When to Plant Pole Beans
Pole beans are a tender warm-season vegetable. Frost damages them, so they go out only after the last spring frost.
Sow them outdoors 1 to 3 weeks after the last spring frost. The first harvest comes about 60 to 70 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | Apr 22 – May 6 | May 22 – Jun 5 |
| Harvest | May 21 – Jul 2 | Jun 21 – Aug 2 | Jul 21 – Sep 1 |
Growing pole beans
Set up a 6-7 ft trellis or teepee before sowing so the vines have something to climb at once.
- Spacing: 6 in apart, in rows 36 in apart. In a raised bed, 8 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 60 to 70 from sowing, then about 6 weeks of picking.
- Rotation: pole beans are in the bean family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: calendula, carrot, celery, cilantro, cucumber, eggplant, marigold, pea (shelling/snap/snow), potato, radish, rosemary, sage, strawberry, summer squash (zucchini/yellow), sweet corn, swiss chard, winter squash. See companion plants for pole beans.
- Usually kept apart from: beet, chives, garlic, green onion, leek, onion (bulb), shallot.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant pole beans and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
Can pole beans go in before the last frost?
No. Pole beans are damaged by frost: sow them 1 to 3 weeks after the last spring frost.
How long do pole beans take to grow?
About 60 to 70 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 6 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: All About Beans
- Iowa State: Growing Green Beans
- Utah State University Extension: Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- Utah State University Extension: How to Grow Beans in Your Garden
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Companion Planting (Food Hero, 2021)
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Herbs and Flowers in the Vegetable Garden
- Utah State University Extension, Utah 4-H: Creating Sustainable School and Home Gardens: Companion Planting (2025)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County: The Art of Companion Planting (Master Gardener presentation, 2023)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Plant Partners: 5 Benefits of Companion Planting (2025)
- N.C. A&T State University Cooperative Extension: Five Veggies You Can Grow at Home
- University of Vermont Extension: Creating a Biodiverse Vegetable Garden (2023)