Post by macmex on May 12, 2015 11:57:47 GMT -6
Beans are one of the most versatile of all garden crops. Though there are a number of different species of beans, they are all legumes, and useful for putting nitrogen into the ground. They make good companion plants with a number of other garden inhabitants, especially corn and squash. Most beans are easy to grow and widely adapted. Green beans (the immature pods) are one of the most popular vegetables out there, and with good reason! They are useful in any number of dishes. They're good for you. They are relatively easy to preserve for winter use. And, they taste great!
When someone asks me “What kind of beans do you grow?” it often occasions a mild crisis in my thinking. “What do they mean by that” I think. Are they referring to the growth habit of the beans I grow, the types of pods they produce or the primary usage of the given variety or varieties? Or, perhaps they might want to know the species. “Type” is a very general term.
Perhaps the broadest distinction, when describing beans, is that of growth habit. In strictest terms there are just two growth habits: bush beans and pole beans. “Bush” means that the variety does not require support to prosper and produce. “Pole” means that the bean requires support. In reality, there are a number of distinctions within these two terms. For instance, a half runner is a bean which grows much like a bush bean, but which sends out longer shoots (runners). Some half runners will climb very well if given support, thus being classified as pole beans by some. Some half runners won't climb at all, even if support is given. There are true pole beans which rarely climb higher than 5'. And there are other pole beans, which if given adequate support, might climb over 20'! It helps to know a variety's idiocyncracies, but if in doubt, give it a 5' or 6' support. If it doesn't climb that much, it won't hurt it. If it's a “twenty footer” it'll just do several “loops” on the support!
Bush beans generally both produce more quickly and finish production more quickly than do pole varieties. Though there are a couple of bush varieties which don't know this! Fowler Bush and Woods Mountain Crazy Bean are two bush varieties which will produce over a very long period of time, if conditions allow.
Photo of Woods Mountain Crazy Beans
Pole beans are often indeterminate in growth habit, meaning they will just keep growing, flowering and setting pods until something kills them. But most varieties of pole beans do have a time limit for really good production, dropping off to just a trickle of new pods after this time. Some, after a time, become impractical for continued production. They are not worth the space for what they will produce after they hit their limit. Some, just go crazy until frost knocks them down.
So that's one way of describing “types of beans.” Another way of describing types has to do with the stage at which they are eaten. There are three stages at which beans are typically eaten. These are:
Snaps – this is the stage which most Americans think of when they hear “beans.” These are the immature pods which are eaten green, as a vegetable. The seed may or may not be noticeable inside the pods at this time.
Shelly – the stage at which the seeds, inside the pods, are maturing. They plump up, yet they have yet to get dry and hard. Lima beans are typically eaten as shellies.
Dry – the stage at which the seeds are dry and hard. Dry beans are what are used for everything from baked beans to refried beans or kidney beans served at a salad bar.
Photo of Tarahumara Pink Green Bean seed. While this bean makes a tasty snap (for a very brief time, late in the season) it is excellent as a shelly or dry bean.
There are beans which are good only as snaps. This means that their seed is probably not large or plentiful enough to be used in dry form. I have one bean which is so hard to shell out of the dry pods that clearly, no one would ever use it as a dry bean. Beans which are good as shellies generally produce a plump seed which is easy to shuck out of the pod when it is still fairly immature. Dry beans generally produce plenty of seed which is easy to thresh once the pods are dry and crisp. A few beans are usable in all three manners. Some are good for two. Some are only useful for one manner of use.
There is a special category of bean which, though ancient, has only recently come to the attention of most modern American gardeners. This is the tenderpod, or old fashioned “string bean.” Probably, this style of pod has been known in many places. But historically it has been most highly esteemed in the Apalachian region of the southern United States. These beans concentrate most of the fiber, in their pods, into the string, on the creases of the pod (top and bottom). Thus, these are true “string beans.” When preparing them as snaps one breaks each end of the pod and pulls the string out. It may seem like extra work. But the fact of the matter is, that once strung, a true tenderpod bean will be quite tender and good, long after a stringless variety would be tough. In the Appalachians, it is customary to leave these beans to mature, until there are big seeds in the pods, pick, string, and cook them. In this way their green beans are meatier than what mainstream American knows as a “green bean.” Beside the flavor, there is an advantage to this kind of pod, in that, one has more leeway for picking. The pods will remain tender, even when they are yellowing and preparing to dry seed. And, if one wants a stringless bean, it is generally possible to pick them very young, before the strings develop.
