Beans amaze summer residents with a variety of varieties, species and varieties. It is not difficult to grow a plant on the site, but it is difficult to choose the right place, care for it and harvest. This and much more will be discussed in this article.
Bean Origin and Distribution Area
For the first time, culture appeared before our era. Homeland - South and Central America, historians and breeders claim that accurate information leads us to 5000 BC.
The culture was transported to the territory of Russia in the 16th century, it was used as a decoration for a plot or a house. Since the 18th century, it has thoroughly taken a leading place in the kitchen, delighting cooks and owners with a large number of delicious dishes.
The best varieties and types of beans for growing
There are a huge number of plant varieties; ordinary beans are more popular in Russia. It can also be curly, semi-curly and bushy. In the Russian Federation, types of bush beans are in demand, they quickly bring crops, and do not need special care.
The color of the beans can also be different, the most common are white, red, purple and black. The plant is divided depending on the valves into:
- Sugar. The name of the people is asparagus. It appeared because its unripe pods are tender, like asparagus shoots. Suitable for food are shoulder blades - pods with undeveloped beans. It is impossible to open the leaves of this type of bean in order to get the fruits.
- Semi-sugar. They get rude for a very long time. In the beginning, you can use it like sugar, and then collect the finished beans.
- Shelling. Planted to collect beans.
If you plan to grow beans on the balcony, then excellent varieties will be:
- Caramel. For 60 days brings pods of sweet taste. The variety is highly immune to many diseases.
- Oil king. The beans can be harvested 40-50 days after planting. The pods are tubules, 0.25 m long. Delicate and tasty, suitable for harvesting and fresh consumption.
- Sachs 615. The length is about 0.4 m. The pods are tubules, the length is 0.12 m. They contain useful elements that benefit the human body.
beans grade "Caramel"
beans grade "Oil King"
beans grade "Saksa 615"
Planting beans
The planting algorithm for any variety of beans has no differences. Two techniques are used:
- Directly into the ground.
- Using seedlings.
The first option is the best, almost all summer residents use it.
Landing dates
One good clarification will help to decide when to plant a plant in open soil - by the time of sowing, the soil should warm up to +15 degrees Celsius. If you cannot measure this indicator, then focus on the flowering of dandelions.
If you want to get asparagus beans all summer season, then plant the plant in several approaches with an interval of 14 days.
Seed preparation
Almost all beans have a hard peel, so the seeds germinate for a very long time. You cannot soak them before sowing - in cold water, the seed will rot.
Experienced gardeners recommend doing this: the seed is placed in a small plate, poured with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The liquid temperature should not be less than 70 degrees. After the event, the material is immediately planted in open ground or on seedlings, the liquid is poured into the soil.
Another option for seed treatment: dilute a weak solution of potassium permanganate, the water temperature is about 65 degrees. The soil is poured with liquid and the treated seed is planted in it.
Bean selection
All varieties of culture cannot grow and develop without a lot of sunlight. In the shadows, culture will die. During cultivation, partial shade can be allowed for a couple of hours a day - no more. The area, blown by winds and drafts, is not suitable for growing any kind of beans.
Lowlands are not suitable either, where water does not leave for a very long time or fog falls in the morning. A good option is to grow a crop in open land in a sunny area, closed by a fence or hedge in the form of plants. The soil should be loose and well-drained. Better to stop the choice on sandstone and loam.
If the soil is heavy, then it is improved by adding sand, peat crumbs and sawdust.
As for crop rotation, the previous crops for planting beans can be a variety of plants, except for legumes. Beans can only be planted on the same site after 4 years.
The beans are self-pollinated, so you don't need to plant additional crops nearby. Or, on the contrary, you can plant different varieties and species side by side, there will be no cross-pollination.
Growing this plant enriches the soil with nitrogen, since all legumes contain green manure. If you want to restore the land - plant the beans.
