Green beans are one of the easiest garden crops to grow. In fact, this crop can be so prolific that many gardeners find themselves overwhelmed with beans. Luckily, preserving green beans is as easy as growing them.

Preserving Garden Green Beans

One of the easiest methods for preserving fresh green beans is to freeze them. Frozen green beans retain their texture, color and flavor. They can be microwaved for a quick and easy side dish or used in a variety of recipes. Follow these steps to freeze fresh green beans:

• Harvest tender, crisp pods that are free of damage. Whole or cut beans can be frozen, but whole beans store more compactly if they are straight.
• Wash beans in cold water, then snip or break off the ends and remove strings. Cut beans into 1 inch (2.5 cm.) pieces, if desired.
• To prevent loss of color and flavor, blanch green beans before freezing them. To blanch beans, add up to four cups (946 ml.) of prepared green beans per gallon (3.7 l.) of boiling water. A teaspoon (4.29 ml.) of citric acid per gallon of water can be added as an anti-microbial agent.
• Once the water returns to a boil, blanch the green beans for 2 to 3 minutes. Add an additional minute of cooking time for elevations over 5000 feet (1524 m.). Once blanched, remove the beans from the pan and submerge them in ice water to halt the cooking process.
• Remove the beans from the ice water bath and drain. Package meal-sized portions of blanched beans in freezer bags or containers. Or, freeze the beans in a single layer on a tray overnight to prevent the beans from sticking together. These can be stored in larger bags and removed as needed.
• Label and date all preserved food. Plan to use frozen beans within 10 months.

Dehydrating Green Beans

Green beans can be dried using an oven or a home dehydrator. Dried green beans make a healthy snack or can be reconstituted by adding to soups, stews or casseroles. Follow these tips for drying green beans:

• Prior to drying, harvest, prepare and blanch green beans as directed above.
• For better texture, freeze blanched beans for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Arrange the beans on a tray in a single layer with no beans touching.
• Place the trays in a dehydrator or oven set at 140 degrees F. (60 C.) for 8 to 14 hours or until the beans are very dry and brittle.
• To condition the beans for storage, place them in a large plastic or glass container. Fill the container no more than 2/3 full and shake it periodically to separate the beans.
• If no moisture forms inside the container, continue conditioning the beans for 4 to 10 days. If moisture forms, dehydrate and condition again.
• Store conditioned beans in sealed bags or containers. Use within 6 to 12 months.

How to Make Canned Green Beans

Unlike tomatoes and pickles, green beans are a low-acid food and must be canned using a pressure canner. The exception is when pickling green beans in a vinegar solution. The acidity of the vinegar halts the growth of Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria responsible for botulism. Eating food that has been canned improperly can lead to illness or even death, so make sure you are confident in what you're doing before you proceed:

• Harvest, thoroughly wash and prepare only high-quality produce for canning. It takes approximately 14 pounds of beans to fill a 7 quart (6.6 l.) canner or 9 pounds (4 k.) to make 9 pints (4.2 l).
• Check jars for cracks or chips, then wash. Prepare lids according to manufacturer's recommendations.
• To cold pack, fill the jars tightly with prepared, raw beans. If desired, a teaspoon of salt per quart or 1/2 teaspoon (2.4 ml.) per pint can be added. Fill the jars with boiling water.
• As an alternative, the beans can be hot-packed by first boiling the beans for 5 minutes in a pot. Fill the jars with beans and boiling water.
• When canning, always leave the top inch of the jar devoid of food or liquid. This headspace is required for proper sealing of the jars.
• Once filled, wipe the sealing surface of the jars with a damp paper towel and put on lids and bands. Process according to manufacturer's instructions or consult your local extension office for updated recommendations.
• After processing, remove the jars from the canner and cool for 12 to 24 hours. If sealed, the jars can be washed, labeled and stored for up to 2 years.

Having a bountiful garden is a good thing. Yet, if you don't have room to store the fruits of your labor, much of your hard work can go to waste. One easy way to preserve more veggies from your garden is to grow and dry beans. Often called shell beans, these varieties are grown for their seed rather than a pod.

How to Grow Beans At Home

Shell beans are one of the easiest crops to grow, harvest and dry. Beans require very little work and are loaded with nutrients. Many types of shell beans contain about 22% protein. Dried beans also provide plenty of fiber, zinc, iron and folic acid.

To grow beans at home, choose a sunny spot with good drainage. Fertile soil works best, but beans are a nitrogen-fixing crop and actually help improve soil quality. In general, most types of shell bean seeds are sown 2 to 3 inches (5-7.6 cm.) apart in rows spaced 2 to 3 feet (.6-.9 m.) wide.

Shell beans are most often direct-seeded into the ground after the danger of frost has passed. Once true leaves are present, mulching around the seedlings and between the rows helps prevent weeds and retain moisture. Until they are ready to harvest and dry, a bean's basic requirements are weeding and watering as needed.

How to Dry Beans from the Garden

Learning how to dry beans after harvesting is easy. Shell beans can be harvested once the pods have turned brown and feel leathery. Pods can be hand-picked or the whole plant can be removed. Dried beans can be removed from the shell by hand or mechanically.

To complete the drying process, place the bean seeds on trays in a warm, dry location. Shell beans can also be dried in a food dehydrator set at 90 degrees F. (32 C). Once moisture levels in the shell beans reach 15% or less, the beans can be stored for up to three years in glass jars, plastic bags or metal tins.

Grow and Dry Beans – Types and Varieties

If you wish to grow and dry beans from your home garden, it's advisable to start with the types of beans you regularly use. Here are five common shell bean types, their primary uses and popular varieties you may wish to try:

1. Lima – These flat, creamy white beans have a buttery-rich flavor and are ideal for soups, stews or casseroles. Look for lima varieties like “Fordhook,” “Henderson” or “King of the Garden.”

2. Kidney – Named for their shape, these reddish-brown beans are often one of the main ingredients in Chili Con Carne. Choose from light red varieties like “Pink Panther” and “Blush” or dark red kidney beans such as “Red Hawk” and “Fiero.”

3. Northern – The favored legume for Boston baked beans, great northern beans easily absorb the flavors of spices and other foods in which they are cooked. Check out varieties like “Orion” or “Beryl.”

4. Pinto – Popular in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, the flavor of this oval-shaped bean is best described as earthy or nutty. Uncooked pinto beans have mottled brown and beige skin, which turns all brown when cooked. Select a variety like “Quincy” or “Burke” to star in your next batch of refried beans.

5. Black – Also known as turtle beans, these small, black-skinned beans have a sweet, earthy flavor. Black beans retain their dark color when cooked and add contrast to soups, salads and pizza. To prevent color bleed, rinse cooked beans before adding to dishes. Popular varieties include “Eclipse” and “Black Coco.”

Yellow wax Cherokee beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are standard, black seeded bush beans. They produce long, waxy yellow pods in short order compared with other bush beans. Yellow wax bean care is relatively simple. If you are considering growing Cherokee wax beans in your home garden, read on. We’ll give you lots of information, as well as tips on how to grow Cherokee wax beans.

Yellow Wax Cherokee Beans

Cherokee wax beans produce five to six inch (12-15 cm.) long yellow pods from 18 inch (46 cm.) tall bean bushes. The beans are delicious whether eaten fresh, frozen, or canned. 

Cherokee wax bean plants are warm season annuals that are ready for harvest in a little more than 50 days after germination. They produce a generous crop of beans that keep coming for two weeks or more.

How to Grow Cherokee Wax Beans

If you are wondering how to grow Cherokee wax beans, planting and caring for them is very similar to other beans. Direct sow the seeds in a full sun location in your garden. Wait until the soil temperature is about 60 degrees F. (16 C.). 

Plant the seeds one inch deep (2.5 cm.) and two inches apart (5 cm.), with rows about 24 inches apart (61 cm.). The yellow wax Cherokee beans will germinate in ten days or less. Thin the seedlings to one every four inches. The bean plants do not need supports and grow into bean bushes between 16 and 18 inches (41-46 cm.) tall.

Yellow Wax Bean Care

Yellow wax bean care starts with irrigation. Water the bean plants about one inch of water a week. It is important to keep the soil moist while the beans are flowering or else the flowers will fall. When you are irrigating, do not wet the leaves since that promotes disease. 

Cherokee bush beans don’t need enriched soil to grow well. However, you’ll get a better yield if you scatter general purpose fertilizer between rows, ½ cup per ten feet (3 m.) of row. Pick the beans before the pods fill out completely. They should still snap. If you harvest beans at the right time, the plants will continue producing for several weeks.

Since you’ve worked so hard in the garden this summer we want to show off the fruits (and veggies) of your labor! We invite you to join the Gardening Know How Virtual Harvest Show by submitting photos of your harvest!

The dragon tongue bean plant is a bush bean which you can grow as you would any other bush bean variety. What makes dragon tongue special is its unique appearance, delicate flavor, and texture. The pods are striped with purple and can be eaten whole or left to mature and be shelled to harvest the beans. 

About Dragon Tongue Beans

This is an heirloom bush bean variety with origins in the Netherlands. Other names for dragon tongue are ‘Dragon Langerie’ and “Merveille de Piemonte.” The pods of dragon tongue have no strings and are yellow with dramatic purple stripes. They grow five to eight inches (13-20 cm.) long and are flattened. The bush plants grow 24 to 30 inches (61-76 cm.) tall. 

The uses of dragon tongue beans in the kitchen are dual; you can eat them fresh like a snap bean or as shelled beans. As snap beans dragon tongue has a sweet, juicy, and delicate flavor. They are not fibrous. You can cook them or eat them raw, but the pretty stripes will fade with cooking. 

How to Grow Dragon Tongue Beans

Growing dragon tongue beans is the same as any other bush bean. Unlike pole beans, you will not need a trellis or other structure for the plant to climb as it will stay short and bushy. You can direct sow seeds in the spring once the danger of frost has passed. 

The soil should drain well and ideally be slightly acidic. Give your beans a sunny spot and plenty of room to spread out between each other and additional rows. Like other beans these plants will need a lot of water. Water regularly throughout the growing season, especially when rain is less than one inch (2.5 cm.) per week.

When to Pick Dragon Tongue Beans

The time to maturity for picking and using these as snap beans is 55 to 60 days. If you want shelled beans, leave pods on the plant to fully mature, about 80 days. As you harvest the immature beans you can expect more to grow and to get a bigger harvest. Simply snap them off when you are ready to use them.

Since you’ve worked so hard in the garden this summer we want to show off the fruits (and veggies) of your labor! We invite you to join the Gardening Know How Virtual Harvest Show by submitting photos of your harvest!

If you’ve considered planting green beans but are put off by the staking requirement, you aren’t alone. Like Jack’s famous beanstalk in the fairytale, beans often grow on vines that soar skyward and require a firm support and regular attachments. Now you can grow beans without staking by planting harvester bush beans. What are harvester beans? Read on for information about the harvester bean variety including tips on how to plant these beans.

What Are Harvester Beans?

Harvester bush beans are hardy plants that grow in a sturdy upright bush habit. The bean variety was initially developed as a green bean that could be harvested mechanically, but it has become a home garden favorite. What are harvester beans like when they are harvested? These green beans grow in straight, pods five to six inches (13-15 cm.) long. They are tender to eat and remain stringless longer than other varieties.

Growing Harvester Beans

One of the top attractions for those growing these beans is the fact that the bushes do not need a support structure to remain upright. Unlike many other types of green bean plants, harvester bush beans are plants that grow quite tall, 20 inches (50 cm.), yet remain upright while setting pods high for easy hand picking. Then there’s the taste. These attractive beans have a delightful "beany" flavor. They are ideal for eating while still crunchy after light steaming.

How to Plant Harvester Beans

If the idea of long, tender pods growing on an upright bush has won your heart, you’ll want some information about how to plant harvester beans. You can direct sow the seeds outside at any time after the final frost of spring or before the first frost of winter.

Plant the beans in rich, well-drained soil in a site that gets good sunshine every day. Sow the seeds one inch (2.5 cm.) deep and three inches (8 cm.) apart, gently compacting the soil above them after they are in the ground. Don’t water too much so that they won’t rot. 

Watch for the seedling to pop out a week or so later. After that, water at least once a week to keep the shallow roots in moist soil. Expect to start harvesting these beans about ten weeks after germination. Pick beans when they are thin as a pencil rather than allowing them to thicken.

Since you’ve worked so hard in the garden this summer we want to show off the fruits (and veggies) of your labor! We invite you to join the Gardening Know How Virtual Harvest Show by submitting photos of your harvest!

Pole beans are wonderful, especially if you don' t have much space. Yet bush beans set pods prolifically, don't need staking, and are compact. Blue lake bush beans have all these attributes and more. The blue lake bean variety is an heirloom developed from the blue lake pole bean. Try growing these green beans for a crisp, delicious bush bean that has decades of gardener approval. 

What are Blue Lake Beans?

Heirloom blue lake beans are a popular variety that has been around for generations. The pole version was the predecessor, but the bush was developed from it in 1961. These gardener favorites produce straight, long pods that were favorite canning beans. The pods all mature at roughly the same time, which makes them perfect for canning and freezing, but they taste great fresh too. 

This bean variety came to be in the early 1900’s as a pole bean, but due to its popularity it was soon developed into a bush type. The beans are bluish green, perfectly straight, crisp, and five and a half inches (14 cm.) long. The bush grows upright to a height of two feet (61 cm.) on average. Pods are ready for harvest in 55 days and most will mature within a couple weeks of each other. These beans have a sharp snap, sweet flavor, and are produced in profusion. Plenty for a big family to share or for a canning day. 

Growing Blue Lake Green Beans

Heirloom blue lake beans grow easily in full sun and well-draining but fertile soil. Plant seeds in spring once soil is workable and warming up. The soil should have a pH of 5.8-6.0. Beans need plenty of phosphorus and potassium. Experts suggest inoculating the seeds with Rhizobium bacteria prior to planting to enhance nitrogen availability. Plant seeds a half inch (1-2 cm.) deep and three inches (8 cm.) apart. Water deeply once seeds are installed. Once they have germinated, usually within 6-12 days, keep plants moderately moist. 

Caring for Blue Lake Bush Beans

Blue Lake beans are resistant to mosaic virus, a common bean and other veggie problem. They need to be kept moderately moist during the early days to prevent damping off. Water early in the day or use drip irrigation to keep moisture off the leaves and prevent several fungal diseases. 

Companion plant with cilantro, dill, or rosemary to prevent certain common pests. If infestations are high use Neem oil or a pyrethrin based spray. Harvest beans when they are firm, deeply colored, and snap when bent.

Do you like the productivity of pole beans but don't have room for a large trellis? Consider planting half-runner beans. This type of green bean has a growth habit somewhere between that of a bush bean and a pole bean. 

What are Half-Runner Beans

Like pole beans, half-runner beans will continue to produce blossoms when young beans are removed from the vines. Typically, bush beans produce green beans for about a two week period and need to be successively planted in order to extend the harvest period. 

