Common bean

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Whitefly

Whitefly

Aleyrodidae

A puff of white when you brush the leaf, and stickiness underneath.

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Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant African MarigoldExcellent, French MarigoldExcellent and Bishop's FlowerExcellent nearby.

Growing from seed

Start Common bean indoors about 0 weeks before your last frost, keeping seeds in warm soil (around 20–25 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 7 days. Move seedlings out once the danger of frost has passed, in full sun, spaced about 15 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 60 days.

Common bean seed rarely stays viable beyond 3 years — track what's still worth sowing.

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  Growing Beans: Bush or Pole, Snap or Dry

  Beans are the crop most likely to be called easy and most likely to be grown wrong. Almost every decision — where they go, what you feed them, when you pick — follows from two questions you answer before you sow: how tall does this one get, and are you eating the pod or the seed?

  Read the guide

Companion Planting

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  African Marigold
  

  African MarigoldExcellent pair

  • ❧African Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Common bean
  • ❧Common bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that African Marigold feeds on
  • ❧African Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Common bean
• 
  French Marigold
  

  French MarigoldExcellent pair

  • ❧French Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids and Whitefly that attack Common bean
  • ❧Common bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that French Marigold feeds on
  • ❧French Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Common bean
• 
  Baby's Breath
  

  Baby's BreathExcellent pair

  • ❧Baby's Breath attracts Hoverflies, which prey on the Aphids that attack Common bean
  • ❧Common bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Baby's Breath feeds on
  • ❧Baby's Breath draws Bees that improve pollination for both

How to grow Common bean

1. Sow0 weeks before frost
2. Germinates7 days
3. Space15 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~60 days

Water: Medium · Height: 45 cm · Soil: Well-draining soil; prefers fertile, loamy conditions