As soon as the harvesting time comes, it is not necessary to pull out the whole crop, it is enough to cut off the aboveground part, the rhizome is stored in the soil as a natural fertilizer.
Soil preparation
The soil must be breathable and moisture permeable so that the water can quickly go away. Heavy soil is not suitable, in order to change its composition, the soil should be diluted with a lot of organic material. Acidity - neutral (indicator 6.0-7.0). If it is high, then add lime.
High-quality soil consists not only of earth, but also of compost and manure. Any of these natural fertilizers will reduce the density of the soil, and also add a large amount of nutrient components to the composition.
You can improve the land by mixing these two dressings with a shovel or small rake a couple of weeks before planting the plants. Do not refuse to intervene in the soil powder modifier - this is a natural beneficial type of bacteria that simplifies the processing of nitrogen by the plant in the early stages of development.
Sowing beans
Wait until the last frost has passed. The culture needs warmth and sufficient humidity to grow rapidly. Land in the spring time, as soon as you realize that there will be no cold days.
The soil temperature should not fall below +15 degrees Celsius, ideally the indicator is from +20 to +27 degrees Celsius. The air temperature throughout the entire period of development and cultivation of beans should be from +18 to +27 degrees.
If a frosty day still decided to visit your region, then cover the seedlings of the plant with a small amount of cloth or foil to protect the beans from frost and winds. Plant the seed to a depth of 3-4 cm.
Summer residents prefer to plant plants at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other. This is acceptable, but only at the first stage. As soon as the seedlings grow to 7-8 cm - thin them. Remove weak seedlings, leave strong ones.
Some varieties of plants need to be sown from each other at a distance of 0.1 m, these species are mainly curly varieties. Compact species grow well if between them 0.2 m distance. In any case, it should be based on the type of beans and the area of the site that you can allocate for growing crops.
The seed will germinate in the soil in about 2 weeks, it all depends on the care and climate.
Watch the video on planting beans in open ground:
Crop care
Beans without proper care will not grow and please you with a rich harvest. Care consists of regular watering, fertilization, disease control, weeding and loosening of the soil.
Watering
Water only when the soil is dry. Too wet soil is contraindicated in the plant; the root system of the culture is instantly damaged in it.
Before watering, the gardener must be sure that the area is completely dry. Watering is carried out 3-4 cm into the ground, it is quite simple to check this: easily press your finger into the ground and you will feel the moisture level.
Top dressing
Use small amounts of nitrogen fertilizer. Of course, nitrogen fertilizing will make the culture deciduous, but they will do more harm to the plants than good. Beans will begin to actively grow foliage, and the formation of beans will be left without the necessary attention. It is effective to apply these top dressings if the purpose of growing the crop is to create a decorative plant, and not to obtain a crop.
If the beans do not grow well and the appearance of the plant shows that it needs help, then use organic fertilizing with a minimum nitrogen content.
Soil loosening
The bean root system is very small and vulnerable, it is easy to damage it, especially when loosening the soil. When you remove weeds, do it as carefully as possible. The grass can be pulled out by hand, for this you should not use a chopper or a shovel.
You can use a mulch layer around the crop, it will prevent weeds from appearing, and this method keeps the moisture level normal. The pods of the plant will be protected from decay after they begin to touch the soil. Read more about soil mulching here.
Bean Garter
Pay attention to the fact that not all types of culture need support. Many varieties are bushy, but if you opted for a climbing option, then you can’t do without a garter. This variety develops vertically, so supports will be needed to fix the beans.
You may not use supports for climbing crops, however, such an act can completely deprive you of your harvest.
Protection against diseases and pests
Garden pests target the crop, and it is also vulnerable to certain diseases. If a gardener is faced with ailments of beans, then special sprayers and chemicals cannot be dispensed with.
