In costa rica i had red kidney beans planted on my farm, left them out drying and once harvested, i had a huge tarp laid out the pods in the tarp with the sides and corners hanging on trees thus allowing us to whack the pods with a bamboo cane and watch the beans just shoot out. Quite the site!!! And then we made a nice 9x4 wood frame with mesh net, hung it on the tree where the wind hit most and literally after sweeping all the shattered pods with beans into buckets we just "poured" it onto the mesh and the wind took most the fine materials etc and kust screened the beans...buckets full of kidney beans!!! Harvested soo much, i sold to all of the local mom/pop and medium size restaurants in our town and 3 neighboring towns! The locals were shocked how the "gringo" planted dry beans and made a killing with the harvest!! Good times!!
I would so love to try this! You don’t happen to have any videos on it, do you? It’s easier for me to learn by watching it done than reading it in a paragraph.
Dude you just made this easy for me to understand. I’ve been sitting here watching videos on how to harvest them and confused worrying I’m late and my plants are dying. Simple. To the point. Love it. Thank you!
Most other growing/garden videoes i see, I skip ahead to skip all the boring intros and waste of time in the start, I didn't have to skip anything you jumped right into what the video is about and starting giving good info instantly, great video, liked the way you jumped right into it. subed and liked.
Hey! Thanks for the video! Much appreciated! Sitting here shucking purple bush beans! In this case you're preaching to the choir! Keep doing what you're doing.
Loved the video! Thanks for all the great advice! I'd imagine a super easy way of shucking the beans would be: -Once they're dried, put them all in a big pillowcase or tote bag. - Smash the on the ground a bunch of times, then dump them into a wide and shallow basket. - Quickly pick out and discard the shells. - Then with a leaf blower or hairdryer, blow off all the tiny broken bits of shell. Should be left with nothing but perfectly dried beans ready for storage! :)
Hi Stace; Besides generous, easy to grow, soil fertilizer with its own straw... beans are a SUPER DELICIOUS ! Super healthy, nothing to do with fried food; Its one of the basic food for many countries, like Brazil. I am surprised that beans grows so easy in canadian latitudes, where I guess you are in. Thanks for spreading this culture. oscar, from brazil;
Thank you because this my first time doing a garden and I. so proud but it's funny how you said planting beans is good for beginners that was the first thing I planted but I put and seeds in one hole there beautiful I just pray I'm doing right thank so much again
Hi Stace I grow dry beans in my garden too. I grow the bird egg blues a bush variety, and purple florelle which is a pole variety. I LOVE relaxing on the swing in the back 40 crunching my beans one by one. It’s like therapy haha. I put them in glass jars after they’re good and dry. Your beans are beautiful.
Walk on the bone dry pods on the kitchen floor. Scoop up and throw in a big tote and winnow outside onto a big tarp and you can do the job in a short time indeed. The beans will not get crushed if completely dry.
Two weeks ago I saw some cranberry beans and was intrigued so I decided to go back and buy two packs of seeds. I’m going to plant them tomorrow I will come back to this site at the end of summer and give you some feedback about how it went. Cheer’s 👍
@ last year I planted some rattlesnake beans and saved the beans and planted them this spring in the garden I would say most of them came up and later in the season I did a second planting and they all came up. Great way to save a little bit of money and not have to buy seeds at least for beans anyways
Very helpful. Thank you so much. I absolutely love dried beans and have a favorite that I have in the pantry. You better believe I'll be growing these this spring for a hearty bean soup next winter. Thanks much!
That's hilarious Bianca. You never know what may happen now. Maybe a big shift in your life it about to happen . . . and it all starts with growing beans :)
Great video and great content. You said you got 10 gal out of the plants, but that seems to be with the husks. About how much did you end up with once they were hulled? I am thinking about 3/4 of a 5 gal bucket. Keeping back some for next years planting that seems like a good amount for 1 person for the year. Thanks for sharing and helping others.
I'm glad you like the video John. It's definitely been awhile since I created that video. I cannot recall the volume of beans that came from the hulling. Likely a gallon or two from 10 gallons of husks.
WOW just discovered your channel! OMG I love you already! Such useful information, I look forward implementing this knowledge on my own off grid sustainable farm. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for sharing this video! I grew dry beans & regular beans for the 1st time ever this year but I was unsure when to harvest the dry beans & what the pods were supposed to look like. I was afraid they were mostly bad because the pods looked spotted & diseased. But after seeing your harvest I am encouraged that they are fine!!
You are an excellent ambassador of the bean -- thank you. And your dog was very cute too. He is keenly after something. He was a productive hole digger -- maybe a rabbit?
Thanks April! Beans are indeed awesome :) Our dog is named Sodapop - he loves to dig and doesn't need much reason. He usually smells something and keeps on digging.
Hi Dwight Great question! Our dog's name is Sodapop. He smells well. He adds a little imagination . . . and then he digs! What's he digging for? I'm never sure.
HI Chelsea - you'd want at least 70 days of warm weather from planting to harvesting. So . . . . where you are is it realistic that you'd have daytime temp. above 60-65 degrees and no overnight temp below 50 degree until mid October? If 'yes' I'd go for it. If not quite , I'd look at growing bush beans!
Question ? Can you dry and eat any green beans and wax beans and eat them ? We had alot of extra beans this year and picked them dry , layed them on old window screens . Now we are working on cleaning them from the pods . It's very relaxing 😁.
From UK- pole beans are these runner beans. What’s shuck? And are the beans poisonous if not boiled for so many minutes. No blanching or boiling etc before storage ?
Hello! Great questions: 1. Are these runner beans? NOPE. They are not. 2. Shuck = remove it from it's shell or pod. 3. Poisonous? Dry beans need to be boiled before being eaten. If they are insufficiently cooked they will make you sick. When beans are soft they are safe! 4. Storage - either a) dry store with NO preparation OR b) you can soak + boil until they are fully cooked and then freeze them in their juices. I hope that helps and . . .. happy growing.
