. Their roots host bacteria that fix a small amount of nitrogen in the soil. Most of it goes into the pods you harvest, but leaving the roots in the ground after the season releases a modest amount back as they decompose. Cut plants at the base when you're done and leave the roots where they are.
Companion plants
Carrots
Cucumbers
Squash
Lettuce
Strawberries
Dill
Harvest & What to Do With It
When it's ready
Slenderette is ready at 50–60 days when pods are about 5 inches long, dark green, and snap cleanly when bent. The pod should feel firm and the seeds inside should still be small. Once the seeds start to bulge noticeably through the pod wall, the beans are past their prime for fresh eating and the texture gets tough and fibrous.
How to harvest
Use two hands. Hold the stem with one hand and pull the pod with the other so you don't yank the whole plant out of the ground or snap a branch. Pick every 2–3 days during peak production.
Yield
A short row gives you a generous harvest of beans. Succession sowing is the best way to keep fresh beans coming through the season.
Short-term storage
Refrigerate unwashed in a perforated bag or loosely wrapped. Keeps 5–7 days. Use them fresh for the best snap and flavor.
Long-term storage
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Freezing: Blanch 3 minutes, ice bath, dry well, freeze flat then bag. Keeps up to 12 months. Slenderette holds up exceptionally well in the freezer.
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Pressure canning: Green beans pressure can beautifully. Follow current USDA guidelines for safe processing times and pressures.
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Dehydrating: Blanch first, slice into pieces, dehydrate at 125°F until completely dry and brittle. Keeps 12 months airtight. Good for soups and stews.
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Refrigerator pickling: Dilly beans are the move here. Pack whole beans into a jar with vinegar, garlic, dill, and red pepper flakes and refrigerate. Ready in a few days and keeps for several weeks.
❌
Water bath canning: Not safe for plain green beans due to low acidity. Pickled beans in an acidified brine are fine.
Seed Storage & Saving
| Variety |
Slenderette Bush Bean |
| Type |
Open-Pollinated |
| Seeds per packet |
~50 seeds |
Storing unused seeds: Keep somewhere cool, dark, and dry. Viable up to 3 years.
Seed saving: Beans are self-pollinating and rarely cross with other varieties. A little distance from other bean varieties doesn't hurt but strict isolation isn't necessary. Let a few pods stay on the vine well past eating stage until they're dry, papery, and rattling. Pull the whole plant and hang it upside down somewhere dry and well-ventilated to finish drying if needed. Shell the dry pods by hand, remove any debris, and store in a cool, dark place.