- Mosaic... It is a viral infection. Young seedlings stop in development, acquire an uncharacteristic shape for legumes, become covered with yellow fading spots. As the disease grows, they become colorless. In adult plants, the leaves wrinkle, become curly. This may happen - the virus attacked only the foliage, it did not affect the fruits in any way.
Get rid of aphids (she is a carrier of the disease)! Select only strong seeds as seed. Remove all infected areas and spray the plant with Bordeaux liquid.
- White and gray bean rot... The source of the disease is spores of fungi. Infected areas turn white, resembling cotton wool scraps. The carrier is aphids.
Spray the plants with Bordeaux liquid (1%). Build strong immunity in beans with the help of phosphorus and potassium supplements. - Anthracnose... Beans attack during the growing season, all aerial parts are under attack. The disease brings a big blow at the moment of formation of seedlings and fruits. On foliage and beans, brown spots appear, slightly flattened, with a dark border around them. They cover the entire fruit, making it unusable. Seed in such beans does not appear. The source of the disease is a sharp change in weather and thickening of crops.
After the formation of seedlings, the plants are treated with Energen at the rate of 10 drops of the drug per 1 liter of water. 1 liter of such a solution is spent per 10 square meters. m. You can also use the substance "Bud": 1 liter of water and 2 g of the drug. - Root rot... This ailment can be of two origins: fungal and bacterial. The greatest harm is done to young plants and seedlings; without proper treatment, the plant simply dies. The disease develops more actively during rains. A white or purple layer with thick pads appears on the root system. Plants cease to receive nutrition from the soil, the affected tissues become darker.
Fighting root rot: spraying with Bordeaux fluid (1%). - Powdery mildew... The disease lasts until the end of the growing season, until it completely destroys the plant. The first symptoms can be observed on the stems: it seems as if they were sprinkled with flour. The more this plaque, the faster the disease destroys the plant.
An immediate spraying of the beans with a suspension of colloidal sulfur (1%) is required. Infected plants are pollinated with ground sulfur.
Bean mosaic
White and gray bean rot
Bean anthracnose
Root rot
Powdery mildew on beans
Harvesting and storage
At the end of the season, the entire crop should be collected. Bush varieties are harvested once a season at the end of the growing season; you cannot leave the beans for harvesting “on another day or time”. Climbing crops are harvested a couple of times per season, at the end of the growing season the harvest will be the largest.
Tips from experienced gardeners for collecting and storing legumes:
- The ripening period of the beans depends on the type of plant - it is from 3 to 5 months.
- Curly species give a crop on an ongoing basis for a couple of months, they can not be called disposable.
- Ripe plant pods are dry, beans in the middle are solid.
- Test a few pods before harvesting - bite gently. If there is a characteristic mark on the beans, then the fruit is not yet ready for collection, you will have to wait a little longer.
- If the climatic conditions decide to play a cruel joke with you, then pluck the unripe plants, they can be allowed to dry after, and the fruits will reach.
- Drying the crop is a must, if you cannot do this in the sun, take the beans indoors and dry them there.
- Pluck the beans, hang the plants with the root system down and store them in this position for about 2-3 days. Sometimes this period lasts 2-3 weeks. You can only remove it when the pods are dry and the beans inside become hard.
- Almost all foliage should be dry before harvest.
- Keep the beans in a warm, well-ventilated area while drying the crop.
Once you have plucked the pods, you need to remove the beans from the inside, they should be firm and dry. If you have a small crop, then you can collect it yourself, but if the number of plants is huge, then you can use the batch method:
- Put the pods in a bag or something similar.
- Gently push the pods through this package.
- When done, detaching the pods and the beans will not be that difficult.
Beans can only be stored for a long time in a dry room.
Place the dried crop in a jar and place in a dry place. Beans in this form can lie up to 12 months, but it all depends on the correct care. Beans can also be folded into airtight bags.
This plant is very nutritious and tasty. It is not difficult to plant beans, but it is difficult to provide full-fledged care. Sprouted pods can be used to make unusual savory dishes.