Like bush beans, half-runner beans have a much more compact growth habit. While they do produce runners, the vines only reach lengths of three to five feet (1-1.5 m.) depending upon the variety. Pole beans can send runners as far as 20 feet (6 m.) across the garden. Truly, half-runner beans present the best attributes of both bean types and are the perfect solution for some gardens.

Do Half-Runner Beans Need a Trellis?

While half-runner bean plants don't require trellising, they produce better and are certainly easier to pick when given something to climb. Due to their compact size, half-runner beans can be planted alongside a short garden fence or around a garden stake. Half-runners are ideally suited for companion planting among corn stalks or in the traditional three sister planting of corn, beans, and squash.

Some gardeners prefer planting half-runner beans in rows like bush beans. Space the rows wider apart than when planting bush beans, leaving a minimum of three feet (1 m.) between rows to allow room for harvesting.

Half-Runner Bean Info

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 9
• PH: 6 to 7
• Days to Maturity: 55 to 60 days
• Sunlight: Full

How to Grow Half-Runner Beans

Sow half-runner beans in the spring after danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Planting beans one inch (2.5 cm.) deep is recommended. When sowing in rows without support, sow seeds two to four inches (5-10 cm.) apart and thin to six inches (15 cm.) to allow for horizontal growth. Sowing a new row every two to three weeks can extend the harvest and provide beans throughout the growing season.

Gardeners can expect germination within two weeks. Soaking seeds prior to sowing can reduce germination times. When trellising, put supports in place prior to planting. Place the bean seeds close to the trellis. If you find you've planted the seeds too far from the support, simply direct the young seedlings toward the trellis. Hook a leaf onto the support or gently wrap the runner around the pole.

Water beans when planting and when the soil begins to dry. Green beans prefer a moist but not soggy growing medium. Mulch to control weeds and periodically use a low nitrogen fertilizer, particularly if the beans are slow to flower and produce. Popular heirloom varieties include Mountaineer White and State half-runner.

Green crop green beans are snap beans known for their crisp flavor and wide, flat shape. The plants are dwarf, staying knee high and growing just fine without support. If you’ve never heard of Green crop bush beans, you may need more information. Read on for an overview of this heirloom bean variety including tips on how to grow these beans.

Green Crop Green Beans

This bush snap bean variety has been around for a long time, delighting gardeners with the excellent pods and easy garden performance. In fact, green crop bush beans earned their way into "All America Selections" in 1957. These dwarf plants grow to a height of 12 to 22 inches high (30-55 cm.). They stand perfectly well on their own and do not need a trellis or staking. 

Planting Green Crop Beans

Even if you love snap beans, you don’t need to go overboard when planting green crop beans. One planting of bean seeds is sufficient to keep a small family supplied with tender pod beans three times a week during the three weeks the plant produces. The key is to pick the pods young, before seeds develop. If three weeks of snap beans is not enough to keep your family happy, make successive plantings every three or four weeks.

How to Grow Green Crop Beans

Those planting this bean variety can be assured an easy harvest. Green crop bean seeds are a great first crop for new gardeners since they require little effort and suffer from few disease and pest problems. If you are looking for specifics about how to grow these beans, direct sow the seeds one and a half inches (4 cm.) deep in well-draining soil during the warm season. Space them six inches (15 cm.) apart. The beans do best in rich soil that gets plenty of sun. Keep the soil moist but not wet. 

Your green crop bush beans will germinate in about ten days and mature some 50 days from germination. Start harvesting the beans early if you want to get the biggest possible crop. You’ll get fewer beans if you let the inner seeds develop. The green beans grow to about seven inches (18 cm.) long with green pods and white seeds. They are string less and tender.

If you generally use canned beans in your recipes, it’s time to try cooking your own from scratch. It’s cheaper than using canned beans and you control what is actually in the beans. Also, beans cooked from scratch have better flavor and texture than canned and they’re healthier. Soaking dry beans can even cut your cooking time in half!

Is Soaking Dried Beans Necessary?

No, soaking dried beans is not necessary, but soaking dry beans accomplishes two goals: cutting cooking time and reducing stomach distress. The beans will cook eventually if not pre-soaked but will take significantly longer. So, how long does it take to soak dry beans before cooking?

Why Do You Soak Dry Beans?

The reasons why you soak dry beans are twofold. Number one, it cuts cooking time significantly. The second reason has to do with their reputation for flatulence. If people do not eat beans on a regular basis, the oligosaccharides or starches contained in the beans will cause digestive disturbance. If the intake of beans is gradually increased, the likelihood of gas is reduced but soaking beans overnight will also reduce this likelihood.

Soaking dry beans releases the bean’s starches prior to cooking, which gives relief to those who avoid ingesting beans on the basis of stomach distress. Now that your interest is piqued, I bet you’re wondering how long to soak dry beans properly.

There are two ways to soak dry beans and the length they are soaked depends on the method used. Beans can be soaked overnight, at least eight hours, or boiled and then soaked for an hour.

How to Soak Beans

The easiest way to soak beans is the overnight method. Wash and pick out any dud beans and then cover the beans with water, one-part beans to three parts cool water. Allow the beans to soak overnight or at least eight hours.

After that time, drain the beans and then cover them with water again. Cook the beans for an hour or so until they reach the desired tenderness. Large beans tend to take longer than small beans.

Another method for soaking dry beans involves cooking them first but doesn’t take hours of soaking. Again, rinse the beans and pick through them and then cover them with three parts water and boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for an hour.

After the hour of soaking in hot water, drain and rinse the beans and then cover with water again and cook to the desired tenderness, again for about an hour.

As the beans are cooking, you can add any seasonings you desire but since salt toughens beans, refrain from adding salt until they are at the tenderness you desire.

Your legume plants look great. They bloomed and grew pods. Yet, when harvest time rolls around, you find the pods are empty. What causes a legume to grow well, but produce a pod without peas or beans?

Solving the Mystery of Empty Pods

When gardeners find no seeds in pod varieties of vegetables, it's easy to blame the problem on a lack of pollinators. After all, pesticide use and diseases have reduced honeybee populations among producers in recent years.

A lack of pollinators does reduce yields in many types of crops, but most pea and bean varieties are self-pollinating. Often, this process occurs before the flower opens. Additionally, lack of pollination in pod-forming plants usually causes flower drop with no pod formation, not empty pods. So, let's consider some other reasons why your pods won't produce:

• Lack of maturity. The time it takes for seeds to mature depends upon the type of pod-producing plant you're growing. Check the seed packet for the average days to maturity and be sure to give your pod-forming plants extra time to account for differences in weather.
• Non-seed forming variety. Unlike English peas, snow peas and snap peas have edible pods with later-maturing seeds. If you're pea plants are producing a pod without peas, you may have inadvertently purchased the wrong variety or received a seed packet which was mislabeled.
• Nutrient deficiency. Poor seed set and empty pods can be a symptom of nutritional deficiency. Low levels of soil calcium or phosphate are known causes when field bean pods won't produce seeds. To correct this problem in the home garden, have soil tested and amend as needed.
• Nitrogen surplus. Most garden pod-producing plants are legumes, like peas and beans. Legumes have nitrogen-fixing nodes on their roots and seldom need high nitrogen fertilizer. Too much nitrogen promotes leafy growth and can inhibit seed production. If bean and peas need nutritional supplementation, use a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10.
• Fertilizing at the wrong time. Follow species specific guidelines for applying fertilizer. Supplementing at the wrong time or with the wrong fertilizer can encourage plant growth instead of seed production.
• High temperatures. One of the most common reasons for no seeds in pod-forming plants is due to the weather. Daytime temperatures over 85 degrees F. (29 C.), coupled with warm nights, can affect blossom development and self-pollination. The result is few seeds or empty pods.
• Moisture stress. It's not uncommon for fruit and garden vegetables to plump up after a good summer rain. Peas and beans generally put rapid growth into seed production when moisture levels in the soil are constant. Dry spells can postpone seed production. Drought conditions can result in pods without peas or beans. To correct this issue, apply supplemental water to beans and peas when rain falls short of 1 inch (2.5 cm.) per week.
• F2 generation seed. Saving seeds is one method gardeners use to cut the cost of gardening. Unfortunately, seeds saved from F1 generation hybrids don't produce true to type. F2 generation hybrids can have different characteristics, such as producing few or no seeds in pod-forming plants.

Once one of the most important food sources to the indigenous people of the American Southwest and South America, tepary bean plants are now making a comeback. These beans are resilient plants. This makes cultivation useful in low desert environments where other legumes fail. Interested in growing tepary beans? Read on to learn how to grow and care for these plants.

What are Tepary Beans?

Wild tepary beans are vining plants that can reach up to 10 feet (3 m.) in length, allowing them to clamber up desert shrubs. They mature rapidly and are one of the most drought and heat tolerant crops in the world. In fact, tepary bean plants (Phaseolus acutifolius) have now been planted in Africa to feed people there.

The trifoliate leaves are similar in size to those of lima beans. The pods of tepary bean plants are short, only around 3 inches (8 cm.) in length, green, and lightly haired. As the pods ripen, they change color becoming a light straw color. There are usually five to six beans per pod which look similar to a small navy or butter bean.

Tepary Bean Cultivation

Tepary beans are cultivated for their high protein and soluble fiber which are advertised as aiding in the control of cholesterol and diabetes. In fact, indigenous people of the American Southwest became so used to this diet that when settlers arrived and a new diet was introduced, the people rapidly became the victims of one of the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes in the world.

Plants that are cultivated today are either bush types or semi-vining. Options for growing tepary beans include:

• Blue Tepary
• Brown Tepary (taste a bit earthier, used as a dry bean)
• Light Brown Tepary
• Light Green Tepary
• Papago White Tepary
• Ivory Coast
• White Tepary (slightly sweet tasting, used as a dry bean)

How to Plant Tepary Beans

Plant bean seeds during the midsummer monsoon season. They need that initial burst of water to germinate, but afterwards do not tolerate wet conditions.

Sow the beans in a weeded, prepared bed in most any type of soil except clay. Water the seeds in but thereafter only water sporadically if the plants show considerable water stress. Tepary beans actually produce better when under a bit of water stress.

Most cultivars available to the home gardener do not need a support. Tepary bean plants should be ready to harvest in 60 to 120 days.

Planting yellow wax beans provides gardeners with a slightly different take on a popular garden vegetable. Similar to traditional green beans in texture, yellow wax bean varieties have a mellower flavor – and they’re yellow. Any green bean recipe can be made using the yellow wax bean, and growing beans is also one of the easiest vegetables for novice gardeners to tackle.

Planting Yellow Wax Beans

There are both bush and pole yellow wax bean varieties. The basic sowing and cultivating techniques are similar to green beans, but it's advisable to provide pole beans with a vertical surface for climbing. Yellow wax beans grow best in a sunny garden spot. They can be planted in the spring as soon as the soil warms and after the last frost date.

Good drainage and warm soil are key elements for germinating seeds. Soggy, cold soil is the primary reason for slow or poor germination rates. Drainage can be improved temporarily by planting in raised rows. Black plastic can be used to raise the soil temperature sooner in the spring season.

Before planting yellow wax beans, set up a trellis for pole bean varieties. This allows gardeners to place the seeds directly next to or underneath the climbing surfaces. Once the trellis is in place, hoe a small trench and place the bean seeds 1 inch (2.5 cm.) deep and 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20.5 cm.) apart. Cover with garden soil and water regularly.

Gardeners can expect to see the yellow wax beans sprouting from the ground within two weeks. Once the beans are 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm.) tall, mulch with grass or straw to prevent competition from weeds.

Young pole beans may need a little guidance in finding their vertical growing surface. If this is the case, gently redirect the fragile seedlings onto the supports of the trellis, wall, or fence.

Harvesting Climbing Yellow Wax Beans

Harvest wax beans when they have turned a pleasant shade of yellow. The stem and tip of the bean may still be green at this stage. The bean will snap crisply in half when bent and the length of the bean will feel smooth with no bumps from developing seeds. Depending upon the variety, yellow wax beans require approximately 50 to 60 days for maturity.

Regularly harvesting of young pole beans increases yields, as this stimulates the bean plants to continue blooming. Another method for extending the harvesting period is successive planting. To do this, plant a new batch of beans every 2 to 3 weeks. This works best with bush bean varieties, as they tend to come due all at once.

Like their green bean counterpart, fresh yellow wax beans can be sautéed, steamed, or added to entrees. Freezing, canning, and dehydrating techniques can be used to preserve abundant harvests and provide beans for consumption beyond the growing season.

Yellow Wax Bean Varieties (Pole beans)

• Gold Nectar
• Grandma Nellie's Yellow Mushroom
• Kentucky Wonder Wax
• Marvel of Venice
• Monte Gusto
• Yellow Romano

Yellow Wax Bean Varieties (Bush beans)

• Brittlewax Bush Snap Bean
• Cherokee Wax Bush Snap Bean
• Golden Butterwax Bush Snap Bean
• Goldrush Bush Snap Bean
• Pencil Pod Black Wax Bean

Bush beans are among the most popular additions to the home vegetable garden. Delicious bush beans are not only easy to grow, but are able to thrive when planted in succession. Both hybrid and open pollinated varieties offer growers a plethora of choices. Selecting beans that are well suited to your own growing region will help to ensure abundant harvests. One variety, ‘Bountiful’ bush bean, is especially prized for its vigor and dependability.

Bountiful Bean Facts

Dating back to the late 1800's, Bountiful heirloom beans have been grown for their uniformity and ability to produce a profusion of pods. Maturing in as little as 45 days from planting, Bountiful bush beans are an excellent choice for both early and late season plantings in the vegetable garden.

Though somewhat lighter in color, Bountiful bush bean pods often reach 7 inches (17 cm.) in length over the course of an extended harvest period. Large harvests of stringless, robust pods make them ideal for canning or freezing.

Growing Bountiful Green Beans

Growing Bountiful green beans is similar to growing other green bean cultivars. The first step will be to obtain the seeds. Due to the popularity of this variety, it is likely that it can be easily found at local nurseries or garden centers. Next, growers will need to choose the best planting time. This can be done by determining the last frost date in your growing zone. Bountiful bush beans should not be planted into the garden until all chance of frost has passed in the spring.

To begin sowing Bountiful heirloom beans, prepare a weed-free garden bed that receives full sun. When planting beans, it is best that the large seeds are directly sown into the vegetable bed. Plant seeds according to the package instructions. After planting the seeds roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm.) deep, water the row thoroughly. For the best results, soil temperatures should be at least 70 degrees F. (21 C.). Bean seedlings should emerge from the soil within one week of planting.

When growing Bountiful green beans, it will be important that growers do not apply excess nitrogen. This will result in lush green bean plants that are large, yet set very few pods. Overfertilization, as well as a lack of consistent moisture, are among the most common reasons for disappointing yields of green bean pods.

Bountiful bush bean pods should be picked frequently to prolong the harvest. Pods can be harvested after reaching mature size, but before the seeds inside become too large. Overly mature pods become tough and fibrous, and may not be suitable for eating.

Tendercrop bush beans, also sold by the name of Tendergreen Improved, are an easy-to-grow variety of green beans. These are a favorite with proven taste and texture. Featuring stringless pods, they are easy to get ready for cooking. These green beans are low maintenance if provided with the basics of care. Read on to learn more.

