Cropedia:String Beans

From UBC Wiki

String Beans (Bush and Pole Beans)

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Pictures were taken from http://www.veseys.com/us/en/store/vegetables/beans/polebeans/kentuckyblue and http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpchen/4854905038/

Pole beans: Kentucky Blue (left) and Bush Beans: Kentucky Wonder (right)


Years grown at UBC Farm/LFSOG: not available (currently grown at UBC farm)

  • The distinction between pole and bush types is its indeterminate growth habit (i.e. stems elongate indefinitely). In comparison, pole beans bear for a longer time and may produce larger pods. Pole beans’ ability to climb is attributed to their sinuous, twining stems. Tendrils or tendril leaves is one characteristic that distinguishes beans from peas.


Pole Beans

  • Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco
  • Corona d'Oro
  • Emerite
  • Kwintus
  • Musica
  • Romano
  • Trionfo Violetto
  • Kentucky Blue


Bush Beans

  • Annabel
  • Bush Blue Lake
  • Chevrier Vert
  • Masai
  • Purple Queen
  • Royal Burgundy
  • Royalty
  • Sprite
  • Nickel
  • Festiva
  • Burpee's Tenderpod
  • Kentucky Wonder


Growing conditions

Growing

  • The plants need a pH of 6.5-7.0; lime acid soils if necessary. Rake the soil to a medium tilth about 10-14 days before sowing, incorporating a balanced granular fertilizer a 1-2 oz./sq. yd.
  • Keep crops weed-free or mulch when the soil is moist. Hill up round the base of the stems for added support and push twigs under mature bush varieties to keep pods off the soil, or support plants with pea sticks.
  • Keep well watered during drought; plants are particularly sensitive to water stress when the flowers start to open and as pods swell. Apply 3-4 gallons/sq. yd. per week.
  • Bush beans begin producing before pole beans and often come in all at once. Staggered planting, every 2 weeks, will keep your bush beans going longer.
  • Pole beans need time to grow their vines, before they start setting beans. The pole bean crop will continue to produce for a month or two.
  • Plant bush beans in either rows or blocks, with 4-6 inches between each seed. Plant the seeds 1-2 inches deep and be sure to water the soil immediately and regularly, until it sprouts.
  • Pole beans need richer soil than bush snap beans. When sown singly in rows, seeds are usually placed 4-6 inches apart. Pole beans need support to climb counter-clockwise whether it be wire trellis, fence, bark, stubs, or poles. When wire trellis or fence is used for support, the spacing should be 1 foot between plants. Three poles can be placed in tepee formation; 3 feet apart each way with 4-6 seeds planted near foot of each pole. Alternatively, 3x3 inch 3 feet poles can be set 1.5 feet in the ground and spaced 10 feet apart in a row.

Maintenance

  • Spring: Sow early crops under cover or outdoors in late spring. Support climbers. Transplant when 2-3 inches tall.
  • Summer: Keep crops weed-free, mulch, water in drought. Harvest regularly
  • Fall: Continue harvesting until the first frosts. Protect later crops with cloches or frost fabric.
  • Winter: Prepare the soil for the following year's crop.

Harvesting

  • Plants are self-pollinating, so expect a good harvest. Pick when pods are about 4 inches long, when they snap easily, before the seeds are visible. Pick regularly for maximum yields. Cut them with a pair of scissors or hold the stems as you pull the pods to avoid uprooting the plant.
  • For dried or haricot beans, leave pods until they mature, sever the plant at the base, and dry indoors. When pods begin to split, shell the beans and dry on paper for several days.
  • Bush beans take 50-55 days to harvest while pole beans take 50-60 days.

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container. String beans freeze well. Wash and trim young pods, blanch for 3 minutes, and freeze in plastic bags or rigid containers. You should consume within 12 months. They keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week and last about 4 days in a cool kitchen.

Seasonality

  • String beans flourish in a sheltered, sunny site on a light, free-draining, fertile soil where organic matter was added for the previous crop. Alternatively, dig in plenty of well-rotted organic matter in late fall or winter before planting. String beans dislike cold wet soils and are inclined to rot. Sow successionally from mid spring to early summer.


Nutritional Information

  • Beans are an excellent source of protein, iron and B vitamins. They also contain significant amounts of soluble fibre.
Nutrition Facts/Valeur Nutritive
Serving Size: 250mL (116g)
Amount Per Serving %Daily Value*
Calories 36
Total Fat 0.1g 0%
   Saturated Fat 0g 0%
   Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 5mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
   Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
   Sugars 2g
Protein 2g
Vitamine A 4%
Vitamine C 30%
Calcium 4%
Iron 8%
* % Daily value based on a 2000 calorie diet


Nutrient data from the Canadian Nutrient File

Recipes

Bean and Fennel Salad Ingredients and Methods at http://gardening.about.com/od/recipes/r/BeanFennelSalad.htm

Blackened Green Beans Ingredients and Methods at http://gardening.about.com/od/recipes/r/BlackenedBeans.htm

Sweet and Sour Green Beans Ingredients and Methods at http://www.greenbeansnmore.com/recipe-l.html

Sesame and Portobello Green Beans Ingredients and Methods at http://www.greenbeansnmore.com/recipe-c.html

Green Beans, Cilantro and Soy-Glazed Almonds Ingredients and Methods at http://www.greenbeansnmore.com/greenbeansaladsoyalmondscilantro.html


Additional usage inventory

  • Some farmers who grow beans also grow grains (wheat, barley, millet, rice and corn). Beans and grains have a symbiotic relationship in which the amino acids of each complement one another in such way as to form a complete protein, which is the foundation for the growth and development of many life forms, including humans. Some examples include lentils and rice, Lima beans and corn, and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and couscous.


Academic connections

Information not available


References

Biggs, M., McVicar, J., & Flowerdew, B. (2006). Vegetables, herbs, and fruit: An illustrated encyclopedia. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books

Health Canada. (2008). Canadian Nutrient File (CNF). Retrieved from http://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/cnf-fce/index-eng.jsp

West Coast Seeds. (2010). How to grow beans pole. Retrieved from http://www.westcoastseeds.com/how-to-grow/Vegetable-Seeds/Beans-Pole/

Additional notes

  • In the Pacific Northwest, chief production area, pole bean yield can be as high as 10 tons per acre. *
  • One cup of beans a day is said to lower cholesterol by about 12%.
  • The Native Americans demonstrated the mixed cultivation of beans, corn and squash (also known as the 'three sisters'