Red kidney beans plant

Tips On Caring And Harvesting Kidney Beans

Kidney beans are a healthy inclusion to the home garden. They have antioxidant properties, folic acid, vitamin B6, and magnesium, not to mention they are a rich source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. One cup (240 mL.) of kidney beans provides 45 percent of the recommended daily intake for fiber! High in protein, kidney beans, and other beans are a vegetarian’s mainstay. They are also a good choice for folks with diabetes, hypoglycemia, or insulin resistance because their rich fiber content keeps sugar levels from rising too rapidly. With all that goodness, the only question is how to grow kidney beans.

How to Grow Kidney Beans

There are a number of kidney bean varieties to choose from. Some of them, like Charlevoix, are more prone to viruses and bacteria, so do your research. They come in both bush and vine varieties.

In the same family as black beans, pinto, and navy beans, these big red beans are a staple in most chili recipes. They are only used dried and then cooked, as the raw beans are toxic. A few minutes of cooking time, however, neutralizes the toxins.

Kidney beans do best in USDA growing zones 4 and warmer with temps between 65-80 F. (18-26 C.) for most of their growing season. They don’t do well transplanted, so it’s best to direct sow them in the spring after the last frost date for your area. Don’t plant them too early or the seeds will rot. You may want to lay down some black plastic to warm the soil.

Plant them in full sun exposure in well-draining soil. Beans don’t like to get their “feet” wet. When growing kidney beans, space the seed 4 inches (10 cm.) apart for vining beans and 8 inches (20.5 cm.) apart for bush varieties, one inch to 1 ½ inch (2.5 to 4 cm.) below the soil surface. The growing kidney bean seedlings should emerge between 10-14 days from planting. Keep in mind that the vining types will need some sort of support or trellis to grow on.

Beans shouldn’t be grown in the same area more than once every four years. Plants such as corn, squash, strawberries, and cucumber benefit from companion planting with beans.

Kidney beans can be container grown, but it is best to use a bush variety. For each plant, use a 12-inch (30.5 cm.) pot. Keep in mind that it takes 6-10 bean plants to supply enough for one person’s use so container growing, while possible, may be impractical.

Care of Kidney Beans

The care of kidney beans is minimal. Beans produce their own nitrogen, so it usually isn’t necessary to fertilize the plants. If you feel compelled, however, be sure not to use a food that is high in nitrogen. This will only stimulate lush foliage, not bean production.

Keep the area around the beans free from weeds and keep them lightly moist, not wet. A good layer of mulch will aid in retarding weeds and maintaining moist soil conditions.

Harvesting Kidney Beans

Within 100-140 days, depending upon the variety and your region, the harvesting of kidney beans should be near. As the pods start to dry out and yellow, quit watering the plant. If it is not too humid and you have left plenty of space between plants, the beans may well dry on the plant. They will be hard as rocks and desiccated.

Otherwise, when the pods are the color of straw and it’s time to harvest, remove the entire plant from the soil and hang it upside down inside in a dry place to allow the beans to continue to dry out. Once the beans have completely cured, you can keep them in a tightly sealed container for about a year.

How to grow kidney beans – a healthy inclusion to the home garden

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Learn how to grow kidney beans for a versatile ingredient that’s packed with flavor and goodness.

Kidney beans are a fantastic source of protein and dietary fiber, and are rich in nutrients including iron, vitamin B6 and folic acid. Eating them regularly can help to control blood sugar levels as they are low on the glycemic index, and they can even reduce cholesterol when eaten in place of meat.

So much more than a staple of hearty chilis, kidney beans can be enjoyed in salads, stews and soups. They can also be dried and stored for year-round use, making them a fantastic addition to your kitchen garden ideas.

Kidney beans are easy to grow, but you do need to consider whether your local climate is suitable. 'They grow well in temperate climates, and love a temperature range of around 59-77°F (15-25°C),’ says Aditya Abhishek, a horticultural expert for Agriculture Review .

Bear in mind that kidney beans must be properly cooked before eating, as they contain lectin, which can cause sickness if not diminished through boiling.