How to Plant Tendercrop Beans

When you begin growing Tendercrop beans, plant them in the right soil, in an appropriate location for an easy and productive growing season.

Get bean seeds in the ground as early as possible. Plant them when all danger of frost is passed. Temperatures will have warmed by then. This includes soil temperatures. Wait about 14 days past your last frost date.

These beans grow in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 11. Learn your zone and find out the best time to plant in your area. They take approximately 53 to 56 days to reach maturity. Those in warmer zones have time to plant an additional crop for families that love green beans.

Prepare the planting bed ahead of time. Remove weeds and grass, then till the soil to about 12 inches (31 cm.) down. Mix in compost or other amendments to improve soil fertility for this crop. Green beans like a slightly acidic soil, with a pH of about 6.0 to 6.8. Take a soil test if you’re not aware of your soil’s current pH level.

Growing Tendercrop Beans

These meaty, stringless pods grow prolifically. Plant seeds 2 inches (5 cm.) apart in 20 foot (6 m.) rows. Make the rows 2 feet apart (61 cm.). Some growers use a layer of compost between the rows to keep weeds down. This also enriches the soil. You may use mulch to keep weeds from sprouting too. The roots of Tendercrop green beans don’t like competition from weeds.

Keep the soil moist after planting seeds. Expect them to sprout in about a week. Thin them out when they are 3 or 4 inches (8-10 cm.). Cultivate around plants regularly until blooms develop, then stop. Any disturbance may cause blooms to fall off.

Learn to water green beans properly if there is no rain. This helps provide a better harvest. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Provide about an inch (2.5 cm.) of water per week to bean plants. Water at the base of the plant, getting the roots but not the foliage wet. This helps you avoid diseases such as root rot and fungal issues that spread through splashing water. Use a slow stream of water instead of blasting the plant. You may use a soaker hose at low volume on each row. Let the water trickle onto the roots when watering by hand.

Allow the soil to dry out before harvesting the beans. Harvest when beans are about 4 inches (10 cm.) long. Cook right away or try canning the harvest beans or blanch to freeze.

Are you an adventurous type of gardener? Do you like growing new varieties of vegetables each year? If this is the year to try a new type of bean, consider growing French horticultural beans. These versatile beans are one of those must-try varieties to put on your gardener's bucket list.

What is a Horticultural Bean?

French horticultural beans are not a specific variety, but rather a category or type of bean. (Other types of beans include snap, lima, and soybeans.) Horticultural bean plants produce long, flat pods with large, plump seeds. They have a mild, nutty flavor and a beautiful color.

The attractive bean pods and plump seeds are one reason horticultural beans are popular with gardeners and home cooks, especially in France. Sometimes called cranberry beans, horticultural bean plants produce pods and bean seeds that range in color from white to cream with cranberry red speckles.

Growing Horticultural Beans

Planting and growing horticultural beans is not much different than cultivating other types of beans. They are available in both pole and bush varieties. Like most beans, it's best to wait until the soil has warmed in the spring before direct seeding horticultural beans into the garden. Sow seeds to a depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm.).

Space seeds 2 inches (5 cm.) apart or thin, if necessary, to give plants sufficient room to mature. Pole varieties will need a trellis or fence to climb. Space rows of bush-type beans 24 to 26 inches (61 to 66 cm.) apart for ease with harvesting.

When to Pick Horticultural Beans

French horticultural beans can be picked when young and tender and used as snap beans. The colorful pods become fibrous quickly, making these beans more popular for use as shelling beans. Shelling beans are generally harvested when the pods are mature, but still green. It takes most varieties about 65 to 70 days to mature.

At this stage, the bean is still fresh and tender and doesn't require soaking like dried beans. Once harvested, the beans can be easily shelled and cooked fresh in a variety of dishes. They maintain a firm texture and are ideal in stews, soups, and as baked beans. 

Horticultural bean plants don't generally produce the yields seen in other types of beans. However, if gardeners find they have more fresh beans than they can use, there are a variety of ways to preserve them. Horticultural beans can be dried, canned, or frozen. They can also be used in youth craft projects, making these beans as fun as they are delicious!

Planting a vegetable garden that is both beautiful and productive is of equal importance. With the rise in popularity of many unique open pollinated plants, gardeners are now interested in color and visual appeal more than ever. Available bush bean varieties are not an exception to this. Royalty purple pod bush beans, for example, produce a profusion of bright purple pods and leaves.

What are Purple Pod Garden Beans?

As the name would imply, purple pod garden beans are produced on compact bush plants. Reaching lengths of about 5 inches (13 cm.), royalty purple pod bush beans yield deeply colored pods. Though the pods do not retain their color after cooking, their beauty in the garden make them well worth planting.

Growing Royalty Purple Pod Beans

Growing royalty purple pod beans is very similar to growing other bush bean varieties. Growers will first need to select a weed free and well worked garden bed that receives full sun.

Since beans are legumes, first time growers may consider adding an inoculant to the planting process. Inoculants which are specifically for beans will help the plants better make use of nitrogen and other nutrients. When using inoculants in the garden, always make certain to follow the manufacturer's instructions.

When planting beans, it is best that the large seeds are directly sown into the vegetable bed. Plant seeds according to the package instructions. After planting the seeds roughly 1 inch (2.5 cm.) deep, water the row thoroughly. For the best results, soil temperatures should be at least 70 degrees F. (21 C.). Bean seedlings should emerge from the soil within one week of planting.

Beyond regular irrigation, bush bean care is minimal. When watering the bean plants, make certain to avoid overhead watering, as this can increase the likelihood of decline in bean plant health due to disease. Unlike some types of bean, Royalty purple pod beans do not require any trellising or staking in order to produce a quality crop.

Royalty purple pod beans can be harvested as soon as the pods reach the desired size. Ideally, the pods should be picked before the seeds within become too large. Over mature green beans may be tough and fibrous. Selecting beans that are young and tender will ensure the best harvest possible. 

“Beans, beans, the musical fruit” … or so begins a rather infamous jingle sung by Bart Simpson. Green bean history is lengthy, indeed, and worthy of a song or two. There’s even a National Bean day celebrating beans!

According to the history of green beans, they have been a part of our diet for thousands of years, although their appearance has changed somewhat. Let’s take a look at the evolution of green beans in history.

Green Beans in History

There are actually more than 500 types of green beans available for cultivation. Not every cultivar is green, some are purple, red, or even striated, although the bean inside will always be green.

Green beans originated in the Andes thousands of years ago. Their cultivation spread out into the New World where Columbus came upon them. He brought them back to Europe from his second exploratory voyage in 1493.

The first botanical drawing made of bush beans was done by a German doctor by the name of Leonhart Fuchs in 1542. His work in botany was later honored by naming the Fuchsia genus after him.

Additional Green Bean History

Up to this point in green bean history, the type of green beans cultivated prior to the 17^th century would have been rather tough and stringy, often grown more as an ornamental than as a food crop. Eventually, though, things began to change. People began to experiment with cross breeding seeking a more palatable green bean.

The result was string beans and stringless beans. By 1889, Calvin Keeney developed snap beans for Burpee. These went on to become one of the most popular varieties of green bean until 1925 when Tendergreen beans were developed.

Even with the new, improved green bean cultivars, beans lacked popularity in part due to their short harvest season. That is until the introduction of canneries and home freezers in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, whereupon green beans reigned supreme in the diets of many.

Additional snap bean cultivars continued to be entered into the market. The Kentucky Wonder pole bean was developed in 1877 from Old Homestead, a variety produced in 1864. While this cultivar was said to be a snap bean, it still imparted unpleasant stringiness if not picked at its peak.

The greatest snap bean development occurred in 1962 with the advent of Bush Blue Lake, which started out as a canning bean and was regarded as the finest example of green beans available. Many dozens of other cultivars have since been introduced to the market but, for many, Bush Blue Lake remains the clear favorite.

About National Bean Day

In case you’ve ever wondered, yes, there really is a National Bean Day, celebrated on January 6th each year. It was the brain child of Paula Bowen, who envisioned the day as a way to honor her father, a pinto bean farmer.

This day is impartial, however, and doesn’t discriminate, which means that it is a day of celebrating both shelled beans and green beans. Not only is National Bean Day a time for celebrating beans, but it happens to fall on the day of Gregor Mendel’s death in 1884. Who is Gregor Mendel and what does he have to do with the history of green beans?

Gregor Mendel was an esteemed scientist and Augustine friar who bred pea and bean plants. His experiments formed the basis for modern genetics, the results of which have considerably improved the green beans we regularly eat at the dinner table. Thanks, Gregor.

A house made of beans may sound like something from a children’s book, but it’s actually a very useful garden structure. A bean house is a style of trellising vines for growing beans. If you love this spring vegetable, but have struggled to harvest them or create a support that you like the look of, think about constructing a bean trellis house.

What is a Bean House?

A bean house or bean trellis house simply refers to a structure that creates a house – or tunnel-like shape – for growing beans. The vines grow up the structure and cover the sides and top so that you get what looks like a small house made of bean vines.

The main difference between this and a trellis is that the house allows the vines to spread farther in a vertical direction, and even over the top. This is beneficial because it allows the vines to get more sun, so they will likely produce more. It also makes it easier for you come harvest time. With the vines more spread out, it is easier to find each and every bean.

Another good reason to build a bean house is that it’s fun. Use your imagination to create a structure that suits your garden and that is inviting. If you make it large enough, you can even sit inside and enjoy a nice shady spot in the garden.

How to Make a Bean House

You can construct a bean support structure out of just about anything. Use leftover lumber or scrap wood, PVC pipes, metal poles, or even existing structures. An old swing set your kids no longer use makes a great house-like structure.

The shape of your bean house can be simple. A triangle shape, like a swing set, is easy to construct. A square base with four sides and a triangle roof is another easy shape that looks like a basic house. Also consider a teepee-shaped structure, another simple shape to build.

Whichever shape you choose, once you have your structure, you’ll need some support in addition to the structure’s frame. String is an easy solution. Run string or twine between the bottom and the top of the structure to get more vertical support. Your beans will also benefit from some horizontal strings—picture a grid made out of string.

With a bean house in your vegetable garden this year, you’ll get a better harvest and enjoy a pretty new structure and whimsical spot to take a break from garden chores.

Whether it is the middle of winter or you are hard-pressed to find space for a garden, growing plants indoors is both appealing and beneficial. For many who wish to begin growing flowers and vegetables, doing so indoors is often the only option. Luckily, many crops can be grown in limited spaces and without access to a large vegetable plot. For those looking to begin planting indoors, crops such as beans offer a great alternative to traditional methods.

Can You Grow Beans Inside?

Growing beans indoors is an excellent option for many gardeners. Not only are indoor bean plants able to thrive, but they offer growers the benefit of attractive foliage throughout the process. Their compact size and quick growth habit make them ideal for container culture as well.

Indoor Bean Care

To begin growing beans indoors, gardeners will first need to select a container. Beans do well in most larger containers, but grow best in those which are narrow and at least 8 inches (20 cm.) deep. As with any container planting, ensure that there are adequate drainage holes in the bottom of each pot.

Each container should be filled with a well-draining potting mix that has been enriched with compost. Since beans are members of the legume family, it is unlikely that additional fertilization will be necessary.

When choosing which bean cultivar to grow indoors, make certain to consider the plant’s growth habit. While it is possible to grow both pole and bush varieties of beans, each will present challenges. Pole varieties will require the addition of a trellis system, while bush bean varieties will produce on small compact plants – much easier to handle inside.

Bean seeds can be direct sown into the container according to packet instructions, usually covered with soil about an inch (2.5 cm) deep. Once the seeds have been planted, water the container well. Keep the planting consistently moist until germination occurs in approximately seven days.

From planting, indoor bean plants require temperatures of at least 60 degrees F. (15 C.) to grow and produce harvestable beans. Additionally, it is imperative that the plants receive at least six to eight hours of sunlight each day. This can be achieved through the use of grow lights or by placing the containers in a sunny window.

Water the beans as the soil becomes dry, making sure to avoid wetting the leaves. This will help to prevent the occurrence of disease.

Harvests from indoor bean plants can be made any time the pods have reached the desired size. To pick the pods from your indoor bean, carefully snap it from the plant at the stem.

Tired of growing the usual legumes? Try growing chickpeas. You’ve seen them on the salad bar and eaten them in the form of hummus, but can you grow chickpeas in the garden? The following garbanzo bean information will get you started growing your own chickpeas and learning about garbanzo bean care.

Can You Grow Chickpeas?

Also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) are ancient crops that have been cultivated in India, the Middle East and areas of Africa for hundreds of years. Chickpeas need at least 3 months of cool, but frost-free, days to mature. In the tropics, garbanzos are grown in the winter and in cooler, temperate climes, they are grown between spring to late summer. If the summers are especially cool in your region, it may take up to 5-6 months for the beans to get mature enough to harvest, but that isn’t any reason to shy away from growing nutritious, delicious chickpeas. Ideal temperatures for growing chickpeas are in the range of 50-85 F. (10-29 C.).

Garbanzo Bean Information

About 80-90% of chickpeas are cultivated in India. In the United States, California ranks number one in production but some areas of Washington, Idaho and Montana are also now growing the legume. Garbanzos are eaten as a dry crop or a green vegetable. The seeds are sold either dry or canned. They are high in folate, manganese and rich in protein and fiber. There are two main types of chickpea cultivated: kabuli and desi. Kabuli is more commonly planted. Those with disease resistance include Dwelley, Evans, Sanford and Sierra, although Macarena produces a larger seed yet is susceptible to Ascochyta blight. Chickpeas are indeterminate, which means they can bloom until frost. Most of the pods have one pea, although a few will have two. Peas should be harvested by late September.

How to Grow Chickpeas

Garbanzo beans grow much like peas or soybeans. They grow to about 30-36 inches (76-91 cm.) tall with pods that form on the upper portion of the plant. Chickpeas do not do well with transplanting. It is best to direct sow the seeds when the soil temperature is at least 50-60 F. (10-16 C.). Select an area in the garden with full sun exposure that is well-draining. Incorporate plenty of organic compost into the soil and remove any rocks or weeds. If the soil is heavy, amend it with sand or compost to lighten it up. Sow seeds to a depth of one inch (2.5 cm.), spaced 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 cm.) apart in rows spaced between 18-24 inches (46 to 61 cm.) apart. Water the seeds in well and continue to keep the soil moist, not sodden.

Garbanzo Bean Care

Keep the soil evenly moist; water only when the top layer of soil is dry. Do not water overhead of the plants lest they acquire a fungal disease. Mulch around the beans with a thin layer of mulch to keep them warm and moist. Like all legumes, garbanzo beans leach nitrogen into the soil which means they do not require additional nitrogen fertilizer. They will benefit, however, from a 5-10-10 fertilizer if a soil test determines it is needed. The chickpeas will be ready to harvest about 100 days from sowing. They can be picked green to eat fresh or, for dried beans, wait until the plant turns brown before collecting the pods.

