🫘When to Plant Bush Beans (2026)
Easy and fast. Direct sow after the soil warms up.
- Type: Warm-season
- Method: Direct sow
- Days to harvest: 55
- Spacing: 4" apart
- Sun: Full sun
- Companions: corn, squash, cucumber
Is Bush Beans right for your USDA zone?
Bush Beans is a warm-season crop that needs frost-free weather and warm soil to thrive. Gardeners in zones 5b through 10b have the longest bush beans season. In cooler zones (3a-5a), choose fast-maturing varieties (45 days or less) and start seeds indoors to extend your window. In hot zones (9a-10b), bush beans may struggle in peak summer — consider planting in February-March for a spring crop before the heat.
Bush Beans needs about 55 days from sowing to harvest, so any zone with at least 69frost-free days can grow it successfully. Check your zone's specific dates in the table below.
Bush Beans planting dates by zone (2026)
| Zone | Start Indoors | Sow / Transplant | Harvest From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | — | May 22 | Jul 16 |
| Zone 3b | — | May 22 | Jul 16 |
| Zone 4a | — | May 17 | Jul 11 |
| Zone 4b | — | May 12 | Jul 6 |
| Zone 5a | — | May 7 | Jul 1 |
| Zone 5b | — | May 2 | Jun 26 |
| Zone 6a | — | Apr 27 | Jun 21 |
| Zone 6b | — | Apr 22 | Jun 16 |
| Zone 7a | — | Apr 17 | Jun 11 |
| Zone 7b | — | Apr 12 | Jun 6 |
| Zone 8a | — | Apr 1 | May 26 |
| Zone 8b | — | Mar 22 | May 16 |
| Zone 9a | — | Mar 4 | Apr 28 |
| Zone 9b | — | Feb 17 | Apr 13 |
| Zone 10a | — | Feb 7 | Apr 3 |
| Zone 10b | — | Jan 22 | Mar 18 |