Can you leave them shucked and in a bowl to dry? How do you know when a red bean is completely dry and how do you store it? Just a vacuum sealed bag? How long will that store for?
Dry beans are SO easy and forgiving. If they're shucked YES they can sit in a bowl to dry. When the bean in the shell is rattly sounding or crunchy when you grab it roughly in your hand you WILL know that it's dry :) You don't need to vacuum seal it - a paper bag is just fine. They can store for years. They are incredibly shelf stable! Good luck!
new sub.... thanks for this video...we grow lots of yellow beans for canning and i'm contemplating planting white and red kidney beans....hmmm! Can I plant them in 5 gallon buckets??? we have two totes that I will use with bamboo poles, are kidney beans pole beans???
Hello and thanks for the sub 5 gallon buckets - with good soil/drainage should work well i've grown kidney beans that were bush (not pole) beans. happy growing!
Hi - question, i grew Marfax beans for the first time, they are green pods - should I harvest the pods now? will the plants produce more? or should i leave them until they are brown?
Hi Susan - welcome to the channel! Marfax are a dry bean and so they are best left on the bush to mature and dry. You could also try eating some young, under ripe ones fresh and see if you like them that way too!
Great question - that doesn't really get covered in this video does it? If you're growing beans that climb poles - space at least 1 foot apart at the poles. Plant 1,2, or 3 seeds at the base of each pole. Best to have a drip line snaking thru the poles as well so that they are watered at the roots! I have a great video on growing pole beans which explains what I'm talking about. You can check in around the 3' 30" mark: ua-cam.com/video/fb7hWZdLGZY/v-deo.html
Probably. If they've not been irradiated or stored too long they should be viable. Here's the easy way to test: put a few of them into a saucer with some water. If they start to sprout after a week, then you know they will grow in your garden if you plant them :)
@@SustainableStace I cooked my beans and they were about 3 years old, and they never softened, so I planted them(after boiling them and they are growing like crazy. I need to transplant them, which is why I came here.
@@dessertdeb1 I don't know about other types, but I know old red beans never get soft. I would imagine it's the same with other types also. BUT they are still edible.
Still trying to guerilla garden my beans up here in the north zone 3. Can grow green beans but not having luck with shelled pole beans. Early frost knocks them out before maturity. Was going to try in hoop house but if the get to hot they drop the blossoms. Can you dry them inside?
I've not had problems with cross pollination between peas and beans and always save my own seed. The Seed Savers alliance suggest 10 feet (3 meters) distance between different varieties to avoid cross pollination: www.seedsaversalliance.org/pea--bean-family.html
great question - yes, that is how nature works normally! the key is that the seeds inside the pond need to reach maturity on the plant to be viable seeds.
@@SustainableStace Is there a way to tell when they mature inside the pod? I'm only growing navy beans for dry storage so I am not tempted to eat them before the plants are obviously dead. We have had really harsh winds which have knocked off a lot of leaves and I am afraid it will be the bean pods next.
Thanks but... 2:47 So close. I'm on about video ten trying to see what they look like when they're ready to pick and still in the pods. LOL Does it matter if some of the pods have black on them? Are the beans still okay inside. It looks like mold.
The plant needs to have spent its energy and the pods need to be full/fat/bursting. When that's all true - they can look anyway they like b/c the beans are ready!
More gardeners should consider growing dry beans and other crops that can be preserved for long term usage with little or no effort like is possible with beans. Obviously nutritious and healthy, but if we were ever forced to go back to living more self sufficiently, dried beans would be very high on my list of crops to grow because they are one of the best bangs for your buck in getting calorie dense foods, instead of just the typical low-calorie garden produce most people grow like tomatoes, lettuce, radish, cucumbers etc. Also corn/grains, seeds etc. are great for this also.
Our Sunset Runner Beans have been drying in a mesh bucket for months. The pods are mottled and beans inside intact. 3 months have passed. Can I still shell and store them in jars?
Hello! Are you referencing the variety of beans I'm holding in the video? If so, that variety is typically called Calypso and also nicknamed Orca (like the black and white marking on a killer whale!)
@@SustainableStace Hi thank you for the answer , they are so similar : www.google.com/search?q=Pallar+de+moche&sxsrf=ALeKk02OGuDQULylGeSO5JGUSX4zWsl_oA:1591558385781&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj20eSBufDpAhXDoXEKHYg7C3kQ_AUoAXoECAcQAw&biw=1025&bih=532
curious, There is so many different bean types/varieties. How do you know which ones are dry type vs which ones are wet type like the yellow wax beans/green beans that are not dry type? And how do you know when you need a trellis or support for a given variety of beans?
Great questions! You're correct, there are so many types of beans. 1) You'll need to know when you get seeds, what type they are so that you know if you're to pick them fresh at the right time OR if you can let them mature through to the dry stage. 2) All 'bush' beans grow low to the ground and are meant to grow without any support. 3) 'Pole' beans on the other hand do need support.
@@SustainableStace Thanks for the reply so the seed packet tells you when to harvest and if its a dry or wet based bean / bush or pole type? Just want to make sure on that one. Also it seems there are bean types and pea types that can be harvested both wet or dry depending on your preference to. Is that not correct. If so then does the seed packets specify the wet harvest time and dry harvest range times.
Right now i am just learning how to cook dry peas and beans well but eventually someday i rather make my own bags of dry beans and peas of different types. I also notice on a similar crop is chickpeas i believe those can be harvested wet or dry as in stores they sell them wet or dry. But maybe i am wrong maybe there precooked dry beans that are fooling me in stores.