Gardening can be full of challenges. Plant diseases can be one of the most frustrating of these challenges and even the most experienced gardeners can lose plants to disease. When our children or pets are sick, we rush them to the doctor or vet. However, when our garden plants are sick, we are left to the difficult task of diagnosing and treating the problem ourselves. This can sometimes lead to hours of scrolling the internet trying to find matching symptoms. Here at Gardening Know How, we try to provide detailed and easy information about plant diseases and their symptoms. In this article, we will specifically discuss diseases of butter beans – aka lima beans.

Common Lima Bean Diseases

Butter beans (or lima beans) are susceptible to several diseases, both fungal and bacterial. Some of these diseases are specific to bean plants, while others may affect a wide array of garden plants. Below are some of the most common causes of lima bean sickness and its symptoms.

Fungal Lima Bean Diseases

• Leaf Spot Disease – Caused by the fungus Phoma exigua, leaf spot disease may start as a small reddish brown spot the size of a pinhead on the foliage. As the disease progresses, these lesions can grow to about the size of a dime and spread to the stems and pods.
• Bean Anthracnose – Caused by the fungus Collelotrichum lindemuthiamum, symptoms include sunken black lesions and red-brown blotches on the foliage, stems, and pods. Sooty spots may also develop on the pods. Anthracnose can survive dormant in the soil for up to two years until it finds a good host plant.
• Bean Root Rot – Young seedlings or plants will develop watery, dark-colored wet spots near the base of the plant.
• Bean Rust – Rust-colored spots develop on bean foliage, specifically the lower leaves. As the bean rust disease progresses, leaves will turn yellow and drop.

White mold and powdery mildew are some other common fungal diseases of butter beans.

Bacterial Diseases of Butter Beans

• Halo Blight – Caused by the bacteria Pseudomonas syringas pv phaseolicola, symptoms of halo blight appear as yellow spots with brown centers on the plant’s foliage. As the disease progresses, leaves will turn yellow and drop.
• Common Bean Blight – Leaves rapidly turn brown and drop from the plant. Common blight can remain in the soil for up to two years.
• Mosaic Virus – Mosaic patterned discoloration appears on the foliage. The mosaic virus that most commonly affects beans is known as Bean Yellow Mosaic Virus.
• Curly Top Virus – Young plants will develop curled or distorted growth and may be stunted when affected with bean curly top virus.

How to Treat Sick Butter Bean Plants

Improper air circulation, watering, or sanitation leads to most lima bean sicknesses. Hot, humid weather also plays a major role by providing the perfect conditions for the growth of these diseases. Properly spacing and pruning plants to allow for good airflow can help reduce the growth and spread of many diseases. When pruning, tools should be sanitized between plants to also prevent the spread of disease. Cleaning up any trimmings or garden debris eliminates surfaces on which diseases can breed. Overhead watering also attributes to the spread of many diseases, as water splashing up from the soil may contain these diseases. Always water plants right at their root zone. Fungal lima bean diseases can oftentimes be treated with fungicides. Be sure to read and follow all label recommendations and instructions. Unfortunately, with many viral or bacterial diseases, they are untreatable, and plants should just be dug up and disposed of immediately. Plant breeders have also developed many disease-resistant varieties of bean plants; shopping around for these varieties can prevent many future problems.

"Arbor beans, white, scarlet, crimson, purple, at the trees level on both sides of the terraces and on the long walk of the garden," Thomas Jefferson wrote this of his home gardens at Monticello in 1812, and it is believed that some of the beans he is referring to are hyacinth beans, reportedly a favorite of his. Hyacinth bean history dates much farther back than the days of Thomas Jefferson, though. What is a hyacinth bean? Let's learn more.

Hyacinth Bean Plant Information

Hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus), also known as Egyptian bean, Indian bean, lablab bean, mouse-ear vine and Pharoah bean, is a tropical vine that can grow up to 30 feet. Native to the tropical regions of Africa, it is a fast growing vine with sweet pea-like purple flowers. Newer hybrids may also come in white, pink, blue and reddish flowers.

Hyacinth bean can be grown as a tender perennial in zones 9-11, but is usually grown as an annual elsewhere. Its midsummer blooms attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The flowers are then followed by deep red-burgundy, flat, sickle-shaped bean pods. Deer and birds are attracted to these pods.

High in protein and vitamin B complex, hyacinth beans have been eaten for centuries all around the world. Because of toxins in the mature beans, hyacinth bean must be cooked thoroughly before eating. Generally, they are boiled and eaten as a vegetable. In India, hyacinth beans are often found in curry dishes. The leaves and flowers are also edible and added to salads or soups. In addition to being an edible legume, hyacinth beans have been used throughout history to treat upset stomachs, diarrhea, menstrual cramps, food poisoning, rheumatoid arthritis, sunstroke and dehydration.

The word "lablab" is an Egyptian word for a rattle, describing how the seeds rattle in the dry pods. Hyacinth bean is also sometimes found as Jefferson Vine because it was reportedly one of his favorite beans to grow at Monticello. In Japan, hyacinth bean is often referred to as Ingen bean because the monk Ingen introduced it to Japan from China. In India, hyacinth bean may commonly be referred to as "val" in many recipes.

Growing Hyacinth Beans

Like most legumes, hyacinth bean can be grown as a nitrogen fixing cover crop. Seeds are sown in spring in full sun, and the beans can take anywhere from 90-150 days to mature. In the U.S., hyacinth bean is mainly grown as an ornamental. Its scarlet colored beans and purple-tinged green foliage add interesting texture to floral arrangements and also have a long vase life.

Summertime means so many things, including spending time in the garden and the wicked sunburns that sometimes accompany it. For beans, sunburns aren’t a normal part of summer, so if your bean patch suddenly looks a lot like your sun-exposed arms, you may have cause for concern. Cercospora leaf spot of bean plants can present in a few different ways, but however it comes, it can spell trouble for you and your crop.

Cercospora Leaf Spot in Beans

As mercury rises, garden diseases become increasingly larger problems. Leaf spot on beans isn’t new, but it certainly can be frustrating to discover that your plants are suddenly infected. When temperatures exceed 75 degrees F. (23 C.) and the conditions are humid, it’s important to keep your eyes peeled for problems in the garden. Cercospora leaf spot in beans can start either as a seed-borne illness, stunting and killing young plants as they emerge, or more commonly as a leaf spot that can spread to bean pods. Sun-exposed leaves often start to look sunburned, with reddish or purplish discoloration and a leathery appearance. Severely affected upper leaves often drop, leaving the petioles intact. Lower leaves may remain unaffected or exhibit only limited fungal spotting. As leaf spot in beans spreads to pods, the same lesions and discoloration will follow. Pods typically take on a deep purple color. If you open the seed pod, you’ll see that the seeds themselves are afflicted with various amounts of purple discoloration on their surfaces.

Bean Leaf Spot Treatment

Unlike some fungal pathogens in beans, there’s hope that you can beat back cercospora leaf spot if you’re paying close attention. Several fungicides have shown various levels of effectiveness against cercospora, but those containing tetraconazole, flutriafol, and a combination of axoxystrobin and difenconazole seem to be the best. Single fungicide application from the full flower stage to the full pod formation (before seeds begin to grow) seem to control leaf spot well. An additional application of these suggested fungicides between the formation of the pod and the beginning of the swelling of the seeds inside can help combat the contamination of the seed itself. If your crop has experienced cercospora leaf spot, it’s important to take steps to prevent it in the future instead of relying on fungicide to beat it back year after year. Start by removing old bean debris as soon as it’s noticed since this is the source of many of the spores that will become infections next season. Practicing a one to two year crop rotation with corn, grain, or grasses can also help, but avoid using any legumes for green manure because they may be susceptible to the same pathogen.

Beans are more than just a musical fruit – they’re a nutritious and easy-to-grow vegetable plant! Unfortunately, they’re also prone to a few common bacterial diseases, including halo blight. Keep reading and learn how to identify and manage this frustrating bean affliction.

What is Halo Blight?

Vegetable gardeners everywhere delight in the growing of beans. The sheer selection of color and variety is enough to make a plant lover squeal, adding in these plants’ uncanny ability to produce a massive number of pods for their size is just icing on the cake. Beans are incredibly easy to grow for many beginner gardeners unless you run into problems like halo blight in beans. There are two major bacterial blights in beans that are worth noting, one of which is halo blight. Like the name would imply, halo blight is easily identified by the yellow halo that forms around red-brown lesions which are visible on both sides of bean leaves. A lack of halo doesn’t mean your beans are free from this blight, however, since they don’t always appear when the infection occurs at high temperatures. Other halo blight symptoms include the red-brown lesions on leaves, dark, sunken lesions on pods, and cream to silver colored bacterial ooze that emits from the pod lesions. Halo blight on bean plants can affect common beans, lima beans, and soybeans. If your plants are infected, the bean seeds themselves are infected, too, meaning you cannot save and reseed these plants without spreading halo blight.

Controlling Halo Blight

Although the causes of halo blight are clear, it’s still important to review the best practice methods to prevent the spread of this disease in your bean patch. The halo blight bacterium is most prolific when the weather is humid and below 80 degrees F. (27 C.), priming it for optimal infection rates in the spring as young seeds emerge. If your bean patch has a history of halo blight, it’s important to create an environment where seedlings can thrive. This means rotating your crop on a two or three year cycle, spacing seedlings further apart so they’re less likely to transmit disease and using certified disease-free seed. Always remember that halo blight is readily transmitted by rain splash and wind – keep out of bean plantings until they’re completely dry! Using ground level irrigation is also recommended to help reduce bacteria transmission. When conditions are favorable for halo blight development or your area has a history of halo blight, it may become useful to apply a copper-based bactericide after the true leaves of your beans have developed, but before symptoms appear. Repeat the treatment every 7 to 14 days to protect the beans from infection. Copper will not destroy an active infection but can protect your beans from developing halo blight in the first place.

Growing beans can be a simple garden exercise for children who are just starting their first gardens or adult gardeners looking to branch out from nursery raised plants. They’re generally hardy, but have a few diseases that can wipe them out rapidly. Anthracnose is one, but this article will help you better understand how to control anthracnose on beans.

What is Anthracnose on Beans?

It can be incredibly rewarding to grow your own food, especially when you start to move beyond the seedlings you can buy at your local nursery. Beans are usually a pretty easy garden plant to grow directly from seed, since they produce abundantly and have few common problems in most areas. Unfortunately, anthracnose in beans can be a serious problem for some gardeners, but there are steps you can take to protect your plants. Like many fungal plant diseases, anthracnose can present very differently on different types of plants. On beans, anthracnose symptoms may appear at first as black to brown lesions on the cotyledons and stems of plants. As the anthracnose progresses, the lesions spread and pink fungal spores form in their centers. Severely infected plants are sometimes killed or suffer from girdling of leaves and stems; pods and seeds will show distinct circular red-brown lesions. Anthracnose is primarily a seed-borne disease in beans, but when conditions are wet and temperatures are cool to moderately warm, spores will spread readily to uninfected plants as well. These spores can come from active plant infections nearby or from spores that were lying dormant on bean foliage from past years.

Managing Bean Plant Anthracnose

Treating anthracnose on bean pods is a losing battle. If your pods are already infected, it’s too late to salvage them, though you can slow the spread of anthracnose in your current and future bean plantings. There are no known chemical treatments for anthracnose, but cultural control of bean anthracnose is fairly effective. First, always allow beans to dry completely before touching or entering a bean planting. Anthracnose spreads rapidly in the presence of water, so by eliminating this important vector you can often protect the plants that haven’t been infected yet. Secondly, be sure to always clean the tools you’re using in the bean garden before using them elsewhere. Spores can hitchhike rides on these gardening implements. If you’re trying to salvage this year’s harvest, wait for a very dry day and remove as many infected plants as you can find. This will remove potential infection points, giving you a better chance of having some kind of harvest. When anthracnose appears early in the growing season, you can often replace bean plants you’ve pulled with new seed, provided you were careful to collect all the debris. Do not collect seed for sowing next year, since the seeds stand a high chance of vectoring fungal spores. In subsequent seasons, spread your beans further apart to make it more difficult for raindrops and animals to transmit anthracnose between plants. Also, practicing a two-year crop rotation with a green manure can both help to bulk up the soil and break the infection cycle. There are a few anthracnose-resistant beans on the market, but none are resistant to all anthracnose strains. If you want to experiment with anthracnose-resistant beans, be patient and record your findings so you’ll know which varieties are best suited to your local conditions.

Bean plants are usually considered easy to grow and care for. However, like any plants, there are specific pests and diseases that can affect them. Spider mites and rust fungus are two common afflictions of beans. String, wax, kidney, green, and snap beans are also commonly affected by a disorder known as sunscald. Continue reading to learn more about sunscald in bean plants.

What is Bean Sunscald?

Bean sunscald is a common disorder that it basically just a sunburn. As people, when exposed to too long in intense UV rays, our skin burns. Though plants do not have skin like ours, they can also experience burning or scalding from intense UV rays. Bean plants seem especially susceptible to sunscald. It first shows up as a bronze or red-brown speckling of the upper leaves of bean plants. In time, these small spots can join together, causing whole leaves to brown. Sunscald can affect any part on the plant, but it is usually most prevalent where the plant receives the most sunlight, at its top. In extreme cases, leaves may drop or wither and crumble away. From a distance, infected bean plants can look like they have fungal rust, but up close they will not have the powdery brown spores that plants with fungal rust have.

Treating Sunscald on Beans

If a bean plant has sunscald, the sun may not be the only thing to blame. Sunscald in bean plants can be caused by several factors.

• Sometimes, it is simply a reaction to being sprayed with fungicide on hot, sunny days. Spraying of fungicide should always be done on cloudy days or during evening to prevent scorching.
• Bean plants that have been overfertilized with high nitrogen fertilizers are especially susceptible to sunscald. If your bean plant has sunscald, do not use any fertilizer on it. As a preventative measure, always fertilize bean plants with those that have low levels of nitrogen and be sure to follow directions on product labels.
• Sunscald can also be caused by soil that is too moist or drains poorly. When planting bean plants, make sure the site has well-draining soil.

Sunscald on bean plants is most common in spring, when many days of cool, cloudy weather are followed by hot and sunny days. There is no treatment for bean sunscald, but it is usually just a cosmetic problem that doesn't kill the plant. Providing dappled afternoon shade for bean plants to shelter them from the hot afternoon rays may help in warm climates. You can pick off badly scalded foliage to make it look better but usually the plant just needs time to adjust to the rising level of sunlight.

There is nothing more frustrating than putting your blood, sweat, and tears into creating a perfect vegetable garden, only to lose plants to pests and disease. While there is a lot of information available for blights that affect vegetable plants such as tomatoes and potatoes, fungal diseases of beans are not mentioned very often. This article will address what causes rust on bean plants and how to treat rust fungus on beans.

