If you're looking for an easy, productive vegetable to plant in your garden, you can't go wrong with beans. Whether you're planting snap beans,dry beans, runner beans, or lima beans, the basic instructions for growing organic beans are the same.

When to Plant Beans

Beans germinate best when your soil temperature is at a consistent 60 to 70 degrees. You should always plant beans after your Growing Beans

The key with beans is to provide them with steady moisture during peak production, as well as directly after planting. They do not need to be fertilized. They can be bothered by pests such as the Mexican bean beetle, which should be hand-picked and destroyed. Aphids can also make nuisances of themselves. Leaf spot and rust are other common issues with beans.

Harvesting Beans

Snap beans are best harvested when they are tender, a few inches long and still fairly thin. They are much less stringy at this point. The best way to harvest them is to pull the bean off the vine while holding the vine with the other hand. Bean stalks tend to be rather brittle, and it's easy to break part of it off while harvesting your beans. You'll probably end up harvesting pole beans at least once a week; they are very prolific producers.

If you are growing dry beans, allow them to stay on the vine until the pods turn brown and, if shaken, you can hear the beans rattling inside. Shell the beans, and allow them to sit out at room temperature to finish drying out before you store them.

They should be stored in airtight containers, out of direct light.

If you want to save seeds from your bean plants for next year, simply pick the largest, best-looking beans from your dry bean harvest (you can also do the same with snap beans---just allow the pods on one of your vines to turn brown, then harvest the beans inside), label them, and store them in a cool, dark place until next year.