Yup have grow for a couple year different bush beans they are like you say and pretty easy to grow. Some year i might switch over to pole beans i understand they grow a lot more vertical so curious on how you trellis those ones. With tomato cages or do you got better methods? @@SustainableStace
@SustainableStace Also correct me if i am wrong but are most wet beans just bush beans low to ground and most dry beans just pole beans high in the sky. Or does that not hold in general and you have some situation where dry beans are bush beans and wet beans are pole beans.
Yes. But, the pods may hold onto reabsorb moisture or disease . Plus, they take much more space to store. So I think that over time you have better quality food if you shuck earlier than that.
I'm presuming you are asking this question about the beans BEFORE they are harvested. It will likely depend on how much moisture is in the pod b/c the heavy frost will cause resident moisture to harm the structure of the seeds. You should try to time your planting and harvesting to be all done PRIOR to heavy frost.
We had a 25# bag of dry pinto beans in the pantry sealed in a plastic bag from rhe store and bugs hatched out in the bag. We were not sure what to do so I moved them out in the barn in a barrel to plant some in the spring. They may just be chicken feed and for planting. I wish they really would last indefinitely but if they get something in them it is not good.
Sorry to hear about the bugs in your beans. Depending on how long you think the bugs are in those beans - my first choice would be to put the bag in a freezer to end all lifecycle stages of the bugs. I hope you can still get great use out of all those beans!
Beans generally do well in slightly acidic soil. pH 6-7 I generally find them to be agreeable and productive. As always, try not to grow in heavy, clay soil which would trap water and drain poorly.
Great question - I do live in a very wet area however . . . . here's what I did TODAY . . . I went to my pole beans where large, mature pods were attached. The key here is that they were already fully mature. I knew that heavy rains were going to be starting today so . .. I broke the stems off the plants and took the large bean pods indoors and put them on a dry, mesh so they can become fully dry and cure.
@@SustainableStace thank you, your answer comes at the perfect time for my harvest and the weather which has been forecast this week! We will be pulling the rest of our beans indoors tomorrow!
Hi Ashley - great question. Once the pods are formed AND the beans are full matured inside, no more watering is needed. The plant isn't taking up nutrition any longer. You're correct, it's natural lifecycle is over!
Hi Steve, I wish it was a quick answer! Simply - you want to plant a few weeks AFTER last frost (late spring / early summer) and complete harvest BEFORE first frost (late summer / early fall) For myself - I plant beans in early June. Usually transplanting a 20-30 day old start from the greenhouse. But, WHEN is a matter of where you live i.e. which growing zone I'm in zone 8. So 'when' for me may be different than for yourself. Also, it depends on what type of beans: 1) pole beans or bush beans - variance of 30-40 days 2) harvest fresh or harvest dry - variance of 30-40 days These factors are huge ! If you're talking dry pole beans it can be 120 days (or more) to harvest. So, you need to have 4 months after last frost. And, I find that I often need to re-plant some of my pole beans b/c pests/birds get some of them. So, that can be another 20 days additional. I hope that discussion helps!
I planted my grandsons little plant he came home from school with last June. Well it’s huge and I think it’s Lima beans??? I have absolutely no idea what to do with them. Like when to harvest? How to cook? And how to store for longer use??
Surprise! That's so cool that you have a mystery bean plant. I doubt it's a dry bean variety - likely fresh as you noted. Pick a pod to test and see if you like eating them raw or cooked right now as they are. From that you should be able to decide if you think it should have more time to mature. Usually beans taste better young/tender vs. old/gnarly so I'd suggest you err on early planting. If it's large pods which are inedible then you'll need to shuck them and cook ONLY the seeds inside. Try steaming or pan fry in a bit of butter - i'm sure they'll be yummy. Another option is to steam them quite long, till really soft and then food process with a bit of salt/pepper and olive oil. They'll make a wonderful tasting dip ! Good luck :)
If you're looking at the image in the thumbnail for this video - two varieties are shown: 1) the black and white variety goes by the names: calypso, orca and yin yang 2) the other which has flecks of reddish / brown color is called borlotti I hope that helps :)
Welcome ! I can ask you questions about your question but I likely cannot answer it . . . dry beans or fresh beans ? bush beans or pole beans ? Rough estimates - a few bush bean plants will likely provide dry beans for a meal for a person or two. A single pole bean plant will likely provide a meal of fresh beans for a family.
Hi Johnny - I don't understand your question. Are you wondering about how to know which varieties of beans are meant to be dried/saved OR are you talking about how to know which pods of mature bean seeds are the best ones for drying/saving ?
@@SustainableStace The first one ser! All of the different varieties are just rather overwhelming as before spending the time to watch your video and others related to drying beans, I figured I could use just any old pole bean for drying. Right now I am looking at the varieties of beans available at my local seed supplier and only a few of them include the label of "drying bean." I think I have it figured though as I am looking at buying some pole beans, some bush beans, and some "drying beans" - and there is also a bush variety that can be eaten fresh and saved for drying (Dragon Tongue specifically fits this description).
How many beans do you need to harvest for a winter family of two or four people do you know I want to learn the amounts a person needs to survive if we go into a serious reassertion our something worse
Hi April - it's hard to gauge how much you eat and how often you''ll eat beans when you do! 1/2 cup of dried beans should equal a 15 oz can of cooked beans. Think how many cans of beans your crew will eat between harvest and start to plan & plant! I'd suggest you start by planting several varieties and planting at least 50 feet of each. See which performs best and note how much you planted and how much you harvested. And . . . note how much volume of cooked beans you use for a meal. Within a season you'll know exactly what you need! I hope that helps :)
That's a good question JoeBob Jenkins! You're right - if it's moist for long period of times while your pods are hanging on the vines this can be a concern. The best way to combat it is to plant early enough so that the beans mature/ripen before your wet season hits.
All of my beans have the fungus that isn’t rust that I can’t remember the name of. It looks like rust, but is starting to cause black holes in the pods. They are white and light green, not brown and dry yet. Could I pull and hang them to finish before the fungus takes them all? Any tips to get me to harvest if not?