Rust Spots on Bean Plants

Rust spots on bean plants can look like a reddish brown powder. Sometimes these red-brown patches may have a yellow halo around them. Rust fungus can appear on the plant's leaves, pods, shoots, or stems. A field of beans affected by rust fungus may look like it has been burned or badly scorched. Other symptoms of rust fungus are wilted foliage and small, deformed bean pods. An infection of rust fungus can lead to other disease and pest problems. Weakened diseased plants are often vulnerable to other diseases and pest infestations. Like many other fungal diseases, rust spots on bean plants are spread by airborne spores. These spores infect the plant tissues then reproduce in hot, humid weather, making more spores. It is these new spores that appear as a reddish brown or rust colored powder on the plants. Generally, these fungal spores are most abundant in the heat and humidity of summer months. In milder climates, where plants do not die back to the ground in autumn, these spores can overwinter on plant tissues. They can also over winter in garden debris.

How to Treat Rust Fungus on Beans

As a preventative measure against rust fungus, many bean growers will add lime sulphur to the soil around bean plants in early spring. Some other ways to prevent rust spots on bean plants are:

• Properly spacing plants to allow for air flow and prevent infected plant tissues from rubbing against other plants.
• Watering bean plants with a slow trickle directly at the root zone of the plant. Splashing water can spread fungal spores.
• Keeping garden clean of debris that can be a breeding ground for pests and disease.

If you suspect that your bean plants have fungal rust, remove and dispose of all infected tissues of the plant. Always use sharp, sanitized pruners when pruning plants. To reduce the spread of disease, it is recommended that you dip pruners in a mixture of bleach and water between each cut. After infected tissues have been removed, treat the whole plant with a fungicide, such as copper fungicide or neem oil. Be sure to get all surfaces of the plant and also spray the soil around the plant crown. Regularly inspect the plant for any sign that the disease has returned.

If your beans are looking peaked but you’ve been vigilant about watering and fertilizing, they may be infected with a disease, possibly curly top virus. What is curly top virus? Read on for information about beans with curly top disease and treating curly virus in beans.

What is Curly Top Virus?

As the name suggests, curly top virus of bean plants mimics the symptoms of moisture stress, a plant with curling leaves. In addition to curling leaves, beans with curly top disease have foliage that becomes thickened and stiff with leaves that twist and curl upward. The leaves may stay green or turn yellow, the plant becomes stunted, and the beans may be deformed or simply not develop. Curly top virus (CTV) doesn’t just afflict bean plants but tomatoes, peppers, sugar beets, melons, and other crops. This virus has a huge host range and causes disease in over 300 species in 44 plant families. Some plants may become infected while others in close proximity show no symptoms and are virus free. Curly top virus of bean plants is caused by beet leafhoppers (Circulifer tenellus). These insects are small, about 1/10 of an inch (2.5 mm.) in length, wedge shaped, and winged. They infect perennial and annual weeds like Russian thistle and mustard, which then overwinters amongst the weeds. Since a severe infection can decimate a bean harvest, it is important to learn about curly top virus control.

Curly Top Virus Control

There are no chemical controls available for treating curly top virus in beans but there are some cultural practices that can reduce or eliminate infection. Planting virus resistant crops is the first step to preventing CTV. Also, leafhoppers prefer to feed in sunny areas, so providing some shade by draping shade cloth over some stakes will discourage them from feeding. Remove any plants that show early signs of curly top virus. Dispose of infected plants in a sealed garbage bag and deposit it in the trash. Keep the garden clear of weeds and plant detritus that offer shelter to pests and disease. If you are in doubt about whether a plant has contracted the virus, a quick check is to see if it needs water. Soak the soil around the ailing plant in the early evening then check it in the morning. If it has perked up overnight, it’s likely it was just moisture stress, but if not, the plant more than likely has curly top and should be disposed of.

Beans are some of the most gratifying vegetables you can have in your garden. They grow vigorously and reach maturity quickly, and they produce new pods all through the growing season. They can fall victim to disease, however, particularly bacterial blight. Keep reading to learn more about bacterial blight of beans and the best methods of bacterial bean blight treatment.

Bacterial Blight of Beans

There are typically two types of bacterial blight affecting bean plants the most – common blight and halo blight.

Common blight

Common blight in beans is the most prevalent of bacterial bean diseases. Also called common bacterial blight, it shows up in misshapen leaves and pods. The leaves first start to develop small wet lesions that grow in size and dry out, usually becoming over an inch (2.5 cm.) wide, brown, and papery, with a yellow border. These spots usually stretch to the edges of the leaves. The pods develop similar wet patches that then dry and shrivel, and the seeds inside are usually small and malformed. Common blight is often spread through moisture. The easiest and most effective way to prevent its spread is to avoid coming into contact with your plants while they’re wet. It’s also a good idea to control weeds and pests, like beetles and whiteflies, which are known to spread the bacteria. Controlling common bacterial blight of beans isn’t always easy. If a plant does become infected, it may be best to remove and destroy it to prevent further spread.

Halo blight

Halo blight is the second of the major bacterial bean diseases. Its symptoms are similar to those of common blight and begin as small wet lesions on the leaves. The lesions will turn red or brown and are surrounded by a much larger yellow ‘halo.’ Unlike with common blight, these lesions stay very small. The pods are affected in much the same way as with common blight. Prevention and treatment methods are basically the same as well-- try to keep foliage dry and don’t touch it when it’s wet. Try not to wound the plants, as this is how the bacteria gets inside. Keep weeds and pests to a minimum. As with treating common blight in beans, destroy affected plants. Spraying copper-based bactericides should stop the spread of bacteria and is a good preventative measure for containing eventual outbreaks of both types of bacterial blight of beans.

As if the gardener doesn't have enough to contend with above the ground, root rots can be serious and often undiagnosed diseases of plants. While you combat the usual visible insect damage and diseases, this insidious soil dwelling fungus is quietly destroying your bean roots. Common fungus on bean plants can be discerned with the naked eye, but to see the damage associated with root rot, you need to dig up the plant. Fortunately, such fungal diseases of beans can be combated successfully with a little preparation and know how.

What Causes Fungus on Bean Plants?

Root rot in bean plants is produced by several different soil dwelling fungi. It might stem from a Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, or Pythium species, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is the effect it has on your crop. Harvest yields are diminished, plant vigor is compromised, and, in some cases, the entire plant may die. Bean root rot control starts before planting with careful cultural considerations. As mentioned, most bean root diseases are caused by any one of three different fungi. These fungi persist in soil, often for several years. They live on decomposing vegetation left from previous season's plants. The fungi are most dangerous in mid to late season production of susceptible crops. When plants are unstressed, the disease does very little damage beyond some vigor loss. However, in areas that have experienced extreme heat, drought, poor soil, diminished nutrition, or oxygen deprivation due to compaction, the disease takes hold on those traumatized plants. Other plants that are susceptible and actually support the formation of colonies of the fungus that causes bean root diseases are potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, and sunflowers.

Symptoms of Bean Root Diseases

The most common signs of root rot are subtle and hard to discern at first. Bean plants may be stunted and turn yellow, exhibiting signs of malnourishment. Symptoms of root rot in bean plants can start at emergence or even in mature plants. The dry bean varieties are more commonly affected than snap beans. If you pull up a plant, most of the fungi will cause water-soaked lesions on roots. The color of the roots will be brick red. Scraping a root will reveal a dark interior. In many cases, the side roots rot away, and the tap roots become hollow and dry. If there is sufficient moisture, lateral roots may form off of the taproot, but these will be spindly and mostly ineffectual.

Bean Root Rot Control Methods

Fungal diseases of beans are actually very simple to prevent. The most important control is crop rotation. Since the fungi persist in soil for years, they will attack the crop annually if it is planted in the same area. Without food, overtime the fungus will die. Avoid planting any of the other host plants listed above as well. Clean up infected plant matter and destroy it rather than chopping it into the soil to compost. Do not feed the spent plants to animals, as the fungus will be borne in their manure and can spread if used in the crop area. Plant items like corn and small grains for the next three years. Recovery of diseased plants by formation of lateral root shoots can be accomplished by providing adequate water, nutrition, and ventilation.

If you grow roses, you are likely familiar with the powdery white fungus that attacks plant leaves, blooms, and stems. This powdery mildew attacks many types of plants, including beans. Not only is the stuff unsightly, but it can ruin your crop, diminishing your harvest. However, powdery mildew on bean plants can be controlled and you can even prevent it. If you see even the first sign of bean plants with powdery mildew, it is time to jump into action and take steps to keep the fungal disease from spreading.

Recognizing Bean Plants with Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew stems from the funguses Erysiphe or Sphaerotheca. It actually doesn't matter which fungus is causing the damage when your crop is at stake. Treating powdery mildew on beans from either fungus requires the same method. Early control is essential, as the fungus spreads rapidly in warm, moist conditions and can quite literally decimate your bean crop, so recognizing powdery mildew on beans can protect your crop and prevent the spread of this fungal issue throughout your other vegetables. Powdery mildew in beans is such a common occurrence it should have its own trademarked name. This fungus produces fruiting bodies in warm, moist conditions which spread across all parts of the plant and appear as ashy white powder. Most powdery mildew occurs on legumes and cucurbits in the crop category, although they affect citrus and other crops as well. Once the spores are present and the right conditions occur, the fungus spreads rapidly in epidemic proportions. Preventing powdery mildew in beans is a crucial step to keeping an abundant harvest.

How to Control Powdery Mildew on Beans

A few cultural steps can help prevent bean plants with powdery mildew.

• Avoid overhead watering where possible.
• Water early enough in the day so the sun will dry off leaves and stems.
• Provide support for climbing beans and give them plenty of air circulation. Crowded plants are more susceptible to acquiring the fungus.
• The spores will overwinter in most areas, so cleaning up affected plant material at the end of the season is important.
• Make sure the plants are well fed and watered so they can withstand a late season bout of the disease if it occurs.
• If you have nearby roses or other ornamental plants that have the disease, spray those with a copper fungicide.

It is tricky treating powdery mildew on beans and other edible crops. This is because many of the products labeled for such control are not suitable for edible plants. Diluted compost tea (by 4 parts water) may offer some control without any toxicity. If you have plants that develop powdery mildew habitually, apply a preventive fungicide early in the plant's development. That means prior to flowers and fruit. Avoid eradicant fungicides, which will kill existing diseases but can contaminate fruit. Apply sulfur early in the season to protect plants from infection. For existing infection, use a horticultural oil that is natural such as neem oil or jojoba. Finally, there are a couple biological controls in the form of beneficial microorganisms that combat powdery mildew. Look for products with Bacillus subtilus, the unique, non-toxic organism that prevents powdery mildew.

What is baldhead in beans, and how do you treat this odd-sounding but very destructive plant problem? Read on to learn more about baldhead bean disease (which isn’t a real disease, but a type of damage to the seeds).

What Causes Baldhead of Beans?

Baldhead bean “disease,” also known as “snake head,” is the result of physical damage or cracking that happens when the seeds are handled while harvesting, cleaning, or planting. Bean seeds with low moisture content are more susceptible to mechanical injury. Dry soil is also a contributing factor, and damage occurs when seeds attempt to germinate and push through cracked, dry soil.

Symptoms of Baldhead Bean Disease

Although seeds may germinate, seedlings with baldhead bean disease typically show damage at the point of growth. The severely stunted, malformed seedlings may manage to form small shoots, but they are usually unable to develop seeds or pods.

Preventing Baldhead of Beans

Once baldhead of bean occurs, there is no treating baldhead bean disease, and the tiny, misshapen seedlings will eventually die. Careful handling of bean seeds during harvest, planting, cleaning, or threshing will go far to prevent the problem, however. Use high quality been seeds and don’t allow the seeds to get too dry. Ensure your garden soil is moist and loose to prevent damage to seeds during the germination process. The good news is that although the problem is common, baldhead bean disease usually doesn’t affect entire crops. This means you should still be able to grow and harvest the remaining bean plants in your garden without issue. Don’t let the thought of baldhead of beans discourage you from growing bean plants. As long as you take suitable precautions, this is one of the easiest vegetables to grow.

Most folks have probably had commercially canned pork and beans; some people practically subsist on them. What you may not know is that they are comprised of navy beans. What exactly is a navy bean and can the home gardener grow his or her own? Read on to find out how to grow navy beans and other helpful information on navy bean plants.

What is a Navy Bean?

It’s rather obvious, but I’m going to mention it anyway – navy beans are not navy in color. In fact, they are small white beans. Why call them navy beans? Navy beans were named as such because they were a staple food in the United States Navy during the early 20th century. Navy beans and other dried beans are known as Phaseolus vulgaris and are referred to as “common beans” because they all come from a common bean ancestor that originated in Peru. Navy beans are about the size of a pea, mild in flavor, and one of 13,000 species in the family of legumes. They can be found canned and dried in bulk or prepackaged. The United States Navy was no doubt looking for a low-cost, high-protein option to feed the sailors and the navy bean fit the bill. Navy beans can sometimes be found under the name French navy bean or, more commonly, Michigan pea bean if you are trying to find seed. Dried, store-bought beans can also be used for growing navy beans. Just pick out the largest, healthiest looking seeds.

How to Grow Navy Bean Plants

Navy beans are harvested after the pods have dried on the plant. Navy bean plants grow up to 2 feet (61 cm.) in height as bush beans. They take between 85 and 100 days from planting to harvest. Growing your own navy beans will allow you to have a healthy, low cost, vegetable-based protein that will store long after harvest. Beans combined with grains, like rice, become a complete protein. They are rich in vitamin B and folic acid along with many other minerals and are high in fiber. To grow your own navy beans, select a site in the garden that is in full sun. Beans do well in fertile soil but can also thrive in moderate soil due to their ability to fix nitrogen. Plant the seeds after all danger of frost for your area has passed. Soil temps should be at least 50 degrees F. (10 C.). Plant five or six seeds in mounds spaced about 3 feet (1 m.) apart. Thin seedlings to three or four plants per hill when they are 3 to 4 inches (8-10 cm.) tall. Cut, don’t pull, the weak seedlings to ground level to avoid disrupting the roots of the chosen seedlings. Form a tepee of three to four poles or stakes around each mound. The stakes should be at least 6 feet (2 m.) long. As the plants grow, train the vines to run up the poles by gently wrapping them around each. Once the vine reaches the top, snip it off to promote branching. Side dress the beans with an ammonium nitrate fertilizer once the plants have blossomed and pods are setting. Work the fertilizer next to the plants and water in well. Keep the beans supplied with an inch (2.5 cm.) of water per week; water in the morning to prevent disease. To retard weed growth and help retain moisture, lay organic mulch, such as aged straw or grass clippings, around the base of the plants.

One minute you're planting it, the next it is blazing in the garden, tall and full of drama. The Gibsonii castor plant (Ricinus communis var. gibsonii) has been around since the dawn of time, cultivated for its castor bean oil. But even for gardeners who have no immediate use for castor oil fall for this fast growing beauty. The enormous leaves and dramatic flower spikes of the Gibsonii castor bean plant make this heirloom annual a "must-grow."

