Bean Plant

Facts about Bean plant. "Scientific name for common Bean plant Phaseolus vulgaris". This article will discuss the bean plant. This is a bit of a misnomer as there are many types of beans, each with varying characteristics and taste profiles. Having said that there are many similarities between the different types of beans and this article will highlight some of these factors as well as how beans are grown and benefits from growing them.

Beans are botanically known as legumes and there are three major types that are grown. Snap beans (formerly known as string beans) are eaten pod and all and have traditionally had a string that was removed because of its toughness. Geneticists have removed the toughness of the string with hybrid varieties and the name string beans is a misnomer now. Shell beans are removed from their shells and eaten in that manner and drying beans are first dried and then resuscitated later on with water to make them consumable.

Each of these bean types can be pole or bush beans. Pole beans need supports when they are grown and a pole or trellis is the most common solution to this. Bush beans are smaller and more compact and don't need additional supports though they are significantly less productive than pole beans. Both pole and bush beans are healthy and nutritious as they have low fat and calories but abundant amounts of fiber and protein.

Beans are warm weather plants and are very susceptible to frost and cold temperatures. The one exception to this is fava beans which can tolerate frost. Other than this condition which requires planting well after the risk of frost is over, beans are very easy to care for and have very abundant harvests. Pole beans tend to be more productive than bush beans though.

One of the benefits of growing beans beyond their high nutritional content and good flavor is the way they fix nitrogen to the soil. Fixing nitrogen means adding nitrogen to the soil which makes it easier to grow other vegetables from the soil. Most plants pull nitrogen out of the soil while beans add it which make them a great way to rotate crops and improve your yield.

Snap beans are best consumed when they are young and first grow to adult size. Shell and drying beans are good to select when their color changes and they are ripe. Simply pick and cook for their best flavor. Beans are a great addition to any garden and easy to care for.
Fully grown Bean plants start producing flowers which will get fertilized. After they are fertilized, the flowers will become dry and drop off the plant. The ovaries of these flowers grow and produce seed pods.