Hi Jessica, sorry to hear about the rust on the beans. I'm not familiar with it. You're in a tough spot. The beans sound like they are not mature. Picking them now will likely leave you with something fairly inedible OR with so little volume that it won't seem like a good use of your time to shuck them when they dry out. Depending on how advanced the fungus is - I wonder if you should research if it's possible to treat / stop it from spreading further.
from what I heard the nitrogen the beans fix isn't much more than what they use themselves, so you have to treat the plants like green manure to get much benefit.
hmm - you got my attention with that comment. thanks! No matter what I grow, beans or otherwise, I'm always going to add compost / manure back to the soil after crops are harvested so . . . maybe I always knew that and just needed your nudge!
Ha - not a typical gardening question. They say they only knew it as a boy's name when they chose it - and were later surprised it was more common for girls. No end of teasing as a little guy! I got over it :)
Seeds dry out over time. And they need to breathe. Paper bags don't work for long periods. We're looking for improvement and progress, not perfection. What would you advise, maybe a glass jar?
dont make them dictate your pace, i love your garden wisdom
In costa rica i had red kidney beans planted on my farm, left them out drying and once harvested, i had a huge tarp laid out the pods in the tarp with the sides and corners hanging on trees thus allowing us to whack the pods with a bamboo cane and watch the beans just shoot out. Quite the site!!! And then we made a nice 9x4 wood frame with mesh net, hung it on the tree where the wind hit most and literally after sweeping all the shattered pods with beans into buckets we just "poured" it onto the mesh and the wind took most the fine materials etc and kust screened the beans...buckets full of kidney beans!!! Harvested soo much, i sold to all of the local mom/pop and medium size restaurants in our town and 3 neighboring towns! The locals were shocked how the "gringo" planted dry beans and made a killing with the harvest!! Good times!!
Great Story - thanks for sharing Frenchy!
I would so love to try this! You don’t happen to have any videos on it, do you? It’s easier for me to learn by watching it done than reading it in a paragraph.
@@twhitefamilygrows873 c;
Awesome thanks for sharing!!
Dude you just made this easy for me to understand. I’ve been sitting here watching videos on how to harvest them and confused worrying I’m late and my plants are dying. Simple. To the point. Love it. Thank you!
That's what we like to hear! I'm glad that was helpful.
5:53 That made me want to change my life; quit my job, buy a cottage and start growing beans... and sit by the fireplace.
Sounds like a nice direction to take with your life :)
I was thinking the same thing, maybe bean farmer is my new life
It's so simple. You just plant the bean, harvest it once it's dead and then shuck them once they're dried. Thanks.
Ha - you explained the whole video in 3 phrases :)
But do you stop watering them when they start to die back, or do you keep watering until the whole plant is about done? Will they mold?
Most other growing/garden videoes i see, I skip ahead to skip all the boring intros and waste of time in the start, I didn't have to skip anything you jumped right into what the video is about and starting giving good info instantly, great video, liked the way you jumped right into it. subed and liked.
Thank you for your feedback. You and me both - let's get to it :)
Hey! Thanks for the video! Much appreciated! Sitting here shucking purple bush beans! In this case you're preaching to the choir! Keep doing what you're doing.
Good stuff!
Loved the video! Thanks for all the great advice!
I'd imagine a super easy way of shucking the beans would be:
-Once they're dried, put them all in a big pillowcase or tote bag.
- Smash the on the ground a bunch of times, then dump them into a wide and shallow basket.
- Quickly pick out and discard the shells.
- Then with a leaf blower or hairdryer, blow off all the tiny broken bits of shell.
Should be left with nothing but perfectly dried beans ready for storage! :)
I'm glad you liked the video. Welcome to the channel.
Great ideas - I esp. like getting a leaf blower involved :)
I planted red beans this year because the bags of them were so hard to find in local grocery stores. What I did find were $1.18 for a half pound bag.
Hi Stace; Besides generous, easy to grow, soil fertilizer with its own straw... beans are a SUPER DELICIOUS ! Super healthy, nothing to do with fried food; Its one of the basic food for many countries, like Brazil. I am surprised that beans grows so easy in canadian latitudes, where I guess you are in. Thanks for spreading this culture. oscar, from brazil;
Thanks for your positive comments Oscar and welcome to the channel!
Thank you because this my first time doing a garden and I. so proud but it's funny how you said planting beans is good for beginners that was the first thing I planted but I put and seeds in one hole there beautiful I just pray I'm doing right thank so much again
best of luck and bountiful harvests to you !
Hi Stace I grow dry beans in my garden too. I grow the bird egg blues a bush variety, and purple florelle which is a pole variety. I LOVE relaxing on the swing in the back 40 crunching my beans one by one. It’s like therapy haha. I put them in glass jars after they’re good and dry. Your beans are beautiful.
Yes Nancy - beans are beautiful! Thanks for your comments. Keep growing :)
I liked this video - straight and to the point.
Walk on the bone dry pods on the kitchen floor. Scoop up and throw in a big tote and winnow outside onto a big tarp and you can do the job in a short time indeed. The beans will not get crushed if completely dry.
Two weeks ago I saw some cranberry beans and was intrigued so I decided to go back and buy two packs of seeds. I’m going to plant them tomorrow I will come back to this site at the end of summer and give you some feedback about how it went. Cheer’s 👍
Hey Jeff - that's awesome.
I look forward to the updates at the end of summer!
How did it go? Thank you
@ last year I planted some rattlesnake beans and saved the beans and planted them this spring in the garden I would say most of them came up and later in the season I did a second planting and they all came up. Great way to save a little bit of money and not have to buy seeds at least for beans anyways
Planted this season. Kidney & Pinto. Glad to hear I get to let them dry out themselves. Or dry them out on a tarp in their pods.