Castor Bean Plant History

The history of the castor bean plant is a long one. If you get a copy of the 1896 catalog from R. & J. Farquars seed house, you'll find many varieties of the castor bean plant listed. In fact, the plant was cultivated in English gardens from at least the 16th century. And the ancient Egyptians grew it more than 4,000 years ago. They used it as a source of the castor oil they burned in lamps. In this country, castor bean plants were also grown to produce castor oil. The U.S. military used the oil in aircraft lubricants as well as in the production of explosives. Americans also used castor oil in making soaps, linoleum, nylon, paints and electrical insulations. It was also a popular medicine in the first half of the twentieth century.

Gibsonii Plant Information

Today, gardeners cultivate this heirloom plant because it is a fast growing annual. Castor bean plant is capable of rising to 8 feet tall in a very short time in the wild. However, the variety Gibsonii is more compact, growing to 5 feet in height. Whichever feature you choose to focus on, you'll find Ricinus communis var. gibsonii to be a remarkable plant. It's truly a dramatic addition to any garden.

Each huge palmate leaf grows to 30 inches across and resembles a star, with up to 11 deeply incised lobes. The foliage is a gorgeous, dark, metallic shade of red. The plant's stems are also red, and provide a stunning contrast to the ivory blossoms. They appear in clusters in late summer, followed by eye-catching seed pods of scarlet red. If you want to grow Gibsonii castor bean plants, sow the seeds in a site with direct sun and deep, rich soil. Protect the plants from winds that might shred its beautiful leaves. Irrigation is important, and you'll want to water the plants regularly.

Beans are one of the most popular garden plants out there. They’re easy to grow, vigorous, and they make a lot of produce that’s tasty and found in many recipes. In other words, you can’t go wrong with beans. How do you know which beans to grow though? Anything so popular comes with a lot of variety, and that variety can get overwhelming. Luckily, there are a few simple differences that split beans into smaller groups, which can be helpful in figuring out what suits you best. Keep reading to learn more about the different bean plant varieties and the best types of beans to grow for your situation.

How Many Types of Beans are There?

While there are far too many specific bean types to name, the majority of bean plant varieties can be divided into a few main subgroups. One very big distinction is between pole beans and bush beans. Pole beans are vining and need a structure to climb up, like a trellis or a fence. Some varieties can get quite long. However, these plants offer the added advantage of a small footprint; so, if your space is limited, any vegetable that can be grown vertically and still produce high yields is a great choice. Bush beans, on the other hand, are shorter and freestanding. Since they can be planted virtually anywhere, bush beans are easier to grow. Another thing that divides the varieties of bean plants is the difference between snap beans and shell beans. Basically, snap beans can be eaten raw, pod and all, while shell beans are meant to be opened up, or shelled, so the seeds inside can be eaten, and the pods thrown away. Snap beans may include green beans, yellow beans, and peas (which can also be shelled). Examples of shell beans include:

• Lima
• Navy
• Pinto
• Kidney
• Black-eyed pea

Really, most beans can be eaten pod and all if they’re immature enough, and most beans will have to be shelled if they’re allowed to mature or even dry out. Different varieties of bean plants are bred for both, however, which means that a bean marketed as a snap bean will taste much better raw than one marketed as a shell bean.

Many different plants not only coexist together, but actually derive mutual gratification from being grown near each other. Beans are a prime example of a food crop that benefits greatly when planted with other crops. Companion planting with beans is an age old Native American practice called “the three sisters,” but what else grows well with beans? Keep reading to learn about companion plants for beans.

Companion Planting with Beans

Beans fix nitrogen in the soil, a necessary nutrient for healthy growth of other crops, which is truly a boon to the gardener. The Iroquois people were aware of this reward, although they chalked it up to a gift from the Great Spirit. Their god also bequeathed to the people corn and squash, which then became logical companion plants for bean. Corn was planted first and when the stalks were tall enough, the beans were sowed. As the beans grew, squash was planted. The corn became a natural support for the beans to clamber up, while the beans made the soil rich in nitrogen, and the large squash leaves shaded the soil to cool roots and retain moisture. Don’t stop with just corn and squash though. There are many other beneficial plants that can be combined when growing beans. Companion plants for beans or other crops should be plants that have a natural symbiotic relationship. They may protect other crops from wind or sun, they may deter or confuse pests, or they may attract beneficial insects. When selecting your bean plant companions, consider their nutritional requirements. Don’t grow plants with the same nutritional needs together since they will compete for those available nutrients. The same goes with growing bean plant companions that have the same root depth. Again, they will compete with each other if they grow at the same soil depth.

What Grows Well with Beans?

Besides corn and squash, there are many other suitable companion plants for beans. Since pole and bush beans have different habits, different crops make more suitable companions. For bush beans, the following work well grown together:

• Beets
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Nasturtiums
• Peas
• Radish
• Savory
• Strawberries

Pole beans do quite well when planted near:

• Carrots
• Catnip
• Celery
• Chamomile
• Cucumber
• Marigold
• Nasturtiums
• Oregano
• Peas
• Potatoes
• Radish
• Rosemary
• Spinach
• Savory

Also, don’t forget to interplant with the corn and squash! Just as there are beneficial crops to plant with beans, there are other plants to avoid. The Allium family does neither pole nor bush beans any favors. Members such as chives, leeks, garlic, and onions exude an antibacterial that kills the bacteria on the roots of the beans and halts their nitrogen fixing. In the case of pole beans, avoid planting near beets or any of the Brassica family: kale, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Don’t plant pole beans with sunflowers either, for obvious reasons.

"Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat the more you"¦" If you are a Simpsons fan, you may be able to finish the lyrics ala Bart Simpson. This song was around well before the Simpsons aired because I recall my now 77-year young Dad singing it to my sister and me when we were as young as Bart is portrayed on the comedy. Beans, indeed, have an ageless history and have been an invaluable nutrient rich food for centuries. There are a plethora of heirloom bean seeds and amongst these are China Red Eye beans.

History of Early China Bush Beans

Early China bush bean info is scant at best. What we do know about China Red Eyed beans is that they were called Cuckoo Bean by the Pennsylvania Dutch. New Englanders referred to them as China Red Eye or Early China Bush bean. The history of Early China Bush beans has been documented in Germany in the early 1820's. They were then introduced to the United States in 1854. The name indicates that the beans hail from Asia, but this is a misnomer. The bean probably originated in South America.

Heirloom Bean Seeds

Any further China Bush bean info can be gleaned from general information regarding other heirloom beans. All heirloom beans are a variety of common beans, Phaseolus vulgaris. Their species includes:

• Green snap beans
• Pinto beans
• Great Northern beans
• Kidney beans
• Black turtle beans
• Cranberry beans
• Borlotti beans
• Flageolet beans
• Pea beans
• Pink beans
• White and yellow beans

They all belong to the family Fabaceae, which includes:

• Soybeans
• Fava beans
• Black eyed peas
• Adzuki beans
• Lentils
• Limas
• Chickpeas

Interestingly, other members found here are peanuts and kudzu. Heirloom beans and the 200 varieties of P. vulgaris originated in the tropical southern regions of Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. They were cultivated in these areas 8,000 years ago and spread to North and South America. The explorer Christopher Columbus noted beans climbing alongside corn in Cuba. What he saw were no doubt the common beans cowpeas and fava beans. He brought some of these back to Europe after his second voyage to the New World in 1493. Bean cultivation spread like wildfire from there until today, when we are looking for an obscure heirloom by the name of China Red Eye bean.

Growing China Red Eye Beans

Grow Early China beans in fertile, well-draining soil in a sunny area of the garden. Bush beans thrive in temps between 60-75 degrees F. (15-23 C.) with sun exposure of at least 8 hours per day. The soil pH should be between 7.5 and 6.5. Space China Red Eye bean plants 10 inches apart. Water bush beans in the morning to thwart leaf diseases that thrive on wet leaves. Water until the soil is moist to 6 inches deep, one inch of water per week. Keep the area around the beans weed free. Fertilize the beans just before they bloom with 30-0-0 at a rate of one pound per 100 feet in a row. Water the fertilizer into the soil. China Red Eye beans can be used as snap, shell or dry beans for cooking. They mature within 60 days. Snap beans can be harvested when the pods are still tender and snap when bent in half. Shell beans are ready when the beans are loose in the pods and dry beans should be left to dry on the plant. These versatile beans sound like a winner for the garden and well worth the trouble of tracking them down.

Here's a runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) that will change the face of your garden. Scarlet runner bean plants are planted as often for the beauty of their flowers as for their generous bean. Think gorgeous crimson flowers clustered like sweet peas to which all the hummingbirds in the neighborhood will flock. Think vines shooting up tall and strong enough to create teepees for kids to play in.

Scarlet Runner Bean Facts

The history of Scarlet runner beans starts in North America, since red runner bean plants are native in highlands of Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. They were brought to this country in the early 1700s. While you are brushing up on scarlet runner bean facts, you'll want to learn about cultivars. Although gardeners continue to love the original scarlet runners, cultivars have been developed and are available in commerce. Some look a lot like the original variety, like 'Scarlet Emperor' and 'Best of All,' but at least seven cultivars propose white flowers, like 'White Dutch.' If you prefer a mix of white and red, try 'Painted Lady,' or buy 'Sunset' for soft pink blossoms. Scarlet runner is the runner bean variety you are most likely to see in American gardens, especially in the Pacific Northwest. The plant is a perennial, preferring cool, humid regions. In the proper site, Scarlet runner vines grow fast and furiously, easily reaching 20 feet tall. They are grown as eye candy thanks to the huge blossoms, each over an inch wide, growing in masses of up to 40 on a single stalk. Hummingbirds love them so much that planting scarlet runners is almost a guarantee of increased hummingbird action in your backyard. And let's not forget the edible parts of this crop. Lovers of greens can toss the bright flowers or young green pods into a salad, but the beans themselves"”marbled black and purple red"”are delightful eating and dry well.

Growing Scarlet Runner Beans

If you want to add a few Scarlet runner bean plants to your garden, you've got to put the seeds in the ground early to give them time to develop the beans before autumn rains. Plant the seeds about an inch deep near some type of strong trellis or fence. Growing scarlet runner beans requires vigilance. When the beans start ripening, you'll need to pick the ripe pods on a daily basis to prevent the plants from shutting down.

Most of us have probably eaten some form of Americanized Chinese take-out. One of the most common ingredients is bean sprouts. Did you know that what we know as bean sprouts are more than likely mung bean sprouts? What are mung beans and what other mung bean information can we dig up? Let’s find out!

What are Mung Beans?

Mung bean seeds are sprouted for use either fresh or canned. These high protein, 21-28% beans are also rich sources of calcium, phosphorus, and other vitamins. For people in regions where animal protein is scarce, mung beans are an important source of protein. 

Mung beans are members of the Legume family and related to adzuki and cowpea. These warm-season annuals may be either upright or vine types. Pale yellow blossoms are borne in clusters of 12-15 at the top. 

At maturity, pods are fuzzy, about 5 inches (12.5 cm.) long, containing 10-15 seeds and varying in color from yellowish-brown to black. Seeds also vary in coloration and may be yellow, brown, mottled black, or even green. Mung beans self-pollinate.

Mung Bean Information

Mung beans (Vigna radiata) have been grown in India since ancient times and are still grown in Southeast Asia, Africa, South America, and Australia. The bean may go by a variety of names such as:

• green gram
• golden gram
• lutou
• look dou
• moyashimamae
• oorud
• chop suey bean

In the United States, growing mung beans were called Chickasaw peas. Today, 15-20 million pounds of mung beans are consumed per year in the United States and almost 75% of this is imported. 

Mung beans can be used sprouted, either fresh or canned, or as a dry bean and can be used as a green manure crop and as cattle forage. Beans selected for sprouting must be of high quality. 

Generally, larger seeds with a shiny, green color are selected. Those seeds that do not meet sprouting standards are used for livestock. Intrigued? Keep reading to find out how to grow mung beans.

How to Grow Mung Beans in the Garden

When growing mung beans, the home gardener should use the same cultural practices used for green bush beans, except that the pods will be left on the bush longer to allow the beans to dry. 

Mung beans are a warm-season crop and take between 90-120 days to mature. Mung beans can be grown outside or inside. Prior to sowing seed, prepare the bed. Mung beans like fertile, sandy, loam soil with excellent drainage and a pH of 6.2 to 7.2. Till the soil to remove weeds, large rocks, and clods and amend the soil with a couple of inches of compost worked in. 

Plant the seed when the soil has warmed to 65 degrees F. (18 C.). Sow seed one inch (2.5 cm.) deep and two inches (5 cm.) apart in rows that are 30-36 inches (76 to 91.5 cm.) apart. Keep the area free of weeds but take care not to disturb the roots. Fertilize with a low nitrogen food, such as 5-10-10, at the rate of 2 pounds (1 kg) per 100 square feet (9.5 square m.). 

Beans begin to form when the plant is 15-18 inches (38-45.5 cm.) tall and the pods continue to darken as they mature. Once mature (about 100 days from sowing), pull up the entire plant and hang the plant overhead in a garage or shed. Place clean paper or fabric below the plants to catch any dried pods that may fall.

The pods do not mature all at the same time, so harvest the plant when at least 60% of the pods are mature. Dry the seeds completely on some newspaper. If there is any moisture left when storing, the beans will go bad.

You can store completely dried beans in a tight-fitting glass canister for several years. Freezing the seed is also an excellent storage option and reduces the possibility of insect infestation.

Growing Mung Beans Indoors

If you don’t have garden space, try sprouting the mung beans in a jar. Just take dried mung beans, rinse them thoroughly in cold running water then transfer them to a large plastic bowl. 

Cover the beans with lukewarm water – 3 cups (710 mL) of water for each cup of beans. Why? The beans double in size as they soak up the water. Cover the bowl with a lid of plastic wrap and leave overnight at room temp. The next day, skim the surface for any floaters then pour out the water through a sieve. 

Transfer the beans to a large, sterilized glass jar with a perforated lid or cheesecloth secured with a rubber band. Lay the jar on its side and leave it in a cool, dark place for 3-5 days. At this point, the sprouts should be about ½ inch (1.5 cm.) long. Rinse and drain them in cold, running water up to four times per day during this sprouting phase and remove any beans that have not sprouted.

Drain them well after each rinsing and return them to their cool, dark place. Once the beans are fully sprouted, give them a final rinse and drain and then store them in the refrigerator.

If you enjoy Mexican food, you’ve no doubt eaten your share of pinto beans which feature prominently in the cuisine. They are probably so popular because of the warm, drier climate south of the border. If you live in a warm subtropical region, want to expand your garden bean options, or if you love Mexican food, you should be growing pinto beans. Read on to find out how to grow pinto beans and other pinto bean information.

Pinto Bean Information

Native to Mexico, pintos take about 90 to 150 days to grow as a dry bean but can be harvested earlier and eaten as a green snap bean. They come in both determinate (bush) and indeterminate (pole) varieties. They require very little care, although they need more space between plants than other bean types. 

Since they are indigenous to subtropical climes, they can be sensitive to cold. Pintos need long, warm summers with full sun exposure of at least six hours per day. Do not plant pinto beans where other beans have been growing for at least three years, as they may be susceptible to disease. Beans, in general, do not do well when transplanted so it’s best to direct sow the seeds. 

