Beans

Growing facts

Scientific name

Phaseolus vulgaris

Origin

Central and South America

Plant size

1–2 ft bushes, or 6–10 ft pole vines that need a trellis

Growth rate

Fast

Sun

Full sun

Soil

Well-drained soil; too much nitrogen gives leaves instead of beans

Soil pH

6.0–7.0

Pollination

Self-pollinating

Cold hardiness

Killed by frost; flowers drop in heat above about 90°F

USDA zones

Grown as a warm-season annual in all zones

Harvest

50–60 days from seed for bush beans; 60–70 for pole beans; 90–100 for dry beans

When to plant (zones 9–11)

Feb, Mar, Apr, Sep, Oct

When to plant (zones 5–8)

May–Jul

Water

About every 3 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young

Feeding

About every 30 days

Taste

Snap beans are sweet, grassy and crisp; dry beans are earthy and creamy when cooked

Nutrition

Snap beans offer fiber, vitamin C and vitamin K; dry beans are rich in protein, fiber and folate

Is beans safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

• Young pods, cooked or briefly blanched
• Dry seeds, soaked and boiled hard
• Fresh shelled seeds, cooked

Toxic parts and cautions

• Toxic: Never eat raw or undercooked dry beans, especially red kidney beans. They contain a lectin (phytohaemagglutinin) that causes severe vomiting within hours, even from a few beans. Soak, drain, then boil hard for at least 10 minutes before simmering. Slow cookers on low don't get hot enough, so boil first.
• Good to know: Snap beans are usually cooked; eating a lot raw can upset the stomach.
• Good to know: Dry beans cause gas for many people; soaking and discarding the water helps.

Pets: Plain cooked green beans are a safe treat for dogs. Raw dry beans are toxic to pets as well as people.

How to eat and enjoy beans

• Steamed or sautéed green beans
• Dilly beans (pickled)
• Black beans and rice, chili and refried beans
• Green bean casserole

Beans varieties (7)

• Black Turtle

  The common black bean, grown for dry seed.

  Bush to semi-vining. Must be boiled hard before eating.

• Blue Lake

  A classic, stringless green bean sold in bush and pole forms.

  Taste: Sweet, meaty

  Pole Blue Lake bears for weeks; Blue Lake 274 is the bush form.

• Contender

  An early, stringless bush bean that holds up in heat.

  A Southern standby.

• Dragon Tongue · also Dragon's Tongue

  A flat, pale-yellow bush bean streaked with purple.

  Origin: Netherlands · Taste: Sweet, juicy

  The purple fades when cooked.

• Kentucky Wonder

  An old, vigorous pole bean with long, flavorful pods.

  Also good as a shelling bean when the pods get big.

• Provider

  An early bush bean that sprouts in cooler soil than most.

  Reliable and disease-resistant.

• Rattlesnake

  A pole bean with green pods streaked purple.

  Handles heat and humidity well; good in the Southeast.

Pests and diseases to watch for

• Scale insects

  Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

  What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

• Mealybugs

  White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

  What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

• Aphids

  Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

  What to do: Spray off with water.

• Sooty mold

  Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

  What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

• Spider mites

  Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

  What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.