Beans grow readily in the vegetable garden from seeds sown directly in the ground once soil temperatures reach about 60 degrees Fahrenheit in spring or early summer. Pole beans grow as long vines that need support, while 2-foot-tall bush bean plants need no support. Beans come in green snap varieties or those used as a tree that is dry. All bean plants need similar planting procedures, irrespective of the variety. The seeds germinate quickly; snap beans are ready to harvest in about 60 days.
Turn the top 6 to 8 inches of dirt in a full-sun garden bed, with a shovel or hoe. Break up any dirt clods, and remove all weeds. Mix a 2-inch layer of compost into the soil to provide necessary nutrients to the growing beans. Smooth the surface of the bed after amending the ground.
Pull the corner of a hoe blade down every planting row to make a 1-inch-deep furrow. Space the furrows 18 inches apart for bush beans and 30 inches apart for pole beans. Install a bean netting trellis behind the row if you are growing pole beans.
Drop bean seeds into the furrows at 4-inch intervals for bush types and 6-inch intervals for pole types. Fill in the furrows with dirt so that the beans are planted 1 inch deep.
Water the bed immediately after putting so the top 4 to 6 inches of soil are moist but not muddy. Continue to water as necessary to maintain the top couple inches of soil moist until the seeds germinate, which can take seven to 14 days. Water seedlings once or twice weekly once they sprout.