The proverb says, "Sow melons and beans around Grain Rain," meaning that the Grain Rain solar term is an ideal time to plant melons and beans. Here, "melons" and "beans" generally refer to cucumbers and green beans . So, what's the latest date to plant green beans and cucumbers? Let's find out below.
What's the latest date to plant green beans and cucumbers?
Cucumbers are usually transplanted in July, while green beans are generally sown in June or July, and no later than the beginning of autumn, which is early August.
Why do many farmers in rural areas like to plant cucumbers and green beans together?
1. Make full use of land
Cucumbers and green beans have the same growth period, so planting them together can reduce the use of two plots of land, make management easier, and save half the time for fertilization and pesticide application.
2. Reduce planting costs
Both cucumbers and green beans require trellises to grow in order to increase yield. If they are planted separately, separate trellises must be built for each, which is obviously more expensive than planting them together on a single trellis.
3. Convenient for watering and fertilizing
Cucumbers and green beans are both in their vigorous growth period in summer and have a high demand for water and fertilizer. Therefore, planting green beans and cucumbers together not only makes it easier to build trellises, but also makes watering and fertilizing very convenient.
4. Improve photosynthetic efficiency
Cucumbers and green beans are both high-tech vegetable crops. Reasonable close planting can make full use of light energy, improve photosynthetic efficiency, and thus increase yield.
5. Reduce the spread of diseases
Growing cucumbers and green beans together also helps reduce the spread of pests and diseases. Because the two vegetables grow together, their leaves and fruits can shade each other, reducing direct contact and attack by pests. This helps reduce the risk of pest reproduction and disease transmission, and decreases the amount of pesticides used.