(Image credit: Digihelion / Alamy Stock Photo)

How to grow kidney beans – step-by-step guide

Ideally you should sow your kidney beans in the spring. ‘Generally you can sow seeds from February to March for a good germination rate,’ says Abhishek. ‘However, this can vary according to local climate. In hot tropical areas, you can start sowing seeds from mid October to November.’

The key issue when deciding when to plant kidney beans, is whether the soil feels warm enough. ‘Kidney beans love warm soil, so they should be planted only after the last frosts – otherwise, they will rot,’ says Emilly Barbosa Fernandes, small space gardener at HouseGrail .

First, choose a good site to sow your kidney beans. ‘Select a spot that receives at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight each day. This will help in good vegetative growth and reduce the risk of pests and diseases,’ says Abhishek. ‘You need well-drained, loose soil that is rich in organic matter – soil pH in the range of 6.0 to 7.0 is ideal.’
It’s important to space the plants to give them enough room to grow, as kidney beans do not like to be transported. ‘Grow pole beans at least 4 inches apart and increase that to 8 inches apart for bush kidney beans,’ explains Jason White, CEO of All About Gardening .
To maximize chances of success, plant two seeds close to each other, and remove the weaker seedlings as they grow. ‘Sow the seeds 1-2 inches deep to guarantee that the plant will stay firmly in the ground,’ says Barbosa Fernandes. ‘Otherwise, wind or rain will easily break shallowly planted plants.’
Cover the kidney beans with soil, firm the ground and water them lightly.
The seeds should germinate within two weeks, but it will take a little time before your beans are ready to harvest. ‘It will take around 100-140 days for the plant to mature, and to produce kidney beans,’ says Abhishek.
Keep the plants moist, but do not over water them. ‘Kidney beans only need minimal care, so avoid watering them constantly,' says White. ‘Add a layer of mulch to help in retarding weeds and to maintain moisture in the soil.’

It is better to grow kidney beans in the ground, but if you choose a pot of at least 12-inch diameter, they can make a good vegetable garden container idea. Plant one seed per pot.

(Image credit: Digihelion / Alamy Stock Photo)

Do kidney bean plants need support?

Pole varieties of kidney beans will require support as they grow, so investigate one of the many vegetable garden trellis ideas.

The most simple solution is to add a cane close to the planting hole, when sowing the seeds. You can then tie in the vines as they grow.

If you are growing a bush variety of kidney bean, then the plants won’t require much support, but do keep an eye on them in bad weather.

Which variety of kidney bean?

When investigating how to grow kidney beans, there are a number of varieties to choose from, but bear in mind that some are more susceptible to viruses than others.

‘By picking the right varieties you will have better chances to have a good, healthy harvest,’ says Barbosa Fernandes. ‘I advise beginners to pick the kidney bean varieties that are less prone to mosaic viruses such as NY-15 and BY-1.

‘If you want to plant dark red kidney beans, Montcalm is a good variety that is resistant to viruses. Redkloud, Ruddy, and Redkote are good varieties of light red kidney beans that are resistant to major kidney beans viruses.’

(Image credit: Mongkol Nitirojsakul / EyeEm / Getty Images)

How to harvest kidney beans

You can harvest kidney beans when the pods are plump with well-formed beans – at this stage the pods will have yellowed and the beans will feel quite hard.

One of the benefits of growing kidney beans is that they can be dried and stored away for future use. To do this, remove the plants from the ground and hang them upside down in a dark, dry area.

It will take anything from a few days to a couple of weeks to cure the beans, at which stage you can remove them from the pods and store in an airtight container.

To rehydrate dried kidney beans, soak them in water for at least 8 hours, followed by a good rinse. Then, before eating them you must cook them to destroy the lectin – this requires a minimum boiling time of 10 minutes.

How long does it take to grow a kidney bean?

It takes anywhere from 3-5 months to grow kidney beans from seed to harvest, but germination will happen in as little as a few days.

