Beans, which come from the tropics of Latin America, have taken root and bear fruit in regions with a cold climate and short summers. A representative of legumes that forms a bush or climbs like a colorful morning glory, for a long time in Russia it played the role of an ornamental plant, decorated courtyards and houses, and only 2 centuries after its appearance began to be cultivated as a vegetable crop. The maximum benefit comes from gardeners who know when to plant beans outdoors. If the date for sowing is chosen incorrectly, the heat-loving plant often freezes, or the fruits do not have time to ripen.
Conditions for growing beans
A tropical representative of the legume family has become widespread in Europe, is cultivated in Asia, and in Russia it grows in the south and in some northern regions, where it requires propagation of seedlings. Since plants freeze out during slight frosts, beans are sown in open ground when the soil is heated in the upper layer to 12°, and insulated with agrofibre or spunbond when it gets colder.
When growing seedlings, the room temperature is maintained at 20–25°. The substrate in containers with seedlings is irrigated with a spray bottle before the entrances appear; when the sprouts hatch, the seedlings are moistened at the root. In open ground, water is poured once a week between the rows of beans; the amount of irrigation is increased with the beginning of flowering.
In the absence of rain for a long time, seedlings growing in the garden are sprayed and ventilated, and the soil under the bushes is loosened. With sufficient nutrition, the leaves of beans are green and juicy, but with a lack of microelements, they turn yellow and crumble. To replenish the components required for the development of seedlings in open ground, 25 g of a mineral mixture is dissolved in 10 liters of water, which contains:
- potassium;
- magnesium;
- phosphorus.
Young bushes are watered with the prepared product and sprayed with a liquid composition, which is obtained by diluting a glass of wood ash in a bucket of water. Until mid-June in the northern regions and the middle zone, it is recommended to cover plantings with lutrasil, which protects heat-loving plants from freezing during frosts, which are not uncommon even at the end of May.
Why are beans sprouted?
Bean seeds contain harmful phytic acid. It acts as an inhibitor of food enzymes. As a result of germination, this substance loses its properties. Then the seeds are freed from this useless element, and the human body more fully assimilates the valuable substances hidden in them.
When bean seeds germinate, complex plant proteins are quickly converted into amino acids with a simple structure. As a result of consuming such a product, the digestion process is faster and easier. The body does not experience heaviness in the stomach, and gases do not form in the intestines.
If legume sprouts are germinated for further growing plants, their vitamin content increases. The product is enriched with rutin, tocopherol, vitamins K and D. The concentration of vitamins from group B also increases. At the same time, the content of vitamin E increases almost 10 times. Also, germination of seeds provokes the growth of enzymes. According to some studies, their number increases 100 times. Therefore, such preliminary preparation of seeds facilitates the digestion of products.
Sprouted beans have a different nutritional value. Compared to seeds that have not undergone pre-treatment, the amount of protein in sprouts increases by a third and the carbohydrate content decreases by 15%.
On a note! Seed germination is often used for interesting experiments at school.
Not all varieties of bean sprouts are suitable for eating.
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Some of them contain toxic substances that can cause poisoning. They are destroyed only during heat treatment.
It is allowed to eat sprouts from the following varieties of beans:
- black;
- azuki;
- pinto;
- mung bean;
- mung.
When buying bean sprouts in a store or market, you cannot eat them raw. Such sprouts must be subjected to heat treatment. Seeds are germinated in a warm and humid environment, which is favorable for the development of dangerous microflora.
Place to plant beans
The tropical guest is easily accepted and actively develops in an area illuminated by the sun throughout the day; legumes feel comfortable on the southern slopes, sheltered from the wind. If wet places in the lowlands are used for planting beans, high beds are arranged. In areas where shade falls, when placed under trees, the plant stems stretch and an ovary does not form.
Summer residents plant climbing beans in one row along low fences and decorative fences, which the plant beautifully entwines and produces a harvest. It is not recommended to place a crop in one place for 3 or 2 years in a row.
Soil for planting beans
A representative of the Legume family grows on sandy soils, on loams, and not only in black soil, but prefers fertile soil, permeable to air with an acidity not higher than 7 pH.
What types of beans are there?
If you grow beans in order to obtain the best possible harvest of valuable and tasty green young pods or dry beans for the winter, then you should treat them the same as any other vegetable in the garden, following a planting pattern and taking good care of it.
And beans can surprise with completely different functions and still bring, albeit a modest, harvest. This is a wonderful alternative to green manure and “cropless” plants for filling residual areas, as yet undeveloped areas and beds that cannot be properly cultivated.
