Custard Wax Bean

• Light: Full sun
• Fruit size: 5 inches long
• Matures: 56 days after planting
• Plant spacing: 8 to 12 inches apart
• Plant size: 20 inches tall

Easy-to-grow and heavy yielding, Custard Wax Bean brings color to mealtimes. Custard is a bush-type bean that forms straight yellow pods. Yellow wax beans deliver a mild, delicious flavor and a hearty snap when broken. Use them in place of green beans in recipes, or combine them with green pods for a pretty side dish. Bush beans yield well in small gardens and raised beds. Resists bacterial brown spot.

Light requirements: Full sun.

Planting: Space 8 to 12 inches apart, depending on variety. (See listing above or check stick tag that comes with the plant for specific spacing recommendations.)

Soil requirements: Beans thrive in well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. Work 3 inches of organic matter into planting beds.

Water requirements: Keep soil consistently moist throughout the growing season. Typically, established beans can get by on half-an-inch of water per week—supplied through rainfall or irrigation.

Frost-fighting plan: Beans are not frost-tolerant. Even a light frost can damage plants. If you’re still harvesting and frost threatens, cover plants with a frost blanket. Use the same strategy to protect seedlings from late spring frosts.

Common issues: Bean blossoms are finicky. Temperatures below 55ºF or above 90 ºF can cause flowers to drop. Soil that’s too rich in nitrogen can cause plants to produce leaves but no blooms. Drought-stressed beans will drop blooms, decreasing harvest. Keep an eye out for slugs, cutworms, Mexican bean beetles, Japanese beetles, and flea beetles.

Harvesting: Harvest pods while they’re young and tender, before beans bulge inside pods. Use two hands to pick pods from stems. Handle plants carefully, as stems break easily. Avoid picking when leaves are wet to prevent disease spread.

Storage: Refrigerate unwashed bush beans in a loosely closed plastic bag. Beans typically store 3 to 5 days, but can last as long as 10.