Do not plant them too early or they will rot in cool, damp soil. Since the beans take a long time to mature, jump start the growing process by laying down black plastic to keep the soil warm. Or you can grow pinto beans in containers indoors to be moved outside once temperatures warm. 

Pinto beans do well as companion plants with cucumbers, celery, and strawberries. Although they taste great when combined, avoid companion plantings alongside onion, garlic, and fennel.

How to Grow Pinto Beans

Plant the pintos in well-draining, fairly fertile soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Work in compost prior to planting to reduce the need to fertilize. Before planting, soak the beans overnight. The eye of the bean should be facing downward, planted at a depth of 1 ½ inches (4 cm.), 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm.) apart with at least 2 feet (61 cm.) between rows when growing pinto beans. 

If planting bush beans, allow additional space between rows for increased aeration. If planting pole type beans, be sure to provide a support like a trellis, teepee, or fence. Water the seeds in well and keep moist. Germination should occur between 8 and 14 days provided temperatures are between 70 and 80 degrees F. (21-26 C.). Gently thin the seedlings to 6 inches (15 cm.) apart. 

Once the seedlings have established, water the plants sparingly; wait until the soil dries out between watering. Pintos don’t mind drying out, but they hate wet roots. To prevent mildew and other fungal diseases, water from the base of the plant to keep the leaves dry.

Keep the area around the beans free of weeds but do so carefully lest you disturb the roots. Feed the beans with some compost tea halfway through the growing season.

Otherwise, it is generally unnecessary to fertilize. Now you just need to keep an eye on them and wait patiently for the harvesting of pintos.

Harvesting of Pintos

As mentioned, harvesting won’t take place until 90 to 150 days (depends on the variety and weather) have passed. Pintos can be harvested when they are still green and immature, but most people leave them on the vine until they dry. At this point, they will be firm and the thickness of a pencil. 

Bush pinto beans mature all at once, but pole beans are harvested on a continuous basis which encourages additional production for a month or two. To harvest pinto beans, gently pull or snap off the vine. If you are growing for dry beans, be sure the plants have plenty of space between them to allow the pods to dry completely. 

If you get a late rain and the pods are mature, pull the entire plant from the ground and hang it in a dry place to continue to desiccate.

There are many types of food in the world that are not common in our region. Discovering these foods makes the culinary experience exciting. Take Adzuki beans, for instance. What are adzuki beans? These are ancient Asian legumes, commonly grown as a pulse or dried bean but also sometimes used fresh. They have been cultivated for centuries in China and Japan as well as other countries in the East. Adzuki bean nutrition is off the charts with loads of fiber and vitamins. The beans are fairly easy to grow but require a long season, so start them indoors in short-season climates. Growing adzuki beans in the home landscape will help you harvest the health benefits of these small beans and add some interest to the family dinner table through their diversity.

What are Adzuki Beans?

Legumes are good for the body and good for the landscape. This is due to their nitrogen-fixing abilities which create healthy growing conditions for plants. Growing adzuki beans in your vegetable garden will harvest the soil-friendly benefits while adding something new to the family table. Adzuki beans are often served cooked with rice but may also be found in desserts due to the sweet flavor of the legumes. These versatile beans are easy to grow and well worth adding to your pantry. Adzuki beans are small, reddish-brown beans that grow inside long, green pods. Pods turn lighter and paler in hue which signals it is time to harvest the seeds inside. The seeds have a scar along the side that protrudes in a ridge. The flesh of adzuki is creamy when cooked and has a sweet, nutty flavor. The plant itself grows 1 to 2 feet (0.5 m.) in height, producing yellow flowers followed by clusters of pods. Beans may be dried or eaten fresh. Dried beans need to be soaked an hour before cooking. In Japan, the beans are cooked down into a sweet paste and used to fill dumplings, cakes, or sweet breads. They are also pureed with garlic, hot mustard, and ginger and used as a condiment.

How to Grow Adzuki Beans

Adzuki requires 120 days from sowing to harvest. In some climates, that is not possible outdoors, so it is recommended that seeds be planted inside. Adzuki beans can fix nitrogen but they require inoculation with rhizobacteria. The plants don't tolerate transplanting well, so start seed in compostable containers (such as coir or peat) that will plant directly into the ground. Plant seeds an inch (2.5 cm.) deep and 4 inches (10 cm.) apart. Thin the beans to 18 inches (45.5 cm.) apart when plants are 2 inches (5 cm.) tall. You can harvest the pods when they are green or wait until they turn tan and dry. Then hull the beans to harvest the seeds. The most important part of adzuki bean care and harvest is to provide well-drained soil. These plants need consistent moisture but cannot abide by boggy soils.

Using Adzuki Beans

Young tender pods can be picked early and used much as you would use snap peas. The most common use is to wait until seed pods are splitting and harvest the dried seeds. It has been found that adzuki bean nutrition contains 25% protein. With such a high protein level and packed with nutrients (like folates, Vitamins B and A) and minerals (iron, calcium, manganese, and magnesium), these beans are nutritional powerhouses. Another popular use of the beans is as sprouts. Use a sprouter or a strainer. Rinse the beans twice per day and place them in clean water each time. In about 24 hours, you will have fresh edible sprouts. Dried beans can be saved for up to a year. Estimate 20 to 24 plants to feed a family of 4 for a season. This may sound like a lot of plants but the seeds are easy to keep for year-round eating and the plants will enrich the soil when they are worked in at the end of the season. Adzuki can also be intercropped to save room and provide more crop diversity.

The name alone, Dragon Tongue bean plant, makes me want to grow these babies, but if that doesn't entice you to grow them, then maybe the fact that they are a dual use bean will. What does "dual use" mean? We'll get to that; let's indulge in a little history of Dragon Tongue beans first.

History of Dragon Tongue Beans

Dragon Tongue bean plants were first cultivated in the Netherlands in the 18th century and are a member of the Fabaceae family, as are peas and pulses (dry beans). Also known as Dragon Langerie beans, this bean varietal is a knockout with a creamy yellow interior and a dazzling, purple striated exterior. Beans attain an average of 6 inches in length and bear 4-6 seeds per stringless pod.

The entire bean can be eaten raw or cooked, but if you expect to retain that brilliant color, think again. Cooked beans lose their gorgeous hues. Back to growing Dragon Tongue bush beans as a dual use bean.

These open pollinated heirloom beans can be eaten young, in their entirety as a fresh snap bean, or pods can be harvested when fully mature for shelling beans. Seeds are firm, slightly starchy, sweet and nutty.

This "romano" or wax type bush bean is less fibrous than other snap beans. The eye popping color of Dragon Tongue beans is sure to be a conversation starter on the crudités platter, or they make a delicious side dish. Great in stir fries, bean salads and especially suited for pickling. Beans can be stored in plastic in the fridge for about one week; use 'em or lose 'em!

Growing Dragon Tongue Bush Beans

These guys have been naturalized in a variety of climates throughout North and into South and Central America, so it adapts to a wide range of heat and humidity levels. They tend to have a high yield with a superior flavor over other fresh bean types.

Now that I have piqued your interest, I'm sure you will want to know how to grow your own Dragon Tongues. If you can grow typical beans, then you can grow these. Direct sow Dragon Tongue seeds after all danger of frost has passed to a depth of one inch, 2 inches apart in rows 36-48 inches apart in full sun exposure. Harvest the beans between 55-60 days. Leave beans on to mature if desirous of dried beans.

The more often you harvest, the bigger your yield will be. Plants will be 24-30 inches tall. Dragon Tongues are delicious simply steamed and tossed with butter or olive oil and cracked pepper and kosher salt, or you can step it up a notch and blanch, then sauté with an accompanying flavor such as a bit of garlic or shallot and crispy pancetta.

Combining these guys with buttery Yellow Finn potatoes, steamed and cooled, then tossed in mustard vinaigrette is mmm-mmm good too. Or make pickled green beans to prolong your enjoyment of this luscious bean variety or to give as gifts that will titillate your friends and make them want to grow Dragon Tongue heirlooms.

Under ideal conditions, beans are an easy, prolific crop for the home gardener. However, beans are susceptible to a number of diseases. Bacterial wilt or blight in bean plants is one such disease. Advanced cases can decimate a crop. Are there any bacterial wilt treatments or, at the very least, is there any method for control of bacterial wilt? Let’s find out more.

Bacterial Wilt in Beans

Bacterial wilt of dry beans is caused by Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. Flaccumfaciens. Both bacterial wilt and bacterial blight in bean plants are fostered by moderate to warm temps, moisture, and plant wounds both during and post-flowering. The bacterium affects many types of beans including:

• Soybeans
• Hyacinth beans
• Runner beans
• Limas
• Peas
• Adzuki beans
• Mung beans
• Cowpeas

The first symptoms of bacterial wilt in beans appear in the leaves. Hot, dry weather is often enough to trigger an explosion in the growth of the bacteria. It infects the vascular system of the beans, impeding water movement. Young seedlings wilt as well as the leaves of older plants. Irregular lesions also appear on the leaves and eventually drop off. Pods may also have evidence of infection and seeds may become discolored. Infection during the initial growth phase can stunt or kill seedlings. The bacterium survives in infected debris and is also seed borne, making it difficult to treat. So how can you control bacterial wilt?

Bacterial Wilt Treatment

This particular pathogen is a tough cookie. It can overwinter in infected bean debris and even on the debris of other crops that have been rotated in following a bean crop. The bacterium can still be viable after two years. It is spread from the debris by wind, rain, and irrigation water. This bacterial pathogen can be managed, but not eliminated, through crop rotation, sanitation, sowing only treated certified seeds, varietal selection, and avoiding stress and excessive moisture on foliage.

• Rotate crops for three to four years with a bean crop in the third or fourth year only; plant corn, veggies, or small grain crops during the rotation period.
• Practice sanitation of not only bean debris, but removal of any volunteer beans and incorporation of straw into the soil.
• Sanitize tools and storage containers that may have been associated with the beans, as they may also harbor the pathogen.
• Only plant certified seeds. This will lessen the possibility of infection, although the pathogen can still be imported from an external source.
• Plant resistant varieties. Heirlooms and other older bean varieties, like pinto or red kidney, are susceptible to the disease. There are newer varieties currently available that are more resistant to bacterial infections.
• Don’t work among the beans when they are wet. Also, avoid irrigation via sprinklers which can spread the disease.

A copper based bactericide may reduce infection of bacterial blight and bacterial wilt in bean plants but it will not eradicate it. Apply the copper spray in the early growing season, every seven to ten days to reduce the number of pathogens.

If you're from the southern United States, I’m betting you have grown, or at least eaten, your fair share of purple hull peas. The rest of us might not be as familiar and are now asking, “What are purple hull peas?” The following contains information on how to grow purple hull peas and purple hull pea maintenance.

What are Purple Hull Peas?

Purple hull peas are a member of the southern pea, or cow pea, family. They are believed to be native to Africa, specifically the country of Niger, and most likely came over during the era of American slave trading. 

As their name suggests, the pod of purple hull peas is of course, purple. This makes it very easy to spot for harvest among the green foliage. Contrary to its name, purple hull peas are not peas but are more akin to beans.

Types of Purple Hull Peas

Purple hull peas are related to crowder peas and black-eyed peas. There are many types of purple hull peas from vining, semi-vining, and bush varieties. All varieties are hardy in Sunset’s climate zones 1a through 24.

• Vining – Vining purple hull peas need trellises or supports. Pink Eye is an early vining purple hull variety that is resistant to all three types of Fusarium diseases.
• Semi-vining – Semi-vining purple hull peas grow vines that are closer together than the vining varieties, requiring less space. Coronet is a very early variety with a harvest at only 58 days. It has resistance only to mosaic virus. Another semi-vining variety, California Pink Eye, matures in about 60 days and has no disease resistance.
• Bush – If you are short on space, you might consider growing bush purple hull peas. The Charleston Greenpack is one such variety that forms a compact self-supporting bush with pods developing on the top of the foliage, making for easy picking. Petit-N-Green is another such variety with smaller pods. Both are resistant to mosaic virus and mature between 65 and 70 days. The Texas Pink Eye Purple Hull is yet another bush variety with some disease resistance that is harvestable in 55 days.

Most of the purple hull pea varieties produce pink-eyed beans, hence, some of the names. One variety, however, produces a larger brown bean or crowder. Called the Knuckle Purple hull, it is a compact bush variety that matures at 60 days with a resulting stronger flavor than its counterparts.

How to Grow Purple Hull Peas

The neat thing about growing purple hull peas is that they are an excellent choice for late summer planting. Once the tomatoes have finished up, use the garden space for purple hull peas for an early fall crop. 

Purple hull peas are a warm weather annual that can’t abide frost, so timing is essential for later crops. For early plantings, sow seeds in the garden four weeks after the last average frost date or start peas indoors six weeks prior to transplanting out into the garden. 

Succession crops can be sowed every two weeks. This southern pea variety is easy to grow, not fussy about the type of soil they grow in, and needing very little additional fertilization. Spread 2 inches (5 cm.) of organic matter (compost, rotted leaves, aged manure) over the bed and dig into the upper 8 inches (20 cm.). Rake the bed smooth. 

Direct sow seeds 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm.) apart at ½ inch (1 cm.) deep. Cover the area around the peas with a 2 inch (5 cm.) layer of mulch; leave the seeded area uncovered and water in well. Keep the seeded area moist. Once the seedlings have emerged and have three to four leaves, thin them out to 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm.) apart and push the mulch around the base of the remaining plants. Keep the peas moist, not drenched.

There is no other purple hull pea maintenance required. The organic matter added to the soil, along with the fact that purple hulls fix their own nitrogen, negates the necessity for additional fertilization. Depending upon the variety, harvesting time will be between 55 and 70 days.

Harvest when the pods are well filled out and are purple in color. Shell the peas immediately, or if you aren’t using them right away, refrigerate them. Shelled peas can be held for several days in the fridge. They also freeze beautifully if you happen to have a bumper crop that can’t be eaten right away.

Lima beans -- seems people either love them or hate them. If you're in the love ‘em category, you may have tried growing them. If so, you may have encountered problems growing lima beans. One such lima bean problem is empty lima bean pods. What causes lima pods that are empty?

Help! My Lima Pods are Empty!

Lima beans are sometimes called butter beans and are the stereotypical antithesis for kids. My mom used to get a frozen mélange of veggies that included lima beans and I would collect them all into one mouthful and swallow them without chewing, with a large glug of milk. I’m an adult now and then some, with tastes that have changed and the realization that lima beans are extremely good for you, high in fiber, protein, and magnesium. Growing beans is usually easy, so why not give lima beans a go? The general directions for growing lima beans are to start them indoors three to four weeks prior to the last frost date in your area. Plant seeds 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm.) deep in transplantable paper or peat pots and keep them moist. Don’t tamp the soil down over seeds. Put the seedlings out three weeks after the frost date or sow seeds outside at this time if the soil is at least 65 degrees F. (18 C.). Select a sunny site and space bush beans 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm.) apart and vining limas 8 to 10 inches (20-25 cm.) apart. Keep the limas consistently moist. Add a layer of mulch to retain water. So, the beans are in and all is well until one day you realize there’s a lima bean problem. It seems that the lima pods are empty. The plant flowered, it produced pods, but there’s nothing inside. What happened?

