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Vegetables · Legume

Growing french beans

Phaseolus vulgaris · also called beans, faliyanA quick legume grown for its tender green pods, in bush or climbing types. It likes mild weather and drops its flowers in strong heat; frost kills it.

Temperate Himalaya: Kashmir valley, Shimla, Kullu, Uttarakhand hills

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Includes AI suggestions where no published guide covers a detail
Green French bean pods hanging among the leaves of a staked bean plant
Photo: Forest and Kim Starr · CC BY 3.0

At a glance

French beans in the Temperate Himalaya

  • Season

    Spring to early summer sowing; pods from early summer7,2,1

  • Sowing to last picking

    Bush types are first picked 50 to 60 days after sowing and give 2 to 3 pickings. Pole types start at 65 to 70 days and keep cropping for longer.7,2

  • Sow

    April to June7,2

  • First harvest

    50 to 60 days after sowing7,2

Across India

When to sow it

Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.

Wait until March

The next sowing here is March to April.

Sowing now in:Central plateauSouth interiorEast coast
  • Sow
  • Harvest
  • Today
Temperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, KulluSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunCold desertLadakh, Lahaul and Spiti
Compare all 12 regions
Cold desertLadakh, Lahaul and SpitiSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunNorth-west plainsPunjab, Haryana, DelhiGangetic plainseastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plainsNorth-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, SikkimArid westRajasthan, Kutch, north GujaratCentral plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, VidarbhaDeccan plateauinterior Maharashtra, Telangana, north KarnatakaSouth interiorBengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil NaduWest coastKerala, Goa, KonkanEast coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra
Today
See the dates as a table
RegionSowNurseryTransplantHarvest
Temperate HimalayaApril to JuneMarch to AprilJune
Cold desertMid-May to mid-JuneMid-July to mid-September
Sub-tropical foothillsLast week of JanuaryFirst half of FebruaryAugust to September
North-west plainsJanuary to FebruaryJuly to September
Gangetic plainsJanuary to FebruaryJuly to September
North-east hills and valleysFebruary to MarchAugust to early September
Arid westLate September to OctoberFebruary
Central plateauOctober to mid-November
Deccan plateauSeptember to October
South interiorOctober to NovemberFebruary to MarchJuly to August
West coastJuly to SeptemberJanuary to February
East coastOctober to November

From seed to harvest

One season, day by day

Days from sowing

  1. Before sowing

    Well rotted farmyard manure7

    8 quintals per kanal (200 quintals per hectare) · Spread before ploughing and mix into the soil · before ploughing

  2. Day 6 to 10

    Seeds come up1,7,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

  3. Day 50 to 60

    First picking7,2

    Bush types 2 to 3 pickings; pole types 4 to 6

Water every 5 to 7 days, more at before sowing, flowering and pod development.7,2

What it needs

Soil, sun and warmth

  • Soil pH1

    5.5 to 6.8

    Grows on most soils, from sandy loam to heavy clay. Sandy and loam soils suit an early crop and heavier soils a mid-season crop. Lime the soil if the pH is below 5.5.

  • SunlightNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

    At least 6 hours a day

    Full sun. Pick an open bed that gets sun for most of the day.

  • Temperature1,2

    Grows best at 15.6 to 21.1 °C

    Frost: none tolerated.

    Monthly temperatures for the Temperate Himalaya aren't in the library yet.

Water and feeding

Watering7,2

Water every 5 to 7 days, or as the soil needs. Water before sowing for good germination, and do not let the bed dry at flowering and pod growth. Avoid waterlogging: beans have shallow roots.

Weeding7,2

Weed by hand 2 to 3 weeks after sowing and again before flowering. Earth up after hoeing to steady the plants.

WhenWhatHow muchHow
before ploughingWell rotted farmyard manure8 quintals per kanal (200 quintals per hectare)Spread before ploughing and mix into the soil

Sources7

Varieties and yield

Typical range7

75 to 100 quintals a hectare

Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.

Varieties grown here7,2,3,1

  • Contender

    Bush

  • Pusa Parvati

    Bush

  • Arka Komal

    Bush

  • VL Boni 1

    Bush (dwarf)

  • Solan Naina

    Bush

  • Palam Mridula

    Bush

  • Kentucky Wonder

    Pole

  • SVM-1

    Pole; resistant to angular leaf spot

  • Laxmi (P-37)

    Pole

  • Kashi Agrim

    ICAR-IIVR; notified for J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand

  • Kashi Param

    Bush; ICAR-IIVR; notified for J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand among others

  • Kashi Baingani

    Pole, purple pods; ICAR-IIVR; notified for J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand among others

Good neighboursNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Keep it away from

Pests and diseases2,7,1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Organic and cultural controls only.

  • Pest

    Aphids

    Signs

    Tiny soft insects; leaves yellow and young leaves curl. They also spread bean mosaic virus.

    What to do

    • Put up yellow sticky traps

  • Pest

    Red spider mite

    Signs

    Large pale patches on the leaves, which curl, yellow, brown and drop.

    What to do

    • Spray a neem (azadirachtin) product

  • Pest

    Hairy caterpillar

    Signs

    Larvae eat the leaves and can strip the plants.

    What to do

    • Collect and destroy the young larvae while they are still in groups

  • Pest

    Bean bug

    Signs

    Sucks sap and leaves pale or discoloured patches on leaves and pods.

  • Pest

    Blister beetle

    Signs

    Beetles feed on the flowers and leaves.

  • Disease

    Anthracnose

    Signs

    Brown, sunken spots on the pods.

    Prevention

    • Sow healthy seed

  • Disease

    Web blight

    Signs

    Reddish brown sunken marks on the stem near the soil, spreading to leaves and pods.

    Prevention

    • Keep the field clean
    • Rotate crops

  • Disease

    Angular leaf spot

    Signs

    Angular spots on the leaves, bounded by the veins.

    Prevention

    • Sow healthy seed
    • In affected fields, keep beans off the land for two years
    • Grow a resistant variety such as SVM-1

  • Disease

    Powdery mildew

    Signs

    White powdery spots on the leaves.

    Prevention

    • Sow healthy seed
    • In affected fields, keep beans off the land for three years

  • Disease

    Bacterial blight

    Signs

    Yellow spots and streaks on the leaves.

    Prevention

    • Sow clean seed from a healthy crop

  • Disease

    Bean common mosaic

    Signs

    Leaves curl and crinkle, plants stay short and set few pods.

    Prevention

    • Grow a resistant variety such as Pusa Parvati, Kentucky Wonder or Contender

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed1,2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

Grow the seed crop with the same seed rate and spacing as the market crop. Keep 5 m between two varieties.

When the seed is ready

Leave the pods on the plant until they turn dry and straw coloured and the seeds rattle.

Cleaning the seed

Pick the dry pods, shell them by hand and dry the seed in the shade for a few days.

Store fully dry seed in a sealed tin or jar in a cool, dry place. Seed with about 12% moisture germinates better.

After the last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

After the last picking, cut the plants at the base and dig them in or compost them. Leave the roots in the soil to feed the next crop.

After the last picking, cut the plants at the base and dig them in or compost them. Burn or bury plants that died of wilt or root rot.

Rotation

Where wilt and root rot are a problem, follow a three year rotation with cereals.

Sources

Where this comes from

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.

These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.

  1. 2Production Technology of Vegetables and Flowers (VSF-231), Part I: Vegetable production (French bean)CSK Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur (Department of Vegetable Science and Floriculture)Read the source
  2. 3French bean varieties developed by IIVRICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, VaranasiRead the source
  3. 4Horticulture: Vegetables: French beansTNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
  4. 7French BeanDepartment of Agriculture, Himachal PradeshRead the source

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