‘Sprouting typically takes at least five days, but the length of time varies with temperature. Generally speaking, warmer temperatures make beans grow faster,’ says Pascal Harting from Gardening Lord .

Are kidney beans easy to grow?

Kidney beans are easy to grow if you live in a mild climate and have fairly neutral soil. They are low-maintenance plants, and do not like being over-watered.

Kidney bean issues

Keep an eye out for pests when growing kidney bean plants. ‘Leafhoppers, slugs, aphids, and beetles are all attracted to kidney bean leaves,’ says Barbosa Fernandes. ‘Handpicking and organic pesticides are the ideal methods to get rid of these pests.’

If aphids are present, you can easily make your own treatment spray using a very weak concentration of dish soap.

'While watering kidney bean plants, avoid wetting of leaves as it can promote fungal infection in the plant,' adds Abhishek.

As editor of Period Living, Britain's best-selling period homes magazine, Melanie loves the charm of older properties. I live in a rural village just outside the Cotswolds in England, so am lucky to be surrounded by beautiful homes and countryside, where I enjoy exploring. Having worked in the industry for almost two decades, Melanie is interested in all aspects of homes and gardens. Her previous roles include working on Real Homes and Homebuilding & Renovating, and she has also contributed to Gardening Etc. She has an English degree and has also studied interior design. Melanie frequently writes for Homes & Gardens about property restoration and gardening.

planting, care, cultivation, harvesting and storage of crops

Red kidney bean is a heat-loving crop valued for its high content of vegetable protein, taste and dietary properties. Learn how to plant, grow and store beans for the next harvest.

The history of red beans

The peoples who inhabited the South American continent were the first to grow beans. The wild plant was cultivated more than 7 thousand years ago. Somewhat later, beans began to be grown in Egypt, the Roman Empire, and China.

By the Middle Ages, beans, for unknown reasons, were forgotten in Europe. Another meeting with her took place thanks to the Spanish sailors. It was they who, after the voyage of Columbus, brought bean seeds to Spain, which soon became one of the most nutritious and sought-after crops here.

Red beans were brought to Russia in the 16th century. At first, it was perceived here as an ornamental plant, and as a food crop they began to grow only in the 18th century.

There are about 150 types of beans in the world, and red beans are just one of them.

The best varieties of red beans

This variety is distinguished by the shape of pods and beans, taste, ripening time, type of bushes (upright and climbing) and other features.

Popular varieties of red beans:

Red common. Bushes grow up to 50 cm in height. The length of the pods is 10-12 cm. Each contains 8-10 red seeds. The weight of one bean is 3 g. From 1 square. m collect 2.5 kg of beans. Ripening time is average.
Little Red Riding Hood. Red pigmentation predominates in beans. There is some white. This is a late-ripening variety with bushes up to 45 cm high. Pods of medium length contain 8-10 beans. Productivity - 3 kg per 1 square. m or more.
Chocolate girl. Late large-fruited variety with bushes 40-55 cm high. Pods up to 15 cm long, each containing 6-7 red-brown beans. Each bob has a white stripe. Productivity - over 3.5 kg / sq. m.
Early ripening. An early variety with pink-red beans. There are white patches. The length of one bean is up to 2 cm.

The benefits and harms of red beans

Any bean contains vegetable, easily digestible protein, which successfully replaces meat. Red beans contain approximately 25% protein, and in terms of their energy value, they are equal to their animal counterparts.

Benefits of red beans:

promotes weight loss;
appetite suppressant;
prevents diabetes and cardiovascular disease;
improves circulation;
normalizes the functioning of the digestive system;
promotes the elimination of toxins;
strengthens the immune system.

Red beans contain a record amount of boron, calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, aluminum. It also contains a lot of vitamins C, E, K and group B.

Beans are strictly forbidden to eat raw, as this can cause poisoning. Fresh beans contain toxins that are easily neutralized by heat treatment or soaking.

Beans are eaten with caution in:

Gout. It is not recommended to eat a lot of beans and predisposition to this disease. Beans are high in purines, substances that release uric acid when broken down, which the kidneys may not be able to remove.
Diseases of the stomach and intestines. Beans cause gas and bloating.