Reasons for Empty Lima Bean Pods

There are several pest and disease problems that create problems when growing lima beans. In fact, many fungal spores exist in the soil for two to three years, so you should always move your bean site each year. Empty pods from insects munching would be patently obvious, as there would be holes in the pods. So if it’s not that, what is it? Did you refrain from fertilizing your limas? Like all beans, they fix nitrogen so these beans don’t need that extra dose you would normally give other garden produce. That means no fresh manure either. A surplus of nitrogen will give you lush foliage but won’t do much in the way of bean production. You can side dress with compost if you wish. Water and heat stress can also play havoc on bean production. Hot days and hot nights dry the plant out and reduce the seed numbers or result in underdeveloped seeds (flat pods). This is more prevalent in large-seeded pole lima beans. Irrigate regularly during hot periods but beware of downy mildew. If you live in a typically warm region, start your seeds earlier in May using black plastic mulch to warm the soil and row covers to protect plants. Lastly, immature or lack of beans in the pods could be a factor of time. Perhaps, you have not waited long enough for the beans to mature. Remember, beans and peas form pods first. Apparently, the baby limas are easier to grow than the large bush limas like Big Six, Big Momma, etc., or even the pole types such as King of the Garden or Calico. The baby limas include:

• Henderson’s
• Cangreen
• Wood’s Prolific
• Jackson Wonder
• Dixie Butterpeas
• Baby Fordhook

I admit it. I hate snakes. They creep me out. In a way they are beautiful representations of life's variety, but they also slither their way into my deepest fears. A therapeutic exercise asks a phobic to surround themselves with that which they fear most in order to overcome such feelings. My answer comes in the form of Rattlesnake bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris). They may have similar patterns and twisting angles as the serpents from which they take their name, but the beans aren't the least bit scary and that may be the key to locking away my fear.

History of Rattlesnake Bean Plants

Why would anyone name an edible after a poisonous snake? One glimpse of the beans and you will have part of your answer. Mottled with purple patterns, the bean's skin bears a striking resemblance to snake skin. You can eat the pods when young or dry them out and shell the light brown seeds, which are splashed with a darker brown coloring. The history of Rattlesnake beans reveals the true nature behind the name. The plant's twining, twisting growth habit is actually why they are likened to the serpents. Rattlesnake bean pods can grow up to 8 inches long. The seeds inside start out creamy white and darken as they age, developing sepia and dark brown patterns. The plant is also called Preacher bean because it grows so well it gives you something to preach about! Further historical info states that Rattlesnake beans hail from the Southwestern United States, in particular the Hopi Indians and sown with the aid of Kokopelli, a mythological being associated with fertility and germination. This variety of bean is drought resistant and perfect for sandy soils. Flavor-wise, Rattlesnake bean pods are crisp and snappy and the seeds are meaty, holding their shape when cooked in soups and stews.

Growing Rattlesnake Snap Beans

More of the history of Rattlesnake beans shows they are relatives of Pinto beans. That means they are most prolific in hot zones. When growing these beans, choose a location where they will have plenty of room, as the vines can get up to 10 feet long. Plant seeds after all danger of frost has passed. Push them an inch into soil and 2 inches apart. Provide some sort of support for the vines as they grow and keep the plants moderately moist. Harvest the plants consistently to ensure more frequent flowering and higher yields. Use a side dressing of compost or manure when growing Rattlesnake snap beans. Try them fresh and dried. Dried beans make excellent chili, casserole or simply a side dish.

Kidney beans are a healthy inclusion to the home garden. They have antioxidant properties, folic acid, vitamin B6, and magnesium, not to mention they are a rich source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. One cup (240 mL.) of kidney beans provides 45 percent of the recommended daily intake for fiber! High in protein, kidney beans, and other beans are a vegetarian’s mainstay. They are also a good choice for folks with diabetes, hypoglycemia, or insulin resistance because their rich fiber content keeps sugar levels from rising too rapidly. With all that goodness, the only question is how to grow kidney beans.

How to Grow Kidney Beans

There are a number of kidney bean varieties to choose from. Some of them, like Charlevoix, are more prone to viruses and bacteria, so do your research. They come in both bush and vine varieties. In the same family as black beans, pinto, and navy beans, these big red beans are a staple in most chili recipes. They are only used dried and then cooked, as the raw beans are toxic. A few minutes of cooking time, however, neutralizes the toxins. Kidney beans do best in USDA growing zones 4 and warmer with temps between 65-80 F. (18-26 C.) for most of their growing season. They don't do well transplanted, so it's best to direct sow them in the spring after the last frost date for your area. Don’t plant them too early or the seeds will rot. You may want to lay down some black plastic to warm the soil. Plant them in full sun exposure in well-draining soil. Beans don’t like to get their “feet” wet. When growing kidney beans, space the seed 4 inches (10 cm.) apart for vining beans and 8 inches (20.5 cm.) apart for bush varieties, one inch to 1 ½ inch (2.5 to 4 cm.) below the soil surface. The growing kidney bean seedlings should emerge between 10-14 days from planting. Keep in mind that the vining types will need some sort of support or trellis to grow on. Beans shouldn’t be grown in the same area more than once every four years. Plants such as corn, squash, strawberries, and cucumber benefit from companion planting with beans. Kidney beans can be container grown, but it is best to use a bush variety. For each plant, use a 12-inch (30.5 cm.) pot. Keep in mind that it takes 6-10 bean plants to supply enough for one person’s use so container growing, while possible, may be impractical.

Care of Kidney Beans

The care of kidney beans is minimal. Beans produce their own nitrogen, so it usually isn’t necessary to fertilize the plants. If you feel compelled, however, be sure not to use a food that is high in nitrogen. This will only stimulate lush foliage, not bean production. Keep the area around the beans free from weeds and keep them lightly moist, not wet. A good layer of mulch will aid in retarding weeds and maintaining moist soil conditions.

Harvesting Kidney Beans

Within 100-140 days, depending upon the variety and your region, the harvesting of kidney beans should be near. As the pods start to dry out and yellow, quit watering the plant. If it is not too humid and you have left plenty of space between plants, the beans may well dry on the plant. They will be hard as rocks and desiccated. Otherwise, when the pods are the color of straw and it’s time to harvest, remove the entire plant from the soil and hang it upside down inside in a dry place to allow the beans to continue to dry out. Once the beans have completely cured, you can keep them in a tightly sealed container for about a year.

Do you have mold on your bean plants? There are a few common bean plant diseases that may result in a white mold on bean plants. Don’t despair. Read on to learn what to do about moldy bean plants.

Help, There is White Mold on My Bean Plants!

Gray or white mold on beans is an indicator of either a fungus or bacterial infection. Powdery or downy mildew (usually found only on lima beans) is caused by fungal spores that germinate on dry foliage when the humidity is high. Especially common in the late summer and fall, these mildew diseases do not usually kill the plants, but it does stress them, potentially resulting in a lesser crop yield. To mitigate the possibility of either powdery or downy mildew, avoid water stress, prune out any infected leaves and pods, and keep the garden free of plant detritus. Also, be sure to rotate the bean crop each year. Mold on bean foliage, stems, or pods accompanied by successive rotting is an indicator of mycelium, another fungus abundant in warm weather. These fungi, however, enjoys the accompaniment of water sodden leaves. To avoid this fungal disease, rotate crops, again, remove plant debris, keep the surrounding area free of weeds, and increase the space between bean plants to increase air circulation. Another common bean plant disease is bacterial wilt, which clots up the plant’s circulatory system. This disease is spread by cucumber beetles in moist conditions. Signs of bacterial wilt are leaf droop at onset, followed by the wilting of the entire plant. The presence of the disease can be concretely diagnosed by cutting a stem near the crown and observing the sap; it will be milky colored, sticky, and viscous. Once the plant is infected, there is no way of stopping the disease. Remove and destroy infected plants the moment you recognize the symptoms. Lastly, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum may be the culprit for moldy bean plants. White mold usually begins as wilting of the plants after blossoming. Soon, lesions develop on the infected leaves, stems, branches, and pods ultimately becoming covered by a white fungal growth. White mold is prolific in conditions of high humidity accompanied by wet plant foliage and soil, usually at the end of the growing season. As with the above diseases, remove any infected parts of the plant or the entire plant if it appears to be severely infected. Water sparingly, enough to keep the plant from being stressed but allowing the soil to dry between watering. Space bean rows farther apart to allow for air circulation, practice crop rotation and, as always, keep rows free of weeds and detritus. Fungal applications may assist with control of white mold on beans. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for timing, rates, and method of application.

Beans of all varieties are fairly easy to grow but, as with all plants, they do have their fair share of diseases and pests that can decimate a crop. A major marauder is the beetle, and may I say that these looters come in not just one variety but several different types. How to keep beetles from green beans and other legumes may not be the burning question of our time, but if you are a gardener that’s put his or her heart and soul into the bean patch, you want answers.

Help, There are Beetles on My Green Bean Plants!

First of all, don’t panic. You aren’t the first and you won’t be the last to find beetles on your green bean plants. If you try to identify the beetle, the better able you will be at finding a method of green bean beetle control.

• Japanese beetle – One ravager may be the Japanese beetle. These pests were inadvertently brought over from Japan and rapidly spread through most of the eastern United States. They are easy to identify with metallic green abdomens and bronzed wings.
• Mexican bean beetle – Another beetle pest might be the Mexican bean beetle. Both adults and larvae munch on the undersides of the leaves, young pods, and stems, leaving a ghostly, lace-like apparition of a leaf behind. The adults are about ¼ inch (6 mm.) long and look like big, yellow ladybugs with 16 black dots across their backs. The larvae are 1/3 inch (1 cm.) long grubs with six longitudinally arranged spines along their orange to yellow backs.
• Cucumber beetle – Another beetle bane might be the spotted cucumber beetle. They also look like ladybugs but are yellowish green with 12 black dots. You will find these beetles eating green bean leaves as well as on occasion melons, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, peas, and some greens, again leaving behind a skeletonized version of foliage.

All of these beetles are also known to feast on the growing bean pods too, leaving unsightly holes throughout the fruits.

How to Keep Beetles from Green Beans

Upon first viewing the beetle adversaries, the first instinct is to eradicate them immediately, but how do you go about controlling green bean beetles? Okay, I know some of you are thinking “insecticide” and while it is true that this is the most direct route, it’s too easy! Try getting your hands dirty first and save the insecticide as a last resort. Organic beetle control at its most basic is hand-picking. This is the first line of defense if you aren’t squeamish, and the numbers are not too daunting. Try hand-picking in the early morning when the insects are sluggish. Pluck them from the plant and dump them into a bucket of soapy water. They may be so lethargic that when you try to pluck them, they fall from the plant onto the ground or lower limbs below. Try putting a light-colored material beneath the plant to spot the deserters and dispose of them more easily. Another organic beetle control may be to use traps. These can be found at the local garden center. Neither of these methods will completely control the population. You are just getting the adults. It may take biological tactics to win the war. For instance, in the case of the Japanese beetle, the larvae begin to hatch in midsummer. This is the best time to use your arsenal of biological controls to eradicate the pests. Parasites, nematodes, and fungi are all available methods for controlling the Japanese beetle. Give the insect-eating beneficial nematode a go. You can also try Bacillus thuringiensis, an insect toxin that poisons the beetle’s stomach, or the bacteria Bacillus papillae, which infects the grubs with Milky Spore disease and leaches into the soil to prevent future generations.

Additional Organic Beetle Controls

Other options are to introduce beneficial insects such as:

• Ladybugs
• Green lacewing
• Minute pirate bugs

All of these are rapacious predators of both the egg and young larval stage of many beetles. Also, apply diatomaceous earth around the plants. Try spot treating with insecticidal soap and neem oil combinations. Be sure to thoroughly cover both the upper and lower leaves completely. Treatments should be repeated every seven to ten days if additional beetles are found. Consider planting early maturing bean varieties to thwart Mexican beetles, which are at their peak during summer. Plant a trap crop of zinnias or marigolds away from the veggie garden to lure the beetles to tastier fare. Also, interplant garlic or chives among the beans. The strong odor will often deter the beetles. Keep the area around the bean plants free of detritus and remove any damaged or diseased foliage. Lastly, try using paper cups to protect seedlings or add fine screening or row covers over the crops, secured at the sides to prevent adult beetles from flying in. Remember, all of these organic control methods take longer than controlling with insecticides and you may need to battle with multiple methods, but the results are infinitely longer lasting and healthier for you and the environment.

There's a good reason why purple podded yard beans are often known as snake beans. This heirloom vegetable plant produces beans that can reach surprising lengths of 30 inches. And if extreme length isn't enough of an attention grabber, the attractive, drooping pods contain natural phytochemicals that give them a deep purple color. The delicate-looking blooms provide their share of color too; they are pale purple with a dark purple center and two bright yellow dots. An amazing plant with lots to offer - grow them to eat, grow them simply as ornamentals or grow them for wildlife.

History of Purple Podded Yard Long Beans

Yard long beans (Vigna sesquipedalis) may resemble pole snap beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) but they are actually closely related to southern cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata), botanically speaking anyway. They originate from Southeast Asia. The history of these particular heirloom yard long beans is sketchy, however, but experts are fairly certain this plant originated many years ago in Thailand, where it is still very popular. In fact, some people know this plant as Thai purple-podded bean or Thai yard long asparagus bean plants - tongue twister, say that three times.

Growing Yard Long Asparagus Beans

If you want to grow your own yard long beans, it isn't difficult so long as you can provide a long, hot growing season and at least of six hours of dependable sunlight per day. The plants tolerate nearly any type of well-drained soil, but they are happier if you work in a few inches of compost or rotten manure, along with an all-purpose fertilizer. Don't rush to get the beans in the ground. Wait until late spring when daytime temperatures are above 60 F. (15 C.). Then you can plant your beans 12 inches apart in rows, with 3 to 4 feet between each row. If you prefer, you can plant the beans in hills. Don't crowd them; these vigorous plants require quite a bit of space. Remember, they're lengthy. Cover the beans with 1 to 1 ½ inches of soil, then keep them evenly moist, but not soggy, until the beans germinate - usually seven to 10 days if the weather is warm. Thereafter, provide about an inch of water every week. Be as consistent as possible and avoid extremes of moisture, which can cause dropped blossoms or malformed pods. A couple inches of bark mulch or dry grass clippings can moderate soil moisture and temperature. You might want to install a support for the plant once they are still fairly small so you can begin training the twirling, twining stems to wind around the support. A fence or trellis works just fine, but many gardeners, such as myself, use a tripod consisting of three or four 6- to 7-foot poles arranged teepee-fashion. Unfinished wood is great because the rough surface gives the vines something to grab. Don't make the support too tall; remember that you will need to reach the vines at the top when the beans are ready to harvest. And when that time comes, those super-long pods will be quite impressive, but if you're going for flavor, the beans are most tender, sweet and mild at only 10 to 12 inches.