Bean is the name of the seeds and pods of several related plants in the pea family. Certain kinds of beans rank among the most nourishing vegetables eaten by human beings. They yield a valuable source of protein and vitamins. People also use beans for a wide variety of other purposes. One kind of bean, the soybean, is particularly useful. Oil from the soybean provides a popular kind of cooking oil. After the oil is extracted, the remainder of the seed, which is rich in protein, may serve as feed for cattle and other animals. People can make hundreds of products from soybeans, including ice cream, tofu, and artificial meat. Soybeans may even be used to make plastic bags that are biodegradable—that is, bags that can be broken down by nature after they are thrown away.
Some bean plants are low and bushy, while others are climbing vines. They have compound leaves, each of which consists of three leaflets. Their flowers resemble those of sweet peas. The large, smooth seeds grow in pods divided lengthwise into two halves. When the beans are ripe, the pods split open at the edges. Climbing beans climb by the twining action of their main stalks around poles, strings, or the stems and branches of other plants. This way of climbing differs from that used by pea plants. Pea plants cling to their support with curling green threads at the ends of their leaves.
Kinds of beans.
People cultivate many kinds of beans throughout the world. In the United States and Canada, the most important kinds are varieties of the kidney bean. They were first cultivated by the Indians of South and Central America. Kidney bean varieties include the red kidney beans, the mottled pinto beans, and the white navy beans. Navy beans are used for Boston baked beans. They are often eaten after they have become fully ripe, when they are called dry beans.
Other varieties of kidney beans include green shell beans. They are picked when full-grown, but before they have ripened and turned hard. The kinds of beans called stringless beans or snap beans are picked at a still younger stage. People eat both the half-formed seeds and the juicy pods of stringless beans. Some kinds of stringless beans have green pods. Other kinds have yellow pods and are called wax beans. Loading the player...
People picking bean pods
Kidney beans of all varieties have much greater food value than most other kinds of vegetables. Dry beans provide rich sources of proteins and carbohydrates and may be eaten as a substitute for meat. Green shell beans contain large amounts of both proteins and vitamins. Stringless beans are a fairly good source of energy and are rich in vitamins A, B, and C.
Two important beans that are not varieties of the kidney bean are the lima bean and the mung bean. The large, flat lima bean has white or green coloring. It is eaten either dried or fresh. The mung bean has sprouted seeds that are eaten as a cooked vegetable or raw in salads. See Lima bean .
Some climbing beans first found in the tropics are now grown in northern gardens for their beauty. One is the scarlet runner bean, with large, bright-red flowers and seeds speckled with red-and-black spots. Another is the hyacinth bean, which has purple flowers and handsome purplish-red seed pods.
How beans grow.
Stringless bush snap beans are among the most satisfactory vegetables to grow in the home garden. Within 55 days after planting, they yield a large crop for the amount of space they require. Pole snap beans and green shell beans usually require longer than this. To have fresh beans all through the season, the home gardener should make several plantings of beans 10 to 14 days apart. Stringless beans of both the bush and pole varieties should be planted in early spring, as soon as frost is gone and the ground is warm. If it is cold, the seeds may decay. Seeds should be planted 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) deep. Pole beans are usually planted in groups of from 4 to 6 seeds. These groups of seeds are called “hills.” Bush beans should be arranged in rows 2 to 3 feet (61 to 91 centimeters) apart, with the plants about 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) apart in the row. Commercial plantings of bush snap beans are harvested mechanically. Dry beans and stringless snap beans are also harvested mechanically.
Pests and diseases.
Mexican bean beetles, aphids, and leafhoppers rank among the worst insect enemies of beans. They can be controlled with chemicals called insecticides. Beans also may be harmed by anthracnose, a fungal disease. Treating them with a chemical called a fungicide will prevent this disease.
