How to Grow Common Beans & Peas
Quick Easy Grows.
The Tropical Grower has returned to our growing your own food at home series this week with How to Grow Common Beans & Peas. You can’t get much simpler than Beans. They literally have had a grade school lesson on the curriculum forever about growing, and they use Beans. Remember the big seeds in the little styrofoam cups? There is a reason children learn to grow with beans. They’re quick super easy grows.
Beans are actual real live magic. There’s a reason Fairy Tales used them. They sprout quickly and grow fast, but their true magic comes in the form of Nitrogen. They make it, even pull it from the air, and when they finish their growing season, they leave the soil richer than when they sprouted, especially if you leave all the roots. Yes, Nitrogen, the building block of all things leafy and green. They’re also high in protein. How’s that for magic?
The Legumes
Beans and Peas belong to the Legume family, and even if you don’t eat them, you should grow them because of that Nitrogen thing. We even let the Wild Sweet Peas grow for a while with their pretty little pink flowers. That’s the other thing about Legumes, they flower. Unfortunately, the Nitrogen they produce isn’t for them. It’s actually stored in the roots and is a byproduct of a good bacteria found there. Fun Facts. So, when you harvest the plant, make sure to leave all the roots and chop them up into the soil for the next plant. Simple.
Beans and Peas come in a huge variety. You can usually spot them because Bean or Pea is in the name. Black Beans, Lima Beans, Pinto Beans, Tender Beans to name a few. Same goes for Peas, Sweet Peas, Snap Peas, Snow Peas. Almost as if they are actually letting you know what they are. LOL!
Snap vs Shell
You know this already. Shell Beans, like Pinto or Black, are eaten as individual Beans or Peas, but Snap Beans and Snap Peas are devoured whole, pod and all. Growing them runs under the same principle. You leave Shells on the vine to dry, but harvest Snaps green to eat.
The Shell Beans or ‘Shellies’ are going to need a lot longer grow time because you aren’t going to harvest them until the pods are dry, between 85-100 days. There are some who further divide Shellies into Shells and Dry. The difference here is you harvest Shells before the pod fully dries, like with Lima Beans, to eat them fresh green. They’re good that way. And Dry, where you let the pods fully dry before harvesting.
Snap Beans, also called string beans or ‘Green Beans’ mature in 45 to 60 days. We harvest our Snap Varieties continuously to make sure we’re getting them off the vine while they’re still tender. Because these produce throughout their growing season, the more you cut, the more it encourages them to produce. Think of them like a factory.
If you wait until seeds bulge, the pods on varieties like Pole Beans can dry out or get fibrous, in my opinion. Technically, most seed varieties are based on the 1890 ‘stringless’ cultivators which aren’t supposed to have the fibrous strings. Maybe my pallet is just sensitive, but I don’t like them if they’re too old. I will pick stringy fibers out of my mouth. How delightful for dinner companions. One dinner of particularly large Pole Beans, I only ate the bean parts like a Shellie. Again, just my opinion.
The truth is most of the Beans are interchangeable. Dry, shell, eat green. Chief’s are pretty creative. So, trends come and go about which Beans or Peas get harvested at what stage. It’s pretty much up to you as a Grower what you do with your Harvest.
Nitrogen Fixing
Nitrogen Fixing. It’s not a bad band name, it’s a Bean plant, Peas too. It’s the Nitrogen thing. Roots and Bacteria start talking, form a relationship, and by the end of the season there’s a bunch of Nitrogen in the nods. They don’t actually use the Nitrogen they collect from the air and bacteria. It’s stored. That means to get their full benefit, you leave the roots in the ground, chop ’em up and mix them into the soil. In beds that are particularly depleted, I’ll cut the vine or bush from the roots and let everything dry-out. Then, I chop everything up in the soil for the next plant.
Many commercial farmers currently use a Soy Bean, or similar, rotation into their crops. It helps them to replenish the soil instead of the older method of allowing fields to go fallow, that’s a natural, not planted state. Farming can be hard on the soil and using organic methods is both helpful to the farmer, who doesn’t have to skip a number of seasons of produce in a specific field, and the land who is having its nutrients replenished. Super cool. Just think, it’s so simple you can use it at home. Got any depleted beds? Ones that look dry and dead?
