Exploring the Magic of Growing Beans

Pole Beans * Semi-Runner Beans * Runner Beans * Bush Beans

Lima Beans * Fava Beans * Cowpeas * Garbanzo Beans

Why do we choose to grow the plants that we do? Do we enjoy the taste, flavors, smells or the hues of lushness that they produce? Is it us who chooses them or they who choose us? For these few reasons and also a bunch more that were not mentioned I have been fascinated with the growing of beans, the magical fruit! With great variation in growth habits shape, color, size variation, and abundance in yield potential. The magic beans have the ability to feed people and nourish the soil from which they grow.

Pole Beans

Legumes are known to fix Nitrogen. The first picture is a look at Nitrogen converted to a plant-useable form of NO3-. These small round nodules are ready to be used by the rhizosphere as a benefit to the next cycle of life.

Runner Beans

My story and general fascination with beans starts with the unique history as to where the beans came from, and what dishes they best complement. This goes a long way to simplify as each bean has a distinct flavor and growth profile. Upon embarking on my journey with beans, it hadn’t crossed my mind that there was this much to it, and I was wrong. There is an entire sub-group of bean cultivation. I have found a new gardening specialty within a specialty.

Semi Runner Beans

Along my journey, I encountered Russel Crow, and his efforts with heirloom variety of beans, a magical bean collectors window. His work to educate and make hundreds of varieties of just beans available is remarkable. The following is the ongoing progress of my collection of beans and my efforts to save seeds and generations of beans that came before me.

Bush Bean Trials

Dana’s Soldier Beans

In the ’24 growing season, I decided to trial 10 varieties of bush beans. The beans came from various producers all over the US and had similar growth habits and dates to maturity. The goal was to find a bean that grew well in my sandy loam soil, was productive and healthy, and would adapt to my climate. More importantly, it would be planted around June 1st, hoping its life cycle would be complete before the first frost.

From the beginning, there were standouts in terms of germination, growth, and overall vigor. I tried my best to provide similar conditions and watering to every row of 10+ feet. Another goal for this project was to grow a bean that dried on the vine and provided viable seeds for another growing season.

The following pictures are results from the 2024 season.

Dana’s Soldier – Russel Crowe
Antigua – High Mowing Seeds
Hopi Purple String – High Desert Seed Company
Red Swan – Baker Creek
Painted Pony – MI Gardnener
Kebarka – Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Flambo – Johnny’s Select Seeds
Tiger Eye – Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
Vermont Cranberry Shelling – Urban Farmer
Bush Bean trial rows – 2024 Season
Royal Burgundy Snap Beans – Johnny’s Select Seeds

Seed Saving and Bean Exchanging

While exploring the magic of cultivating beans, I met and traded seeds with some amazing people who had great stories about what, where, and why they continue to grow their seeds. I find these unique stories to be fascinating.

If you are interested in trading seeds: