By nutritional value, beans are among the ten most useful crops grown by people. It is absorbed by 75%, a storehouse of biological building material, a capacious source of energy. This is a plant with a long history. Nutrient beans are well stored, they have a lot of protein, amino acids. In recent years, selection asparagus varieties have been popular, they grow well in open ground in many climatic zones.
Beans are often grown on balconies, loggias for decorative purposes. The heat-loving culture adapts well after transplantation; in the Urals and Siberia, it is grown with seedlings. Early ripe varieties manage to ripen even in the cool summer. The beneficial properties of culture are recognized by traditional medicine. It is recommended for diet with many types of diseases.
Biological Description of Beans
An annual climbing plant from the legume family has about 90 species. Common beans in natural conditions grows in the warm regions of Europe, Asia, and in the countries of North and South America. The stalk of the plant is branched, with rare pubescence, the leaves are saturated green, triple, are attached to the trunk on a long handle. Peduncles grow on 2/3 of the upper part of the trunk from the leaf sinuses. Moth flowers, irregularly shaped, in a flower brush there are from 2 to 6 pieces. There are varieties with milky white, cream, pink of varying intensity, lilac, purple, violet color of the petals.
Beans are cultivated in many countries of the world, it is exported, it is considered a strategically important crop. The name is translated from Greek as “shuttle”, fruits and young pods are used for food, they vary in length from 5 to 25 cm. Beans of different varieties differ:
- in color, red, white, gray, yellowish, variegated, black are found;
- in shape: come in the form of cylinders, uneven ovals, curved, sickle-shaped.
Inside the pod, the beans are separated by small, incomplete partitions. There are two varieties of beans:
- The common curly reaches 3 meters in height, the bush grows up to 50 cm. It forms large pods with hard, slightly pubescent sashes, from 3 to 8 fruits ripen in them.
- Asparagus or sugar has long narrow pods that are consumed in the phase of milk ripeness of beans. The flavors resemble asparagus shoots to taste.
In garden plots, loggias, beans are grown as a vegetable and flower crop.
Outdoor cultivation technology
When placing beans in the garden, it is important to remember that this is a light and heat-loving culture. When the air temperature drops below + 10 ° С, growth stops. With prolonged cooling, the escape may die. The soil is chosen fertile, but without an overabundance of organic matter. Excess nitrogen reduces productivity, the plant directs all forces into the green mass. Like other legumes, beans require phosphorus, potassium, and calcium. Curly varieties are placed on trellises, often used as hedges, arched ceilings, for decoration of arbors, recreation areas.
Seed selection
It is not possible to grow green beans in all regions, this is due to different periods of vegetation of varieties:
- early ripening, growing season of 50 days (Cinderella, Tatyana ripen earlier than anyone else, Saxa, Melody, Caramel, Inga, Bona are not susceptible to fungal and viral diseases, the Oil King is distinguished by beans with a yellowish oily flesh);
- mid-season needs 70 warm days and nights (Nagano, Deer Root, Note, Crane, Panther are cultivated for freezing, Purple Queen strikes with purple pods);
- late ripening requires up to 90 days for growth; these are large-fruited varieties for peeling, long-term storage, fully ripen in the southern latitudes.
Early ripe varieties are not suitable for freezing, they are consumed fresh or for conservation.
Bean seed preparation
Preplanting consists in sorting the seed. Damaged, corroded, diseased, discolored beans are rejected, they will not turn out a full-fledged plant. The selected fruits are checked for density: they are immersed in a salt solution. Empty beans will remain afloat, while others, when mixed, sink to the bottom. After a salt bath, the seeds are washed, dried.
Self-collected beans are usually planted the next year. When buying seed in stores or on online resources, be sure to look at the bean harvesting date. With prolonged storage, they dry out, and yield decreases. The optimal shelf life of seeds is not more than 2 years.
Presowing preparation of seed material provides for:
- Preventive disinfection of beans. To do this, from immersed in a solution of manganese for 30 minutes. With a long stay in water, the beans sour.
- Hardening is carried out to adapt to night cooling. Wet seeds are placed in a refrigerator or other cool place with a temperature of +4 ° C for 5-6 hours, then dried.
- To activate growth, 2 hours before planting, the beans are immersed in a solution of biostimulants.
Preplant planting of seed material allows you to get friendly strong seedlings.