Welcome to the channel AND your first season growing dry beans!
dude YES! I also planted some of those black and white beans, came here to see when to harvest. I guess it doesn't matter!! Ahah! Thank you
When they rattle in the pod they should be ready to harvest but . . . you're right, they're pretty flexible on timing! you're welcome :)
Very helpful. Thank you so much. I absolutely love dried beans and have a favorite that I have in the pantry. You better believe I'll be growing these this spring for a hearty bean soup next winter. Thanks much!
I'm that was inspiring for you. Good luck growing !
It’s 2am and I have never gardened in my life, lmao don’t know how I ended up here. I enjoyed the vid tho
That's hilarious Bianca. You never know what may happen now. Maybe a big shift in your life it about to happen . . . and it all starts with growing beans :)
I love you, man! You get right to it. Informative and motivating, (especially at 1.5 speed). Thanks 🙏
Welcome to the channel John and thanks for the encouraging feedback.
Very nice video. You just communicated me your passion for dried beans ! Thanks mate !
the bush beans look so beautiful
yes, each one is like a work of art! they are indeed beautiful.
Pinto beans are so good when you refry them with oil and eat them with bread
Thank you for this. I grew dry beans along a trellis this year, but I see now that I had them WAY to close together. They didn't do too well.
I'm glad it was helpful. I'm sorry those beans didn't flourish. Hopefully, next year you have a 'bean victory' !
I do pinto beans, butternut squash and sweet corn three sisters style. I usually turn up plot where I've previously stored big round hay bales.
That sounds wonderful!
@@SustainableStace I usually produce more than I need and it's super low maintenance.
Put DRIED beans in sack and beat on ground and beans and hull will separate.
Hundred times easier than shelling the beans.
Yes, that method works great. Thanks for the input !
Great video and great content.
You said you got 10 gal out of the plants, but that seems to be with the husks. About how much did you end up with once they were hulled? I am thinking about 3/4 of a 5 gal bucket. Keeping back some for next years planting that seems like a good amount for 1 person for the year.
Thanks for sharing and helping others.
I'm glad you like the video John.
It's definitely been awhile since I created that video. I cannot recall the volume of beans that came from the hulling.
Likely a gallon or two from 10 gallons of husks.
WOW just discovered your channel! OMG I love you already! Such useful information, I look forward implementing this knowledge on my own off grid sustainable farm. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for sharing this video!
I grew dry beans & regular beans for the 1st time ever this year but I was unsure when to harvest the dry beans & what the pods were supposed to look like. I was afraid they were mostly bad because the pods looked spotted & diseased.
But after seeing your harvest I am encouraged that they are fine!!
Right on - I'm glad it was helpful!
Your dried beans are so beautiful! Very informative video. Thank you! I found a few bags that are labeled non-GMO, so I'm excited to try to grow them.
3 cheers - it'll be awesome. Thanks for your encouragement!
During the procesos of geowing You can also est the green leaf raw or cooked
You are an excellent ambassador of the bean -- thank you. And your dog was very cute too. He is keenly after something. He was a productive hole digger -- maybe a rabbit?
Thanks April! Beans are indeed awesome :)
Our dog is named Sodapop - he loves to dig and doesn't need much reason. He usually smells something and keeps on digging.
Great information! Thank you sir!
You're welcome Alfonso!
Great bean information. I like your dog too and your countryside looks so inviting.
Thank you for the nice and interesting video. Very good job. 🙂👍
My beans speak for themselves.
Love it!
Great video - just wondering the entire time what is your dog digging for? Looking for an old bone he buried extra deep? lol :)
Hi Dwight
Great question!
Our dog's name is Sodapop. He smells well. He adds a little imagination . . . and then he digs! What's he digging for? I'm never sure.
In TN do you think it would work if I planted pole beans late summer? Thanks for this!
HI Chelsea - you'd want at least 70 days of warm weather from planting to harvesting. So . . . . where you are is it realistic that you'd have daytime temp. above 60-65 degrees and no overnight temp below 50 degree until mid October?
If 'yes' I'd go for it. If not quite , I'd look at growing bush beans!
Very awesome video my friend
Thank you 👍 I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Love this video!! But what kind of beans are the pole beans?
The reddish/brownish speckled beans are called Borlotti. The black/white ying/yang beans are also called Orcas (like killer whales!)
Great energy, thanks for the informative videos
You're welcome - I'm glad you enjoyed the videos!
I learned so much. Going to do it!
Awesome - enjoy :)
Question ? Can you dry and eat any green beans and wax beans and eat them ? We had alot of extra beans this year and picked them dry , layed them on old window screens . Now we are working on cleaning them from the pods . It's very relaxing 😁.
Good question. I don't know.
Please tell me how it works out for you.
Sustainable Stace , ok I'll let you know what I find out . Think I'll check with Baker Creek . Thank you !
Absolutely! I’ve routinely let excess green and yellow wax beans dry down to use as dry beans. I like them as well as pintos, and kidney beans.
@@kevindice1092
Thank you so much !
From UK- pole beans are these runner beans. What’s shuck? And are the beans poisonous if not boiled for so many minutes. No blanching or boiling etc before storage ?
Hello!
Great questions:
1. Are these runner beans? NOPE. They are not.
2. Shuck = remove it from it's shell or pod.
3. Poisonous? Dry beans need to be boiled before being eaten. If they are insufficiently cooked they will make you sick. When beans are soft they are safe!
4. Storage - either a) dry store with NO preparation OR b) you can soak + boil until they are fully cooked and then freeze them in their juices.
I hope that helps and . . .. happy growing.
Can you leave them shucked and in a bowl to dry? How do you know when a red bean is completely dry and how do you store it? Just a vacuum sealed bag? How long will that store for?
Dry beans are SO easy and forgiving. If they're shucked YES they can sit in a bowl to dry.
