Beans, Beans, Beans

Beans are a perfect crop. For the home gardener, there are two types of beans that you will want to consider. One is the pole bean. Pole beans will need some kind of support; support that is strong enough to keep the plants from tumbling to the ground.

The support must bear the full weight of the plants but it has to also withstand the summer winds and storm. You do not want to come out one fine sunny morning and find that last night’s storm knocked your beautiful beans flat.

The other is bush beans, which are a smaller and more compact plant, and will provide a heavy first harvest as well as a lighter second picking before the plants are finished.

When you use bush beans you may be able to plant more than one crop during the season so that a continuous supply of beans is always close to maturing.

I have built tripods/teepees from poles to use as supports and if the poles are long enough and put into the ground at least six inches and securely fastened at the top they have withstood some fairly heavy wind storms.

Beans should not be sown until the danger of the last frost has passed; damp and cold soil will cause the bean seed to rot and bye-bye bean.

There is a wide variety of beans to choose from and remember when you buy seeds of any kind, beans included, read the seed package and follow the instructions.

Beans are also a great way to introduce children to gardening and the connection between food and the earth.

What you need are a bean seed, a small garden pot (3 inches across) some soil and water. You will also need a place at home to put the pot where it will get 4-6 hours of sunlight.

Fill the pot with soil; make a small hole using the pinky finger about ¼ inches deep, put in the bean cover over, water.

Then place the pot in a sunny spot and watch it grow. Be sure the planter has drainage and be sure to place a saucer or something else to catch the excess water.

We have done this exercise with quite a few children over the years and they enjoy the planting and have often told us about their beans and even brought pictures.

This exercise works well with children between the ages of 2 and 4 years old but children up to 7 have participated and had fun.

My Small Garden, 2019, Year 1, Day 1

This is from last year. I plan to expand the Small Garden a bit, maybe a foot or 2. then add compost. The plot's purpose is to grow some food, have plants for seed and to do a small bean breeding project. There is ample room.

Grex Beans

The loose beans were saved from this year's crop. I will replant some of these and donate the rest to the Renfrew Public Library's seed library.

A grex is “a variable interbreeding population of plants derived from a cross,” and has more diversity than a regular variety.

My Plant Breeding Plan

What do you love to grow?

I enjoy the growing process from saving seeds to harvesting the fruit. I do not have a favourite plant but am focusing on beans for breeding.

What are the interesting characteristics for which you would breed or select?

Projections about the future indicate many parts of the world will see greater heat stress — higher temperatures that can result in more frequent, longer periods of excessive heat for crops.

This is bad news for growers of certain crops. That would include beans. I am interested in heat resistance. Beans do not like a nighttime temperature over 23. In my area, Central Ontario, Canada, currently few nights exceed the 20C nighttime heat limit but that may be changing.

Last summer, my first in the area, was hot and humid and more than a few nights exceeded the maximum temperature.

Talking with people who have gardened here for years, that summer was unusual. The previous year was cooler and wetter. The forecast for this year rests somewhere between the two. What the future holds, who knows.

In addition, to selecting for heat extremes, I am also interested in hardiness. I want to develop beans that will thrive in the soil where I live and will be resilient enough to tackle future challenges.

How would you go about facilitating this project? What about climatic conditions, geographic location within your garden or farm? Soil issues, disease?

The soil here is clay. I have worked in clay before and am comfortable I can use its advantages to the garden’s best effect. I am a renter with a large yard, permission to use it, as I will for growing, and a good lease. I have obtained several heritage beans, as well as, tepary beans suitable for much warmer climates.

Climate change is a major concern when it comes to future food security and may other issues. Beans are an ideal crop for storing over long periods of time and have multiple uses.

I will plant four varieties of beans, including tepary, and select and pollinate the plants that demonstrate the characteristics I am looking for. I will also be saving and sharing seeds with the local seed library.