Read the Instructions
Because there are so many varieties, it’s a whole family, there’s a Bean or Pea to fit your tastes and garden. We’re not supposed to be able to grow Sweet Peas in our Zone 10. It’s normally a Zone 7 or colder, but we grow Peas in the winter. When the microclimate was up and running, we also had them in the Spring. Not this year, and probably not for a while. Thanks, Ian. Knowing that, saves me a wasted planting hole and a ton of frustration watching my plant die, foodless. It’s on the seed pack. Right there, to read. The good news is with so many varieties out there, you can find something to grow in your area. Trust me, we often have that problem. Crazy growers just like me create them. Chuckling hard enough to interest the dog.
If you want to grow a Black Bean, you won’t need a big space, but you will need a bunch of time as these are dried on the vine. That’s also in the directions. My point is all Beans and Peas are similar growers, but each variety has specifics that make them extra happy. You’ll have to read your Directions or Growing Instructions to find it, or choose the variety based on what will grow in your garden. That’s usually easier.
Growing Conditions
Generally, Beans and Peas like full sun. 6 hours if you are Growing Tropical, 8 hours otherwise, but Read the Instructions. They’ll let you know where your variety is happiest. Common Peas are difficult for us here in the Tropics, most varieties like cooler weather. They do best if we plant them in the back or in the shade of larger Tomatoes, Broccoli or Garden plants and trees. Heavy mulch helps as well because they especially like their roots to be cooler.
Both Beans and Peas require about an inch of water per week. If you have sandy soil like ours, you will have to water more. We sprinkle daily for about 30 minutes. People often ask why my timers are set at those specifications. Well, our rainy season consists of about an hour rain storm once a day. Everything is plush and green and happy in our natural soil and heat. Artificial recreation of a specific spray irrigation system landed at half of what it takes naturally. You want to use the least amount of water necessary for the results you want in your garden. I played with it until our plants were happy. Working with what is out there naturally in the garden is always going to work better for you than fighting nature. Our soil is sand. Your goal in the garden is to bring whatever you have to its fullest potential. You certainly will not want to water daily if you have a peat based soil.
Sowing Seeds
While you can plant these from Starter Plants, Legumes in general are grown from seeds. Because it’s so easy. A simple overnight soak and nick in the seed skin will give you awesome results if your seeds are viable. Beans and Peas come pre-made inside the seed and only need water, light and a place to grow. Seriously, remember the grade school lesson? These are crazy sprouters with big thick seed leaves. It also means they start quick and easy. They’re hearty seedlings and more likely to grow big and happy. We like that in a plant. These Bush Beans seeds sprouted like crazy.
Seeds will be most viable the 1st year they come off the plant. If you are saving some of your harvest to plant next season, make sure to dry them out completely and store them properly. We put ours into Net Bags and hang them in the dark to dry. The little bags are pretty versatile. We use them for everything from covering fruit on trees while they are still growing to storing harvested veggies in the fridge. The Shell Beans and Peas are Harvested in the dry or drying pod, directly into the bags and hung. We leave ours in the pod until it is dry and crackly. Then, we separate the dried Beans and Peas which are now seeds. Light, heat and damp are not their friends. For more on seeds see How to Choose Between Seeds and Starter Plants.
Supports
Legumes usually come in vines and small bushes that are actual compact vines. They get a bad rap because most people believe they take up lots of space. True and not true. If you buy an 8 inch pole bean, those puppies are going to grow. Ours took over this winter. But our Bush Beans stay right where we plant them, even Growing Tropical. However, even the bush varieties like a little support.
Beans and Peas do not need large planting holes, and, in fact, these can be spaced close together. They are actually perfect container plants as long as you have something for them to climb. A simple bamboo stake is fine for Bush Beans, or one of the traditional small round supports. Black Beans and Lima Beans are the same way. The longer growing vine varieties, like the Pole and Tender Beans, will require more height or space. Or you can spend a little extra time training the vines however you need or want them to grow.
Your Plants Determine Your Supports
Bush Beans, Black Beans or Snow Peas work with just a short fence section, bamboo stake or a traditional small round support. For Pole Beans or Giant Snow Peas, a 6 foot section of fence shaped into a cylinder will stand up anywhere. We also like to use green fencing on a tall stake. Wrap it, whatever you choose, meaning attach the plant to the support. Whether you are using ties, clamps, or simply weaving it through or around the support, they need it unless you want them wandering aimlessly around the garden. Not accommodating the variety with the proper support will leave you fighting it all season.