When the bean in the shell is rattly sounding or crunchy when you grab it roughly in your hand you WILL know that it's dry :)
You don't need to vacuum seal it - a paper bag is just fine. They can store for years. They are incredibly shelf stable!
Good luck!
new sub.... thanks for this video...we grow lots of yellow beans for canning and i'm contemplating planting white and red kidney beans....hmmm! Can I plant them in 5 gallon buckets??? we have two totes that I will use with bamboo poles, are kidney beans pole beans???
Hello and thanks for the sub
5 gallon buckets - with good soil/drainage should work well
i've grown kidney beans that were bush (not pole) beans.
happy growing!
Hi - question, i grew Marfax beans for the first time, they are green pods - should I harvest the pods now? will the plants produce more? or should i leave them until they are brown?
Hi Susan - welcome to the channel!
Marfax are a dry bean and so they are best left on the bush to mature and dry.
You could also try eating some young, under ripe ones fresh and see if you like them that way too!
Beautiful how do you plant them?
Great question - that doesn't really get covered in this video does it?
If you're growing beans that climb poles - space at least 1 foot apart at the poles. Plant 1,2, or 3 seeds at the base of each pole.
Best to have a drip line snaking thru the poles as well so that they are watered at the roots!
I have a great video on growing pole beans which explains what I'm talking about. You can check in around the 3' 30" mark: ua-cam.com/video/fb7hWZdLGZY/v-deo.html
Thank you- very helpful!
Glad it was helpful!
Can i plant beans even if they are dried. Like the ones from the supermarket
Probably. If they've not been irradiated or stored too long they should be viable.
Here's the easy way to test: put a few of them into a saucer with some water. If they start to sprout after a week, then you know they will grow in your garden if you plant them :)
@@SustainableStace I cooked my beans and they were about 3 years old, and they never softened, so I planted them(after boiling them and they are growing like crazy. I need to transplant them, which is why I came here.
@@dessertdeb1 I don't know about other types, but I know old red beans never get soft. I would imagine it's the same with other types also. BUT they are still edible.
I did. First time using small red beans.
Still trying to guerilla garden my beans up here in the north zone 3. Can grow green beans but not having luck with shelled pole beans. Early frost knocks them out before maturity. Was going to try in hoop house but if the get to hot they drop the blossoms. Can you dry them inside?
If they mature on the plant then YES you can dry them inside. Way to go on the guerrilla garden!
Hi...can I grow different types of beans close together?would they cross pollinate? Thanks so much
I've not had problems with cross pollination between peas and beans and always save my own seed.
The Seed Savers alliance suggest 10 feet (3 meters) distance between different varieties to avoid cross pollination: www.seedsaversalliance.org/pea--bean-family.html
Thank you very much
Thank you!
You're welcome!
If a bean pod falls off of a plant, would the beans still be viable as seeds next year albeit smaller?
great question - yes, that is how nature works normally!
the key is that the seeds inside the pond need to reach maturity on the plant to be viable seeds.
@@SustainableStace Is there a way to tell when they mature inside the pod? I'm only growing navy beans for dry storage so I am not tempted to eat them before the plants are obviously dead.
We have had really harsh winds which have knocked off a lot of leaves and I am afraid it will be the bean pods next.
Thanks but... 2:47 So close. I'm on about video ten trying to see what they look like when they're ready to pick and still in the pods. LOL Does it matter if some of the pods have black on them? Are the beans still okay inside. It looks like mold.
The plant needs to have spent its energy and the pods need to be full/fat/bursting.
When that's all true - they can look anyway they like b/c the beans are ready!
@@SustainableStace That's great to hear. Thanks.
More gardeners should consider growing dry beans and other crops that can be preserved for long term usage with little or no effort like is possible with beans. Obviously nutritious and healthy, but if we were ever forced to go back to living more self sufficiently, dried beans would be very high on my list of crops to grow because they are one of the best bangs for your buck in getting calorie dense foods, instead of just the typical low-calorie garden produce most people grow like tomatoes, lettuce, radish, cucumbers etc. Also corn/grains, seeds etc. are great for this also.
So true - well said!
Our Sunset Runner Beans have been drying in a mesh bucket for months. The pods are mottled and beans inside intact. 3 months have passed. Can I still shell and store them in jars?
Hi Julie - welcome to the channel! If the beans inside the pods are dry and look healthy then YES
nice
Hello is that Pallar de Moche 2:05 ? thanks
Hello!
Are you referencing the variety of beans I'm holding in the video? If so, that variety is typically called Calypso and also nicknamed Orca (like the black and white marking on a killer whale!)
@@SustainableStace Hi thank you for the answer , they are so similar : www.google.com/search?q=Pallar+de+moche&sxsrf=ALeKk02OGuDQULylGeSO5JGUSX4zWsl_oA:1591558385781&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj20eSBufDpAhXDoXEKHYg7C3kQ_AUoAXoECAcQAw&biw=1025&bih=532
I have a dog just like yours. 👍
curious, There is so many different bean types/varieties. How do you know which ones are dry type vs which ones are wet type like the yellow wax beans/green beans that are not dry type? And how do you know when you need a trellis or support for a given variety of beans?
Great questions! You're correct, there are so many types of beans.
1) You'll need to know when you get seeds, what type they are so that you know if you're to pick them fresh at the right time OR if you can let them mature through to the dry stage.
2) All 'bush' beans grow low to the ground and are meant to grow without any support.
3) 'Pole' beans on the other hand do need support.
@@SustainableStace Thanks for the reply so the seed packet tells you when to harvest and if its a dry or wet based bean / bush or pole type? Just want to make sure on that one. Also it seems there are bean types and pea types that can be harvested both wet or dry depending on your preference to. Is that not correct. If so then does the seed packets specify the wet harvest time and dry harvest range times.