Rules for planting red beans

The main condition for successful growth and high yield of beans is the right timing and well-prepared soil. This heat-loving plant should not be planted before stable heat comes.

Terms of planting for seedlings and in open ground

Beans are a heat-loving crop, so seeds thrown into cold ground will not germinate, they may even rot. Planting begins when the top layer of soil is 10-15 cm, warms up to + 12 ... + 15 ° С.

It is impossible to rush to plant beans, they are planted after the temperature has established and night frosts have been excluded. Seedlings die at +1 °C. For active growth and development, the culture requires a temperature of + 20 ... + 25 ° C.

Terms of sowing beans in the ground:

in the Urals - at the beginning of June;
in Siberia - in the second decade of June;
in the central region - at the end of May-beginning of June;
in the North-Western region - in the first decade of June;
in the south - in the second half of April.

You can plant beans for seedlings in early April. Also a favorable period is May.

Site selection and soil preparation

Beans are planted in well-lit areas that are free from drafts and strong winds. Any soil is suitable, except for excessively heavy clay soils - water stagnates in them, so plant roots can rot.

In autumn, dig the soil as deep as possible, after spreading organic and mineral fertilizers over the area. For 1 sq. m area add:

humus or compost - 4 kg;
dolomite flour - 1 tbsp. l.;
ammonium nitrate - 1 tbsp. l.;
superphosphate - 2 tbsp. l.

Beans are recommended to be planted after:

cabbage;
tomatoes;
cucumbers;
potatoes;
eggplant;
pepper.

Undesirable precursors - all legumes. Beans do not grow well after peas, soybeans, lentils, peanuts. It is planted on the site after these crops no earlier than 3-4 years later. Beans grow well next to carrots, beets, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage.

Planting red beans outdoors

It is recommended to soak the seeds overnight in water before planting. If you use ash infusion instead of water, soaking is reduced to 2-3 hours. Immediately before sowing the seeds in the ground, they are kept for 3-4 minutes in a weak solution of boric acid.

Order of planting red bean seeds in the ground:

In the area dug up and fertilized since autumn, make furrows at intervals of 40 and 50 cm for bush and climbing beans, respectively. The depth of the furrows is 5-6 cm.
Place the seeds in dry grooves at intervals of 20-25 cm and 30-35 cm for bush and climbing varieties respectively. To increase germination, plant seeds more often, but then the extra seedlings will have to be removed.
You can make holes instead of furrows. Then put 3-4 beans in each of them. When shoots appear, leave the healthiest sprout, remove the rest or transplant to another bed.
Cover crops with loose soil and level with a rake.
Water the area using the sprinkler method.
If in doubt about nighttime temperatures, temporarily cover crops with foil.

Planting in seedlings

In regions with cold, long springs, it is recommended to grow beans in seedlings in order to bring the ripening of the pods closer by 2-3 weeks.

Beans for seedlings are grown in large containers or in individual containers, including peat pots. The recommended container for growing seedlings is individual glasses of 250 ml and 8 cm in diameter.

Sowing order for seedlings:

Soak the seeds before planting in the ground. It is desirable that they have sprouts.
Make drainage holes in the glasses. Put them on a pallet and pour the soil mixture. Soil options:
- Mix peat, humus and garden soil in a ratio of 1:1:2.
- Take compost, soddy soil and sand in a ratio of 1:1:0.1.
- Mix garden and turf soil with sand in a ratio of 3:2:0. 1.
Sprinkle the soil and make small depressions in the center of the cups. Hole depth - 4-5 cm. When sowing in containers, leave intervals of 7-8 cm between seeds.
Place 1 or 2 beans in each hole. Preferably sprouts down or to the side. Fill the holes with soil and compact a little.
Cover the crops with foil and place them in a warm room. Remove the covering material from time to time (2-3 times a day) for 10-15 minutes so that condensation does not collect on it.
When sprouts appear, remove the film and lower the temperature by 2-3 °C. Place containers with seedlings closer to the light.
Water seedlings when the soil dries out. You can also apply a mineral complex fertilizer to the soil, for example, Diammofoska (dissolve 3 g in 1 liter of water). The frequency of top dressing is 1 time in 10 days.
Fertilize only after the first true leaves appear on the seedlings. Before fertilizing, water the soil a little so as not to burn the roots.

