Bean Plants

Beans come in many sizes, shapes and colors and have been a great source of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals since prehistoric times.

Growing Bean Plants

The list of varieties is seemingly endless. There are garbanzo, kidney, fava, pinto and green beans, along with over a hundred varieties of snap beans, in yellow, green, red or black, and multiple sizes and shapes.

Beans are easy to grow in the home garden. Work some 5-10-10 fertilizer into the soil before planting. Provide sunlight and an inch of water per week, mulch the ground to retain moisture and keep weeds down, and a second application of fertilizer when plants start to bloom.

Keep the bed clear of spent blooms and dead leaves to deter bug infestations, as bean plants are prone to aphids, bean beetles, stink bugs, spider mites and thrips.

Many bacterial and fungal infections also attack bean plants. Rust, blight, root rot, white mold and mosaic virus are common to many plants. Crop rotation should be practiced to avoid these problems. Use organic measures to control both pest and disease problems.

Life Cycle of Bean Plant

Because the bean is a source of food, we consider it to be the product of a bean plant , similar to the way we grow a fruit or vegetable. But the bean is actually the seed that produces the plant. Through an understanding of the life cycle of bean plants, we can see how it comes full circle.

Once the bean is planted in soil and watered, it germinates in about a week. It produces a sprout as the first sign of growth. A shoot, or hypocotyl, travels upward toward the surface of the soil, reaching for the sun. Once it is exposed to sunlight, phototropism begins, straightening the bent hypocotyl until it stands upright.

The plant continues to grow and starts its reproductive stage, when it produces flowers. Once the flower petals dry out and the flower dies, its ovaries start to grow into bean pods. These pods are green and fragile, but will ripen and become full of seeds that can be harvested.

By leaving some pods on the plant to dry, seeds inside these pods eventually fall to the ground, starting the process all over again.

As a food source, in addition to the numerous beans produced by bean plants, many of the sprouts are rich in nutrients as well. This plant has provided nourishment since the beginning of time and continues today to be a rich food source around the world.

Buy Bean Seeds

"Plump, tender 6?" long pods have white seeds. Excellent flavor and texture, fresh or canned. Heavy producer over a long season."

"Bean, Gold Mine (Wax) 1 Pkt. (2 oz.)"

"Plants yield early and need no support. One packet has 2 oz. of seed unless noted, and will sow a row of about 20 ft; one pound sows about 160 ft. Our seed is not treated. Very high yields of crisp, ultra-sweet wax beans are borne on compact and unusually upright plants. The beans grow together in clusters that make harvest a snap. Beans are 5-5?" long."