This isn't the most active forum. You could wait for a day or two for a response, or repost in the vegetable forum. Lots of people grow string beans there.

Pole beans or bush beans? And how far apart are the "hills"?

Rodney

Should be fine. I grow lots of beans (both pole and bush) in containers, or in-ground grouped around tomato cage-sized trellises, and they don't strangle each other or anything like that. Just feed them a little extra to make up for the crowding. If these are bush beans they might shade each other a little but it shouldn't be a big deal.

I'm in California 9b as well, and just FYI the backs of seed packets (I'm assuming that's where you found the directions?) aren't the best source of info for our climate, since we don't have to worry about drainage in summer and our "last frost" date has nothing to do with what time is actually good to plant. If you're in a foggier place/SF there's a great book called Golden Gate Gardening, and if you're farther south the Santa Clara County Master Gardeners have good info and a planting calendar (as does Common Ground in Palo Alto).