Location and soil for beans
For landing choose a well-lit, closed from strong winds space. Desired precursors: nightshade and gourds, peppers, root crops, onions, garlic. In the ground, after other legumes, beans can get sick. The soil should be loose, light, rich in potassium and phosphorus.
Landing time
Early ripe varieties can be sown when the threat of freezing frost has passed, at night the air temperature will warm up to +10 ° С. The optimum growth mode is +18 ° C. Typically, gardeners focus on cherries: after blooming flowers, a plant is planted with seedlings or seeds. For seedlings, beans are sown in peat pots in early May, guided by the lunar calendar. They are pre-soaked, water is changed twice a day so that acidification does not occur. When the bean swells, the peel on it bursts, the sprout hatch, the bean is buried 3-4 cm in a flat position, the roots and trunk grow at the same time from the sprout. The bean itself serves as a breeding ground.
Landing and care
Fruits are planted to a depth of 2 cm, large ones are deepened to 4 cm, so that a powerful root lump is formed that can hold the plant with the fruits. The distance between the holes is 15-20 cm. To avoid bald spots in the plantings, two or three beans are thrown into each hole, after germination of the shoots one is left, the most powerful one is chosen. The rest can be carefully transplanted to another place.
Seedlings are transferred to the wells after preliminary hardening, planting is carried out by the method of transshipment, the earthen lump is not damaged. To maintain its density, the plant is dried before planting, then it is shed with water 15 minutes before planting. With sunny weather, landings are shaded. Straighten the threads or install trellises so as not to damage the roots of the plant.
Home growing technology
Beans can be planted in a pot, flowerpot. She feels great on an open balcony, in a glazed loggia. The north side is not recommended, in this case it will be necessary to organize the backlighting of the bush so that it fully develops. Climbing plant will be a decoration of the winter garden, home greenhouse. With proper care, it is possible to get a good harvest of fruits.
Variety Selection
Low-growing hybrid hybrid or self-pollinating varieties are suitable for home and balcony cultivation. In early asparagus, compact bushes form, they are easy to care for. Typically, varieties with different bud colors are chosen, several types of plants are planted at once. In addition to technological, decorative varieties of beans are selected.
They resemble thickets of vines. Seeds do not differ in taste, rarely ripen, but lush flowering pleases for a long time. Popular varieties: Violetta, Krapinka, Rumba are resistant to diseases and pests.
Landing and care
Agricultural technology home cultivation is no different from gardening. For aesthetic design of the balcony, phased planting of seedlings with a weekly interval is recommended. The plant needs a light interval of at least 12 hours; in winter, seedlings for balconies and loggias are illuminated at home. The optimal seed planting period is mid-May. To obtain early flowers and fruits, beans are planted in early April. Then the plant is gradually accustomed to balcony conditions: first it is taken out into the air for 20 minutes, then it is brought only at night, and in warm weather the beans are left in the open air.
They are fed every month; complex preparations for flowers with a low nitrogen content can be used.
Fertilizers are applied during irrigation. Top dressing is diluted according to the instructions, then the volume of water is doubled. Shoots and bushes like evening spraying, a lot of dust settles on the leaves, there is no natural airflow and dew formation in an apartment or balcony. It is important to monitor the state of the trellis. Under the weight of the fruit, thin threads and garters periodically break.
Mr. Summer resident informs: proper cleaning of beans
Beans for peeling are harvested after hardening the beans, when the leaves of the pods become yellowish. Typically, the pods are torn from a torn, drying plant. The beans are dried, then dried, scattered for storage in canvas bags. Similarly, planting material is collected.
Asparagus pods are harvested in a special way. They reach marketable maturity 7-10 days after tying the ovule. The size of the bean is not larger than the diameter of the barley kernel. In dry summers, all fruits reach the required size in a couple of weeks, new flower stalks are not planted at high temperature, pollen is sterilized. On cool nights, regular watering, harvesting stretches until the end of summer. Pods must be cut every 4-6 days so that the plant continues to bloom.
All curves, defective pods are removed so that the beans do not waste strength on them. Cut is harassed in the morning or evening hours when the air temperature is lowered. At + 20 ° С, the nutritional properties of beans and sashes are quickly lost, they try to quickly cool or freeze finished products for long-term storage. Raw beans are not consumed, the phasin glycoside dangerous for the digestive tract is destroyed when heated to + 80 ° C, they are boiled for 30-40 minutes.
