Green Beans Cracking and Turning Brown- Why?

by Delia Mandia
(Staten Island, NY)

I am disabled so have some mobility problems and it's hard for me to go outside. But I thought of gardening as it passes the time in a healthy way.

I started the green beans indoors so I can easily care for them. I plan on transplanting them outside when they are big enough (I know transplanting vegetables can be tricky, but I want to try since I already started).

I have green beans growing that I started from seedlings. They are about 6 inches high and a beautiful green. The stalk part is strong and stands upright and the leaves are great. However, where the pod part is starting there are cracks and browning in the center.

I also should note I have used an organic fungicide to get rid of mold that was crowing on the cardboard pots and that was in some of the dirt. I removed what was there and everything is going away fine. But this problem of the cracking happened way before then.


ANSWER:

It looks like your green beans have developed a plant disease. It could be something that was in the soil where you planted the seeds. Or they could just be stressed from less than ideal growing conditions such as light, temperature, or humidity.

For your green bean plants to be healthy and mature properly, they most likely need to be outdoors where they can get fresh air circulation, and plenty of sunshine.

The soil temperature needs to be at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit before planting the seeds outdoors.

If you are able, I think you will have better success if you plant some new seeds directly outdoors when the soil is warm enough. It is much easier to grow healthy green bean plants outdoors, than it is to properly control the light, temperature, humidity, etc. indoors.