The vines, highly trainable into countless shapes, are limited only by your supports and time to wind them there. Make balls or tepees. We like cylinders and sometimes I jump spaces from one fence section to another, nothing but air in between. Pull wandering shoots the direction you want them to grow and weave them through the supports. Fencing works best in my opinion, but I’ve seen those cool spring-on-a-stick things I might want to try. Always scheming. Traditionally, ‘A’ frames were used, lined up with a stick holding the ‘A’s together. Growers also use simple string tied horizontally for them to climb.
Plan Your Heights or Runs
If Bean and Peas grow straight to the top of your support, they will have nowhere to go from there. You’ll have to cut them, making off shoots, add more height to the support or let them trail. Some growers use 6 foot fencing sections they lean over at the top to provide shade for neighbor plants, or their own roots, during hot summer months. These can trail off the other end if they still want to grow. Or, you can simply plant them along fences. If you don’t give them a support, they will trail along the ground until they find something to climb. Usually, other plants.
Soil and Nutrients
Legumes like the standard rich, well draining soil. Be careful about being heavy handed with the Nitrogen. While they do like it, you don’t want crazy vines and no pods. If you are Growing Tropical, we also grow these in Black Sand. The only planting holes that don’t get them, it’s the Nitrogen thing, are the ones where we exclusively grow Root Crops. Those will not benefit from the extra Nitrogen. It will give them bushy green tops and no or small roots. However, the Beans and Peas will want it in their planting holes to grow big and strong.
We mix Compost with Yard Sand, Sandy Compost, for new beds or mix Compost directly into existing planting holes with a granular vegetable fertilizer and mix well. About halfway through the growing season, we mix an additional dose of the granular fertilizer to extend production. Because these produce throughout their growing season, you want to make sure they have the nutrients to do it. We get crazy good Beans and Peas.
Flowers
One of the best parts about Beans and Peas is the flowers. In fact, there are a crazy number of growers who only grow Beans and Peas for the flowers. Because they’re vines, smell good, come in a multitude of colors and are easy grows, they are a favorite in the garden. Yup, more of that magic thing. They’ll make Nitrogen and look good doing it.
Even if you don’t want Beans or Peas, you can plant them for the flowers and a richer bed next season. Many growers actively move these around the garden. We do. If I have an empty planting hole, I’ll drop a seed to enjoy the flowers and enrich the bed.
Harvest
Green Beans are harvested, uh, green. The younger, the more tender. Shellies need to dry on the vine. Some varieties are harvested all at the same time when the plant dies and pods dry-out. Others are Harvested when the pod dries on the still producing vine, like Lima Beans. These we Harvest as they dry and usually come in sets, meaning I end up cutting numerous pods together because they’ve all dried at the same time instead of single pods.
When the ‘Green Bean’ has plump firm Beans or Peas inside the pod, they are ready to Harvest. Don’t let them get to the bulge stage. Beans will grow longer if you leave them on the vine, some varieties of Peas too. However, you will start to lose tenderness the longer it grows. It’s best to Harvest young and often which will encourage more growth and flowers.
Cut pods at the little hard stem between the pod and plant. Use sharp snippers and hold both the pod and the plant when you make the cut. Tearing or pulling can damage other pods, buds or the stem, opening them up to bugs and disease. While it probably won’t kill the plant, it will rob you of food. Who wants that?
Growing Tropical
You absolutely can grow Beans if you are Growing Tropical. Vines love the Tropics for the most part. We even have a Wild Sweet Pea in the yard as a weed. Check the Zones. There are numerous varieties of Beans that will sing in your tropical garden. The Fall/Winter season with watering will even give you the cold loving Peas. Remember, full sun doesn’t mean baking it all day. Shading in the afternoon with 6 hours in the morning is perfect.
You will have to keep an eye out for Bacterial Blight and Septoria Brown Spot, however. Dang. The Blight hits the young leaves and the Spots the old ones. These are going to be particularly annoying in the winter when everything is cool and dry. I hit them with the Fungicide 3. The thing I like about this product is I don’t have to correctly identify something to treat it. I want nasty stuff dead and gone, it’s not a science project. Okay, yeah, I do get curious. There is research involved, but in the garden, I want something I can do right now to save the plant. The rest comes later.
How to Grow Common Beans and Peas
Beans and Peas are literally the quickest grows in Our Garden. They rarely die, and I’ve never treated any for bugs. Ever. I have squished a few beetles. If you’re looking to wind and harvest with pretty flowers, Bean and Peas will make a great addition to your garden this season.
