- This page is about Common, Green, String, Snap, or Dry Beans. For similar plants try Lima, Broad/Fava or Runner Beans, and the List of beans.
| Lifespan: | ⌛ | annual |
|---|---|---|
| Poisonous: | ☠ | raw dry bean has toxin |
| Exposure: | ☼ | full sun"full sun" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property. |
|---|---|---|
| Water: | ◍ | regular"regular" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property. |
| Features: | ✓ | edible |
| Sunset Zones: | [[Sunset zones::allsn]] |
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Fabaceae > |
vulgaris > |
Planted most widely, the common bean is also known as Green bean, Snap bean, String bean or Dry bean. They produce fleshy, tender pods which can be eaten fresh, while some varieties are also kept until the pods ripen and the beans can be collected and eaten fresh or dried and stored. Pods may be green, yellow (wax beans) or purple. The purple pods will turn green if cooked. Plants types are either smaller, self-supporting erect bush types, which produce sooner, or much taller pole types, which are vines that produce more over the course of the season, and need support.
Cultivation
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Water regularly, occasional deep watering is better than frequent light watering. The latter can contribute to mildew. When plants are actively growing, you can fertilize them, then again when pods start to grow. Depending on variety, pods will form after 50-70 days. Harvest every 5-7 days. Once pods are allow to mature, production stops.
Propagation
Plant seeds when the soil is warm, or indoors for a headstart, then set out when soil is warm. Plant an inch deep in full sun and good soil, which has been loosened a bit so the heavy seeds can emerge. Bush types can be planted 1-3 inches apart in rows which are 2-3 feet apart. Pole type planting depends on support system, but a wigwam of 3 or 4 8ft poles can have have 6-8 beans planted on each pole, and thinned to 4, as can single poles, 3 or 4 feet apart. Poles may be placed closer as well, just 1-2 feet apart, and seeds planted in rows as well, every 1-3 inches. You can also of course sow along a sunny wall, fence, or trellis and train the vines with light strings supported by wires or heavy twine. Water ground thoroughly before planting, and do not water again until seedlings emerge.
Pests and diseases
Mexican bean beetles, aphids, cucumber beetles, whiteflies, mildew.
Varieties
Snap or String beans
Most home gardeners raise beans for their pods, so these are the most commonly grown at homes, and have been bred for succulent, flavorful pods. 130 varieties are listed in Stephen Facciola's Cornucopia. Pods may be green, golden, purple, red, or streaked. Shapes range from thin "fillet" types to wide "romano" types and more common types in between. French Haricots verts (green beans) are bred for flavorful pods.
- Blue Lake (green)
- Golden Wax (golden)
- Purple King (purple)
- Dragon's Tongue (streaked)
- Red Swan (red)
Shell beans
Cornucopia lists 37 varieties of shell beans.
Flageolet bean varieties include:
- Chevrier (the original heirloom)
- Elsa
- Flambeau
- Flamingo
Borlotti beans are dried beans and are called by several names in North America. The bean is a medium large tan bean, splashed with red/black to magenta streaks. It is very popular in Italian and Portuguese cuisine.
The American cranberry bean or horticultural bean is quite similar if not the same as the Italian borlotti bean.[1] Pinto beans are not considered the same as borlotti beans.
- True Cranberry (old VT heirloom with a more round shape like a cranberry), traditional ingredient of succotash
Pinto or mottled beans
The pinto bean is a type of mottled bean. Young pods may also be used as green beans. Pinto bean varieties include:
- Sierra
- Burke
- Othello
- Maverick
Another popular mottled bean is the anasazi, from the Basque Country of northern Spain.
White beans
The small, white navy bean, also called pea bean or haricot, is popular in England, and traditionally the main bean of Anglo-America (including in the Boston baked beans).
Navy bean varieties include:
- Robust
- Rainy River
- Michelite
- Sanilac
Other white beans are Cannellini and Great Northern.
Red (kidney) beans
The dark red skinned kidney bean was named after its strong resemblance to the organ of the same name, and is also known as the red bean, which may cause confusion with other red beans. Small red beans are noticeably smaller and darker than kidney beans, with a smoother taste.
Black beans
The small, shiny black turtle bean is especially popular in Latin American cuisine. It is often called simply the black bean, although this can cause confusion with other black beans.
The black turtle bean has a dense, meaty texture, with the flavor giving a hint of mushroom. It is a very popular bean, served in almost all Latin America.
Black turtle bean varieties include:
- Domino
- Black Magic
- Blackhawk
- Nighthawk
Pink beans
Pink beans are pale pink colored, small oval-shaped beans (Habichuelas Rosadas[1] in Spanish). Best known is the Santa Maria pinquito (spanglish = pink & small(ito).
Yellow beans
Include:
- Sinaloa Azufrado
- Sulphur
- Mayocoba
- Peruano
Gallery
If you have a photo of this plant, please upload it! Plus, there may be other photos available for you to add.
Diversity in dry common beans
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See also
References
- Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608
External links
- w:Common bean. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Common bean QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)