How to Grow French beans UK
On this page
- French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
- Regional Planting Calendar
- Quick Facts
- At a Glance
- Soil & Growing Conditions
- Growth Stages
- Harvest & Storage
- Diseases
- Pests
- French Beans, Sown to Pod
- Plan your French beans planting
- Growing French bean in another region
- References
- Frequently Asked Questions
- French Beans in brief: the short answer
In the UK, french beans are sown late May to late July, planted out late May to late June, and are ready to harvest 50–70 days after sowing.
Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: there are 4 separate regional planting out windows, ranging from late May in Southern England to early June in Scotland.
The short answer
- Sow
- Late May to late July
- Plant out
- Late May to late June
- Ready in
- 50–70 days
- Site
- 6+ hours of sun, soil pH 5.5–7.5
- Biggest risk
- Bean anthracnose
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)
13 sources cited · Verified
Regional Planting Calendar
| Region | Sow | Plant out |
|---|---|---|
| Southern England | late May to late July | late May to late June |
| Midlands derived | early June to late July | early June to early July |
| Northern England derived | early June to late July | early June to mid July |
| Scotland | early June to late July | early June to mid July |
Rows marked derived are interpolated between regions our sources do state, because no source we consulted gives a figure for that region specifically. They are deliberately wider to reflect that uncertainty.
Southern England - detail & sources
RHS: "French beans can be sown outdoors once all risk of frost has passed and the soil is warming up -- usually in late May or early June, depending on your local climate." Southern England mapped to the earlier end (late May) since Met Office notes southern/coastal regions see the average last air frost end "often before April comes to an end" -- the earliest frost-clearance in the UK.
Midlands - detail & sources
DERIVED, NOT DIRECTLY SOURCED: no source states a Midlands-specific date. Interpolated between the Southern England (late May) and Scotland/Northern England (early-to-mid June) windows per RHS's own "depending on your local climate" framing, deliberately set closer to the earlier end since the Midlands is not covered by Met Office's "further north, and over higher ground" late-frost qualifier.
Northern England - detail & sources
DERIVED, NOT DIRECTLY SOURCED: no source gives a Northern-England-specific date. Set close to, but slightly ahead of, the Scotland window -- Met Office's "further north, and over higher ground" late-frost pattern applies here but less severely than in Scotland. RHS's own "early June" anchor (see Scotland note) is the nearest directly-sourced reference point.
Scotland - detail & sources
RHS: "usually in late May or early June, depending on your local climate." Scotland mapped to the later end (early June) since Met Office notes that further north and over higher ground "the average last air frost can extend well into May, and in a few places even into June."
Quick Facts
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Soil pH | 5.5 - 7.5 |
| Sunlight | 6-10 hours direct sun |
| Germination temp | 15.6°C |
| Optimal growing temp | 16-25°C |
| Minimum survivable temp | 7°C |
| Time to harvest | 50-70 days |
| Soil texture | RHS: "well-drained soil"; amend with "at least two bucketfuls per square metre/yard" of garden compost or well-rotted manure. |
| Drainage | RHS: well-drained, in a "warm, sunny spot". |
| Lifecycle | tender annual; frost will damage plant tissue |
| Edible parts | pods |
At a Glance
Soil & Growing Conditions
Water: RHS: French beans are "thirsty plants" -- water "during dry weather, especially once they start to flower and form pods"; "Regular watering is particularly important for plants growing in containers". Univ. of Maryland: "Keep the root zone moist by watering deeply and regularly during dry periods. Water more frequently when pods begin to develop".
Soil pH range
Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing & germination | 0 | Sow 5cm deep -- indoors from mid-spring, or direct once frost risk has passed. RHS. |
| Establishment | 3 | Dwarf varieties spaced 15cm apart in blocks or double rows, reaching up to 45cm tall. Climbing varieties sown one or two seeds at the base of each cane and trained up as they grow. RHS. |
| Flowering & pod set | 6 | Dwarf beans start to crop in just eight to ten weeks from sowing; climbing varieties take longer to reach cropping. RHS. |
| Cropping | 8 | Pick pods at 15-20cm long, once they snap easily. Dwarf plants crop for only a few weeks; climbing varieties crop over a longer period, from mid-summer into early autumn. Regular picking is what keeps the plant producing more pods. RHS. |
Harvest & Storage
When to pick: Both sources use the snap test. RHS: pods are "ready when they snap easily and before the individual beans can be seen through the pod", picked at "15-20cm (6-8in) long". Univ. of Maryland: "seeds will be ¼ of full size; seed should not cause pods to bulge. Pods should be tender and break easily with a snap".
Storage
Univ. of Maryland: store "In a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to one week. Beans freeze well". RHS refers only to storing saved seed over winter, not the crop.
Diseases
Pests
French Beans, Sown to Pod
Plan your French beans planting
When to sow and plant French beans depends on your own frost dates. Check the UK vegetable planting calendar, or the month-by-month guides that cover French beans: May, June, July. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing French bean in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
References
-
Carries action thresholds rather than only descriptions: three thrips per flower may interfere with pollination and cause defectively shaped pods; corn earworm warrants treatment at 5% damaged pods or one larva per 3 ft of row; tarnished plant bug at one bug per 6 ft of row; stink bugs at one per 10 ft on snap beans and one per 15 ft on lima beans, which are more sensitive. Mexican bean beetle completes egg-to-adult in about a month with three generations a year, and Wade and Black Valentine are resistant or tolerant. Lesser cornstalk borer causes 30-50% stand loss on late plantings after 1 July on sandy soil in hot dry conditions. Spider mites can complete a generation in as few as eight days in hot dry weather.
13 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I plant french beans out in the UK?
In Southern England, from late May. In Scotland, wait until early June. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to plant out only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.
When do I sow french beans?
Sow late May to late July, at around 15.6°C for germination.
How long do french beans take to grow?
Typically 50–70 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.
What soil pH do french beans need?
A pH of about 5.5–7.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
What problems affect french beans?
Our data links 4 diseases and 13 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.
Get the UK Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for UK growing conditions
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against RHS and Met Office guidance. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Related Problem Guides
Last verified 2026-08-06
French Beans in brief: the short answer
To grow French beans in the UK, sow under cover in spring or sow outdoors after frost risk has passed, then plant or thin them in a warm, sunny, sheltered spot. Give climbing beans support early, keep the soil evenly moist in dry weather, and pick pods regularly while they are young and tender.
Check the wider UK vegetable planting calendar before sowing. If you are planning beans with other summer crops, use the UK Vegetable Garden Planner PDF to record supports, spacing, watering, and harvest notes.
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.