Right now i am just learning how to cook dry peas and beans well but eventually someday i rather make my own bags of dry beans and peas of different types. I also notice on a similar crop is chickpeas i believe those can be harvested wet or dry as in stores they sell them wet or dry. But maybe i am wrong maybe there precooked dry beans that are fooling me in stores.
Yup have grow for a couple year different bush beans they are like you say and pretty easy to grow. Some year i might switch over to pole beans i understand they grow a lot more vertical so curious on how you trellis those ones. With tomato cages or do you got better methods? @@SustainableStace
@SustainableStace Also correct me if i am wrong but are most wet beans just bush beans low to ground and most dry beans just pole beans high in the sky. Or does that not hold in general and you have some situation where dry beans are bush beans and wet beans are pole beans.
Can you store beans in the pods and shuck them one meal at a time?
Yes.
But, the pods may hold onto reabsorb moisture or disease . Plus, they take much more space to store. So I think that over time you have better quality food if you shuck earlier than that.
@@SustainableStace Thank you very much for that information. I've been searching for an answer to that question.
Will they survive viability if they get heavy frost?
I'm presuming you are asking this question about the beans BEFORE they are harvested.
It will likely depend on how much moisture is in the pod b/c the heavy frost will cause resident moisture to harm the structure of the seeds.
You should try to time your planting and harvesting to be all done PRIOR to heavy frost.
How do you plant? Just put into the grown?
Yes, that's it.
Peasant food, good for you
We had a 25# bag of dry pinto beans in the pantry sealed in a plastic bag from rhe store and bugs hatched out in the bag. We were not sure what to do so I moved them out in the barn in a barrel to plant some in the spring. They may just be chicken feed and for planting. I wish they really would last indefinitely but if they get something in them it is not good.
Sorry to hear about the bugs in your beans.
Depending on how long you think the bugs are in those beans - my first choice would be to put the bag in a freezer to end all lifecycle stages of the bugs.
I hope you can still get great use out of all those beans!
Hi I’m trying to grow Navy Beans. What type of soil should I use for that?
Beans generally do well in slightly acidic soil. pH 6-7
I generally find them to be agreeable and productive. As always, try not to grow in heavy, clay soil which would trap water and drain poorly.
@@SustainableStace thank you so much
What if your region is very damp in the cooler months, will the beans in their pods be harmed by too much moisture?
Great question - I do live in a very wet area however . . . . here's what I did TODAY . . .
I went to my pole beans where large, mature pods were attached. The key here is that they were already fully mature.
I knew that heavy rains were going to be starting today so . .. I broke the stems off the plants and took the large bean pods indoors and put them on a dry, mesh so they can become fully dry and cure.
@@SustainableStace thank you, your answer comes at the perfect time for my harvest and the weather which has been forecast this week! We will be pulling the rest of our beans indoors tomorrow!
Once your pods completely form, do you continue to water regularly and the plant dies as a part of its natural lifecycle?
Hi Ashley - great question.
Once the pods are formed AND the beans are full matured inside, no more watering is needed. The plant isn't taking up nutrition any longer.
You're correct, it's natural lifecycle is over!
@@SustainableStace ok good to know thanks, there connected to my drip system and there are other things in the bed as well, I’ll just leave it on
How much dry, shucked beans beans do you get from 10 gallons?
Good question. I don't have an accurate answer.
I'd say enough to feed our family of 6 for 20 or 30 meals.
What month of the year are you supposed to plant beans?
Hi Steve,
I wish it was a quick answer!
Simply - you want to plant a few weeks AFTER last frost (late spring / early summer) and complete harvest BEFORE first frost (late summer / early fall)
For myself - I plant beans in early June. Usually transplanting a 20-30 day old start from the greenhouse.
But, WHEN is a matter of where you live i.e. which growing zone I'm in zone 8. So 'when' for me may be different than for yourself.
Also, it depends on what type of beans:
1) pole beans or bush beans - variance of 30-40 days
2) harvest fresh or harvest dry - variance of 30-40 days
These factors are huge !
If you're talking dry pole beans it can be 120 days (or more) to harvest. So, you need to have 4 months after last frost.
And, I find that I often need to re-plant some of my pole beans b/c pests/birds get some of them. So, that can be another 20 days additional.
I hope that discussion helps!
@@SustainableStace thank you
I planted my grandsons little plant he came home from school with last June. Well it’s huge and I think it’s Lima beans??? I have absolutely no idea what to do with them. Like when to harvest? How to cook? And how to store for longer use??
Surprise! That's so cool that you have a mystery bean plant. I doubt it's a dry bean variety - likely fresh as you noted.
Pick a pod to test and see if you like eating them raw or cooked right now as they are. From that you should be able to decide if you think it should have more time to mature. Usually beans taste better young/tender vs. old/gnarly so I'd suggest you err on early planting.
If it's large pods which are inedible then you'll need to shuck them and cook ONLY the seeds inside. Try steaming or pan fry in a bit of butter - i'm sure they'll be yummy.
Another option is to steam them quite long, till really soft and then food process with a bit of salt/pepper and olive oil. They'll make a wonderful tasting dip !
Good luck :)
@@SustainableStace - thank you!
Hi…what variety is that pole bean? Thanks in advance :)
If you're looking at the image in the thumbnail for this video - two varieties are shown:
1) the black and white variety goes by the names: calypso, orca and yin yang
2) the other which has flecks of reddish / brown color is called borlotti
I hope that helps :)
@@SustainableStace yes it does..thank you!
what variety pole bean is that
Hi Ronnie - sorry on the very slow delay. I couldn't remember the name of that bean, which drove me crazy.
It's Borlotti.
Cool.
Hi, im new to gardening. How many beans can I harvest off one plant?
😊
Welcome !
I can ask you questions about your question but I likely cannot answer it . . .
dry beans or fresh beans ?
bush beans or pole beans ?
