Definitely, I'd recommend growing from seed. Not only is it much more economical, but the plants do better, as a rule.

For close quarters I prefer pole varieties. They are like a sky scraper compared to a split level home (bush bean). One get's more for the square foot.

If tomatoes did well, then beans should too. They just need water to survive the heat. Some varieties handle heat better than others.

You might consider a yard long bean, which is actually a kind of cowpea. Their texture is a bit different from regular green beans. But we like them fine, and they produce through the hottest part of the summer here, even when regular beans my take a short break.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Thanks for the info. I might go with the pole beans then. I don't need a lot since only I eat them, but I can freeze them if I get an over abundance.

Now I'll just need to figure out when to plant them. Warm soil, correct? Wish I could plant them now. I have such an itch to start spring planitng, but it is too cold at night still.

The soil should be at least 60 degrees before planting and, any danger of frost over. The suggestion of "Yardlong" beans is great.

Lisa in TX, I understand your itch to plant something. It is too cold now for common beans, but perfect time to plant some pole peas! they can be edible pod peas, shelling peas or sugar snaps. Just make sure they are the species pisum sativa. Sometimes it gets too warm in the spring for them where I live, so I am planting them now. Peas are very cold resistant, even if you get a little frost they should be OK. Also, as another comment, you will be surprised how many pole beans you can get out of just one plant, they are very productive if you keep picking them.

Thanks everyone. I don't like peas, so I won't be trying those, cabrita. Thanks for the thought though. I have decided to do pole beans, and plant a spring crop and if that goes well, do a fall crop as well.

If you are limited on space you can always grow beans in a big pot. I had one sitting around empty and it was driving me nuts so I filled it with dirt, stuck a piece or concrete wired roll into the top of it and tossed in some bean seeds...It was unbelievable the beans that came out of it. It was one of those big plastic tubs with rope handles that sell for about 5 bucks. People around here use them for watering animals.

I'm in Houston, too. Depending on what the forecast looks like, I've started planting my common beans as early as the end of February or as late as mid-March. I also plant a fall crop around the end of August, beginning of September.