Transplanting seedlings in open ground

Bean seedlings are planted one month after sowing the seeds. It is impossible to delay planting, so it is better to sow the beans a little later so that you do not have to plant seedlings in cold weather.

When to plant seedlings of beans:

in the Urals - late May-early June;
in Siberia - beginning or second decade of June;
in the central region - the second half of May-beginning of June;
in the North-Western region - the end of May - the first ten days of June;
in the south - in the second half of April-early May.

The procedure for planting bean seedlings in open ground:

2 weeks before transplanting seedlings into open ground, start hardening them. Expose every day, preferably in the morning, containers / glasses with seedlings to fresh air. First for 30-60 minutes. Gradually increase the time.
A couple of days before transplanting, leave it outside overnight.
In prepared beds, dug up and leveled with a rake, make indentations every 15-20 cm. Leave a distance of 40-50 cm between rows (depending on the bean variety).
If the beds have not been fertilized, add compost and wood ash to each hole - 50 and 20 g respectively.
Pour warm, settled water over each well.
Remove the seedling from the container together with the clod of earth and move it to the hole. If the seedlings grew in peat pots, put them together with the seedling in a recess.
Cover the seedlings with soil and compact it gently.
Place supports when planting climbing beans.

Water the seedlings before planting to make them easy to remove from the planting containers.

Care and cultivation of red beans

Beans are one of the most unpretentious plants that do not require special attention from gardeners. He has basic needs - moisture, warmth, nutrition, soil clean from weeds.

Watering rules

Beans love moisture, so they should not be left without watering. It is especially important to water the culture at the first stage of development. Recommended watering frequency is once a week.

Irrigation rates, l per 1 sq. m:

after germination - 5-6;
during flowering - 10-12;
in the phase of formation and maturation of beans - 16-18.

Water the beans in the morning or evening. For irrigation use settled and rain water. It should not fall on the aerial parts of plants. It is best to pour water into the aisles.

Loosening the soil

Loosening the soil begins after emergence. As the beans grow, loosening is combined with weeding. Thanks to the loosening of the row spacing, oxygen enters the roots of the plant, contributing to its growth and development.

Tips for loosening red beans:

Skin must not be allowed to form, even before emergence. Sprouts, breaking through, can break on a hard layer.
Bush varieties are hilled three times. Raking the ground to the stems, increase the stability of the bushes. The first time the beds are spudded at a plant height of 10 cm, the second - 20 cm, the third - at the stage of closing neighboring beds.

Top dressing

Beans do not require additional top dressing if fertilizer was applied before digging or in holes during planting. But if this has not been done, or the soils are infertile, and the variety requires additional nutrition, they resort to top dressing during the growing season.

Feeding features:

Potassium and phosphorus are mainly introduced. The culture extracts nitrogen from the soil on its own, thanks to nodule bacteria.
At the initial stage, it is recommended to apply superphosphate, during flowering and the formation of ovaries - potassium salt. Application rate - 30 g per 1 sq. m. The solutions are poured through the narrow spout of the watering can, trying not to get on the leaves and stems of plants.

Garter

Only climbing red beans need a garter. Without supports, the plants will be on the ground, they will hurt and rot. Yields will drop, or the pods will not ripen at all.

Tips for tying climbing red beans:

Wooden stakes 1.5-2 m long are used as supports. Plastic and metal supports are not suitable - plant stems will not be able to trail along them.
The second option is tapestries. Two supports are placed along the edges of the beds, between which they stretch a wire, a thick twine or a mesh with large cells - bean stalks will cling to them.
Another garter option is slanted wooden slats installed along the entire bed at an angle.