Rough estimates - a few bush bean plants will likely provide dry beans for a meal for a person or two. A single pole bean plant will likely provide a meal of fresh beans for a family.
Is there any way to tell specifically which beans are to be grown for drying/saving?
Hi Johnny - I don't understand your question.
Are you wondering about how to know which varieties of beans are meant to be dried/saved OR are you talking about how to know which pods of mature bean seeds are the best ones for drying/saving ?
@@SustainableStace The first one ser! All of the different varieties are just rather overwhelming as before spending the time to watch your video and others related to drying beans, I figured I could use just any old pole bean for drying.
Right now I am looking at the varieties of beans available at my local seed supplier and only a few of them include the label of "drying bean." I think I have it figured though as I am looking at buying some pole beans, some bush beans, and some "drying beans" - and there is also a bush variety that can be eaten fresh and saved for drying (Dragon Tongue specifically fits this description).
If you've grown them from dry beans, can you eat them while they're still moist?
Yes you can Zoe :)
Why can't you eat the beans straight out of the pod? Why must they be dried before consuming?
You can cook and eat them right away. But they are best used as food that is stored and eaten in the seasons when you cannot harvest fresh food.
If my bean already dry do I need to dry more or I just store in the dark place that is what no one have spoke about.
good question! i
f they are dry, you do NOT need to dry more. Just keep them in a dry place and the beans will be ok.
How many beans do you need to harvest for a winter family of two or four people do you know I want to learn the amounts a person needs to survive if we go into a serious reassertion our something worse
Hi April - it's hard to gauge how much you eat and how often you''ll eat beans when you do!
1/2 cup of dried beans should equal a 15 oz can of cooked beans. Think how many cans of beans your crew will eat between harvest and start to plan & plant!
I'd suggest you start by planting several varieties and planting at least 50 feet of each. See which performs best and note how much you planted and how much you harvested. And . . . note how much volume of cooked beans you use for a meal.
Within a season you'll know exactly what you need! I hope that helps :)
I'm worried that we I set them out to dry then critters will come eat them
Hopefully you can find a (fairly) critter free zone where your beans can dry out!
Do you quit watering them ahead of time?
Yes. Once the seeds are fully formed in the pod, the plant starts to die. And, it's best to stop watering at that point.
Sustainable Stace Thank you!!!
How do you keep them from getting moldy on the vine?
That's a good question JoeBob Jenkins!
You're right - if it's moist for long period of times while your pods are hanging on the vines this can be a concern.
The best way to combat it is to plant early enough so that the beans mature/ripen before your wet season hits.
All of my beans have the fungus that isn’t rust that I can’t remember the name of. It looks like rust, but is starting to cause black holes in the pods. They are white and light green, not brown and dry yet. Could I pull and hang them to finish before the fungus takes them all? Any tips to get me to harvest if not?
Hi Jessica, sorry to hear about the rust on the beans. I'm not familiar with it.
You're in a tough spot. The beans sound like they are not mature. Picking them now will likely leave you with something fairly inedible OR with so little volume that it won't seem like a good use of your time to shuck them when they dry out.
Depending on how advanced the fungus is - I wonder if you should research if it's possible to treat / stop it from spreading further.
The dog poops at the 3:45 minute mark
LOL
What state are you in? Thanks
I"m in Canada - on the west coast of British Columbia. We live on Vancouver Island a bit north of Seattle.
@@SustainableStace I can hear the faint Canadian accent!
💙 I think too much nitrogen in the soil is not a good thing. Pretty sure you need to rotate beans in a 4 year cycle
Agreed. The goal is balance of nutrients.
And crop rotation is key to achieving this.
from what I heard the nitrogen the beans fix isn't much more than what they use themselves, so you have to treat the plants like green manure to get much benefit.
hmm - you got my attention with that comment. thanks!
No matter what I grow, beans or otherwise, I'm always going to add compost / manure back to the soil after crops are harvested so . . . maybe I always knew that and just needed your nudge!
So a thousand to one or near that, can anyone attest to this kind of yield? 20 plants in 30 feet of row so about 10 inches apart.
20 plants in 30 feet means that they are 18" apart !
What calculation are you using for 1 to 1000 ?
@@SustainableStace I estimated but reversed the 20 and the 30. Thanx. The thousand was from the video.
If you give them that fence that's behind you, you gonna see something
You just plant the beans by a pole and let them die, then you harvest and get all that? Wow I didn’t know how much my backyard need beans until now.
Yes! They are amazing.
they can be stored a long time but they lose a lot of flavor after a couple years
Yes, like all seeds and their viability, storage time decreases quality. Well noted.
Basically, leave the beans alone! Better a later harvest than an early one. Easy enough.
So nobody's gonna comment about the pheasant food....? 😅🤣🤣🤣
Why did your parents name you Stacey? I'm just curious (my name is also suspicious).
Ha - not a typical gardening question.
They say they only knew it as a boy's name when they chose it - and were later surprised it was more common for girls.
No end of teasing as a little guy! I got over it :)
@@SustainableStace Yeah, I'm that guy who always has 1000 questions. As a Casey I can 100% relate though.
Thank you for the reply brother.
what the dog doin
he's usually snuffling around smelling what's living underground! That's Sodapop.
Am I a pesant?😭
I've not idea but . . . . You don't have to be a peasant to enjoy peasant food!
My beans keep getting eaten by earwigs
I'm sorry to hear that.
I found this article to provide some helpful suggestions: www.leafrootfruit.com.au/how-to-control-earwigs-garden/
@SustainableStace thank you for the info. I appreciate it
Apart from everything else, recommending storage of dry beans in plastic bags is both unnecessary and hardly "sustainable," is it.
Seeds dry out over time. And they need to breathe. Paper bags don't work for long periods.
We're looking for improvement and progress, not perfection.
What would you advise, maybe a glass jar?
@@SustainableStace Yes. A glass jar.