Green beans are sometimes called snap beans or string beans. Varieties of beans have been growing in Africa, Asia, and Europe for as long as green beans have been growing in South America, according to the Penn State Extension. Beans were spread throughout South, Central, and North America by migrating Native Americans. Beans were essential to the diets of indigenous tribes, and they continue to play a large role in the diets of South and Central Americans, according to New World Encyclopedia. There are more than 130 varieties of snap beans, and they come in a variety of colors ranging from green to gold and purple.
Green beans have two main types, according to Gardening Know How. They are either a bush or a pole. Bush beans are one to two feet tall and don’t have to be supported as they grow. Pole beans can climb to around 10 feet tall and must have a pole or wire to grow upright.
According to Almanac, green beans are planted in the spring and summer. They are planted as seeds, directly into the soil. Bush beans and Pole beans are planted in rows in open fields. Pole beans, however require a trellis system to grow on.
The plants will produce blooms that will grow into bean pods, according to the South Dakota State University Extension. Green bean plants do not have to be pollinated. About three weeks after the beans flower, the pods are ready to be harvested. It takes about two months for a green bean plant to grow from seed to harvest.