Beans can become an alternative to inedible green manure legumes for small and large areas, performing the same functions - restoring the soil, enriching it with nitrogen and improving its structure. And it can do with minimal or no care and still produce a harvest! As a “filler” and “lifesaver,” beans can be planted independently or combined with any other green manure.
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Select the type of bean according to its purpose and planting area immediately. It is very diverse in growth type and harvest characteristics, and the goal will immediately tell you what to choose.
If beans are grown specifically for the sake of harvest , you can choose the type according to your needs:
- asparagus beans, or vegetable beans, are varieties of common sugar beans (in some, the hard layer and fibers in the pods are completely absent, in others they form gradually and, provided that the harvest is timely, are almost not felt). There are climbing and bush, regular and long-podded, variously colored (yellow, green, purple) hybrids and varieties that delight with texture and taste.
- classic grain, or hulled beans , which are grown until the grains are fully ripe, dried and used throughout the winter. The young pods can be eaten like asparagus, and the grains can be harvested even when young, not just when fully ripe. White, red, black, variegated, fine-grained, giant, flat, spherical, for salads or purees...
It is worth paying attention to the growth form of the bushes, because climbing and powerful ones will need supports. And if you don’t have the time or desire to “play”, it’s better to immediately choose only compact bush varieties.
If you use beans as a filler crop , then you should choose exclusively classic grain varieties:
- ground cover or climbing type , if you need to reduce soil care to a minimum and there is no way to even weed out;
- bush type , if you plan to cultivate the rows, mulch, or combine beans with green manure.
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The best varieties of beans for open ground
Beans can be grown not only for the sake of the bean harvest, but also as a green manure or filler plant for empty areas
When can you plant beans?
Spring weather does not always arrive at the same time; it is often accompanied by cold weather, and in order to determine the optimal timing for planting beans in open ground, the climate of the area and the likelihood of frost returning are taken into account.
By region
Vegetable growers in the southern regions, where summer weather lasts up to 5-6 months a year, there are many sunny days, know how to plant beans in open ground in order to harvest 2 crops during the growing season, and sowing begins in mid-April.
Legume seeds germinate in the ground when it heats up to 10 degrees at a depth of at least 5 cm, which is observed in the Moscow region, Kursk and Vologda regions after May 15, in the Far East, in Siberia - after the 20th.
To determine the timing of planting beans in open ground, the time during which seedlings appear and the soil temperature are taken into account; how to measure it correctly is not difficult for gardeners. Since the seeds germinate in a week, it means that planting beans in open ground for the Moscow region can begin in the second half of May - in the Urals, Siberia - from the first days of June.
According to the lunar calendar in 2022
The location of the Earth's satellite, which moves through 4 phases, affects the development of plants. Seeds for bean seedlings, with the help of which the crop is cultivated in open areas in mid-latitudes and northern regions, are sown in April. In 2022, this month the waxing Moon begins on the 2nd and continues until the 15th.
According to the calendar, favorable days for sowing beans for seedlings fall on April 3–7, when the Earth's satellite is patronized by Taurus and Gemini, and the best dates for planting seeds are the 8th and 9th, when the Moon is in the constellation of fertile Cancer, unfavorable 12th, 27th .
In 2022, the best days for sowing beans in open ground and for seedlings are in May: 5–7; 15–16; 31.
In Siberia, in the northern regions, in the Far East, where the threat of frost remains until the beginning of June, according to the lunar calendar, the best dates for sending seedlings of early ripening varieties to the garden are the 1st–3rd, when the Earth’s satellite, which is in the growing phase, is patronized by Cancer. You cannot sow seeds on May 11-15.
Favorable days for planting are June 11 and 12; on these dates the Moon is in Scorpio, with fertility second only to Cancer, but the fruits often do not have time to ripen.
Rules and technology for planting seeds in spring
Even beginners can grow beans and wait for the harvest; for this it is not necessary to study to become an agronomist; it is enough to correctly determine the sowing time and follow the care recommendations.
How to prepare bean seeds for planting in spring
When growing legumes in open areas in regions where time is spent on growing seedlings, to improve germination, the grains are kept in warm water for 12 hours. Before sowing, the seeds are dipped into a solution for 20 minutes, to prepare which 2 g of boric acid is poured into a bucket of water.
Another method is also suitable for germinating beans, which are planted with seeds in the spring. The grains are wrapped in a piece of natural fabric, which is moistened with warm water and care is taken to keep the material wet.
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