How to grow beans
Most beans ought to be planted between ½” to 1” deep, depending on the density of the soil and moisture conditions. They ought to be planted after the soil has warmed up. Many will rot before germinating, if planted in cold soil. They also require at least six hours of direct sunlight to thrive.
Most bush beans do well, planted either in a double row (two rows about 6” apart with, perhaps 2 ½' space on either side) or in a wide row. In either case, the general rule is to plant seed about 6” apart. Some varieties do better with more space. Woods Mountain Crazy Bean, for instance, likes about a foot between plants.
Pole beans require support. The beginning gardener's most common mistake with pole beans is to try to grow them on flimsy supports, which invariably collapse later in the season. When in doubt, give pole beans a support, from which you could hang a five or ten pound weight without fear of it falling over. Common supports are wooden or metal stakes, posts from which heavy twine or wire can be hung. Poles, like in bamboo or young tree saplings, or even a cattle panel or heavy fence material. Just be sure that the support is sturdy! Also, beware of jute twine. Unless you have a very dry climate, it will likely rot and break before the beans are through growing (voice of personal experience).
Photo of Barksdale Wax Pole Bean
Beans generally do just fine with the same soil moisture that tomatoes and other common garden crops prefer. It is better to let them get pretty dry before watering and then, water deeply, than to water real frequently. The same goes for tomatoes and other common garden crops. Be careful not to disturb soil (as in weeding or cultivating) while the beans have moisture on their leaves. This can cause problems with disease. Only move around your beans when they are completely dry
.
Also, when picking, try to pick the whole bean. Don't leave pieces of the bean and stem on the vine. This will cause most varieties to stop producing.
Finally, DON'T PURCHASE BEAN PLANTS AT THE STORE! There is a growing trend in the United States to sell transplants. New gardeners often think they are playing it safe by purchasing transplants. Nine times out of ten, a transplanted bean will do poorly. They simply aren't made for tranplanting, unless done at the perfect time. A store bought transplant will usually be root bound and in poor condition. Bean seeds germinate and grow at a phenominal rate. Almost always, a planted seed will outstrip a transplanted bean plant, It will grow and it will grow faster, producing better, if started by seed, right where you want it to grow. Additionally, the 50 seed (perhaps more) can probably be obtained for the price of six transplants.
When someone asks me “What kind of beans do you grow?” it often occasions a mild crisis in my thinking. “What do they mean by that” I think. Are they referring to the growth habit of the beans I grow, the types of pods they produce or the primary usage of the given variety or varieties? Or, perhaps they might want to know the species. “Type” is a very general term.
Perhaps the broadest distinction, when describing beans, is that of growth habit. In strictest terms there are just two growth habits: bush beans and pole beans. “Bush” means that the variety does not require support to prosper and produce. “Pole” means that the bean requires support. In reality, there are a number of distinctions within these two terms. For instance, a half runner is a bean which grows much like a bush bean, but which sends out longer shoots (runners). Some half runners will climb very well if given support, thus being classified as pole beans by some. Some half runners won't climb at all, even if support is given. There are true pole beans which rarely climb higher than 5'. And there are other pole beans, which if given adequate support, might climb over 20'! It helps to know a variety's idiocyncracies, but if in doubt, give it a 5' or 6' support. If it doesn't climb that much, it won't hurt it. If it's a “twenty footer” it'll just do several “loops” on the support!
Bush beans generally both produce more quickly and finish production more quickly than do pole varieties. Though there are a couple of bush varieties which don't know this! Fowler Bush and Woods Mountain Crazy Bean are two bush varieties which will produce over a very long period of time, if conditions allow.
Photo of Woods Mountain Crazy Beans
Pole beans are often indeterminate in growth habit, meaning they will just keep growing, flowering and setting pods until something kills them. But most varieties of pole beans do have a time limit for really good production, dropping off to just a trickle of new pods after this time. Some, after a time, become impractical for continued production. They are not worth the space for what they will produce after they hit their limit. Some, just go crazy until frost knocks them down.
So that's one way of describing “types of beans.” Another way of describing types has to do with the stage at which they are eaten. There are three stages at which beans are typically eaten. These are:
Snaps – this is the stage which most Americans think of when they hear “beans.” These are the immature pods which are eaten green, as a vegetable. The seed may or may not be noticeable inside the pods at this time.
Shelly – the stage at which the seeds, inside the pods, are maturing. They plump up, yet they have yet to get dry and hard. Lima beans are typically eaten as shellies.
Dry – the stage at which the seeds are dry and hard. Dry beans are what are used for everything from baked beans to refried beans or kidney beans served at a salad bar.
Photo of Tarahumara Pink Green Bean seed. While this bean makes a tasty snap (for a very brief time, late in the season) it is excellent as a shelly or dry bean.
There are beans which are good only as snaps. This means that their seed is probably not large or plentiful enough to be used in dry form. I have one bean which is so hard to shell out of the dry pods that clearly, no one would ever use it as a dry bean. Beans which are good as shellies generally produce a plump seed which is easy to shuck out of the pod when it is still fairly immature. Dry beans generally produce plenty of seed which is easy to thresh once the pods are dry and crisp. A few beans are usable in all three manners. Some are good for two. Some are only useful for one manner of use.
There is a special category of bean which, though ancient, has only recently come to the attention of most modern American gardeners. This is the tenderpod, or old fashioned “string bean.” Probably, this style of pod has been known in many places. But historically it has been most highly esteemed in the Apalachian region of the southern United States. These beans concentrate most of the fiber, in their pods, into the string, on the creases of the pod (top and bottom). Thus, these are true “string beans.” When preparing them as snaps one breaks each end of the pod and pulls the string out. It may seem like extra work. But the fact of the matter is, that once strung, a true tenderpod bean will be quite tender and good, long after a stringless variety would be tough. In the Appalachians, it is customary to leave these beans to mature, until there are big seeds in the pods, pick, string, and cook them. In this way their green beans are meatier than what mainstream American knows as a “green bean.” Beside the flavor, there is an advantage to this kind of pod, in that, one has more leeway for picking. The pods will remain tender, even when they are yellowing and preparing to dry seed. And, if one wants a stringless bean, it is generally possible to pick them very young, before the strings develop.
How to grow beans
Most beans ought to be planted between ½” to 1” deep, depending on the density of the soil and moisture conditions. They ought to be planted after the soil has warmed up. Many will rot before germinating, if planted in cold soil. They also require at least six hours of direct sunlight to thrive.
Most bush beans do well, planted either in a double row (two rows about 6” apart with, perhaps 2 ½' space on either side) or in a wide row. In either case, the general rule is to plant seed about 6” apart. Some varieties do better with more space. Woods Mountain Crazy Bean, for instance, likes about a foot between plants.
Pole beans require support. The beginning gardener's most common mistake with pole beans is to try to grow them on flimsy supports, which invariably collapse later in the season. When in doubt, give pole beans a support, from which you could hang a five or ten pound weight without fear of it falling over. Common supports are wooden or metal stakes, posts from which heavy twine or wire can be hung. Poles, like in bamboo or young tree saplings, or even a cattle panel or heavy fence material. Just be sure that the support is sturdy! Also, beware of jute twine. Unless you have a very dry climate, it will likely rot and break before the beans are through growing (voice of personal experience).
Photo of Barksdale Wax Pole Bean
Beans generally do just fine with the same soil moisture that tomatoes and other common garden crops prefer. It is better to let them get pretty dry before watering and then, water deeply, than to water real frequently. The same goes for tomatoes and other common garden crops. Be careful not to disturb soil (as in weeding or cultivating) while the beans have moisture on their leaves. This can cause problems with disease. Only move around your beans when they are completely dry
.
Also, when picking, try to pick the whole bean. Don't leave pieces of the bean and stem on the vine. This will cause most varieties to stop producing.
Finally, DON'T PURCHASE BEAN PLANTS AT THE STORE! There is a growing trend in the United States to sell transplants. New gardeners often think they are playing it safe by purchasing transplants. Nine times out of ten, a transplanted bean will do poorly. They simply aren't made for tranplanting, unless done at the perfect time. A store bought transplant will usually be root bound and in poor condition. Bean seeds germinate and grow at a phenominal rate. Almost always, a planted seed will outstrip a transplanted bean plant, It will grow and it will grow faster, producing better, if started by seed, right where you want it to grow. Additionally, the 50 seed (perhaps more) can probably be obtained for the price of six transplants.