Diseases and pests

Red kidney bean, not prone to disease, but under adverse conditions is affected by fungal and viral infections, bacterial rot. Usually they are caused by a malicious violation of agricultural technology, non-compliance with crop rotation and ignoring prevention.

Common diseases:

Mosaic. Plants become mottled, leaves shrivel, blistering may appear. This viral disease has no specific treatment. Affected plants are pulled out and destroyed.
Anthracnose. A fungal disease in which the leaves become covered with light brown spots. On the leaves they are rounded, and on the stems they are elongated. The pods rot and the beans inside become sources of infection. Fungicides help fight the disease.
Root rot. Attacks seedlings. The people call the disease "black leg". Has no treatment. Prevention is needed - prevention of waterlogging, soil disinfection, crop rotation.
White and gray rot. A fungal infection affecting all plant tissues. White or gray coating covers the stems, leaves, pods, they soften and rot, the plants die.
Powdery mildew. The causative agent is a fungus. Appears at high humidity. It spreads quickly and is highly contagious. The leaves of the plants are covered with a white powdery coating. The plant turns yellow and dries up.

Anti fungal agents:

Spraying with 1% Bordeaux liquid 1 or 2 times with a break of 10 days.
Treatment with biofungicides - Fitosporin, Mikosan, Trichodermin and others.
Spraying with colloidal sulfur solution - especially effective against anthracnose and powdery mildew.

Various types of pests are interested in beans, some eat the leaves and gnaw the stems, others suck the juice out of them, others eat the beans. Preventive measures, insecticides and folk methods help to cope with them.

Most common pests:

Slugs. They are nocturnal, eating all parts of plants. They are scared away from the beds with lime and ash - they are scattered in the aisles.
Aphid. Sucks juices from leaves, gathering in colonies on their reverse side. Folk methods help to drive away insects - spraying with infusions of tomato or tobacco tops, onion peel, celandine.
Pea weevil (bruchus). Beetle larvae damage beans by eating their flesh. Crops are treated with Gaupsin, Bicol, Verticillin. These drugs are effective in the fight against pea weevils and pea codling moth, thrips and spider mites.

Harvesting and storage of red beans

Harvesting of shell beans - for grain, begins when the beans are fully ripe. We must wait until they become hard and acquire a color corresponding to mature seeds.

Harvest time depends on variety and growing region. It can be harvested from the end of July - in early ripening and early varieties, until the end of September - in late beans. If the leaves have dried up and the pods have turned yellow, it's time to harvest.

How to collect and store beans:

Pull out the bushes. And it is better to cut it off so that nodule bacteria remain in the soil, saturating it with nitrogen.
Lay out the bushes on a film or burlap - this will allow you not to lose the seeds that have fallen out of the pods. If the weather is unstable, it is better to fold the crop under a canopy so that the rain does not wet it.
When the pods are completely dry, start peeling. Put the collected beans in canvas bags or plastic bottles and store in a cool, dry place.

Some gardeners do not peel the beans, but hang the bushes from the ceiling - in the barn or shed, and then take the pods from them as needed.

Pods and green beans can be frozen. Fresh beans are not stored for a long time, they quickly wither and deteriorate. Within 8-10 days it must be eaten, frozen or canned. Beans are blanched for 2 minutes before freezing, and then placed in containers.

Cultivation of red beans does not cause any special problems, its agricultural technique is simple and accessible even to novice gardeners. The key to a good harvest is the right choice of planting dates, abundant watering and preventive measures.

Author of the publication

description, features, recipes and useful properties

Red bean (lat. Phaséolus) is an annual herbaceous plant from the legume family. Red bean beans are considered the most important basis of the diet and are part of the national dishes in many countries - for example, in Mexico.

The history of appearance

Archaeologists found bean seeds during excavations of settlements of the 3rd millennium BC, which indicates the early cultivation of the species. In Europe, beans appeared after the second journey of Christopher Columbus in the 15th century. Beans came to Russia from France in the 17th-18th centuries, so Russian peasants often called them "French beans". At first, beans were grown as an ornamental plant, and after noticing the similarity of beans with peas, they began to grow it as a vegetable crop.

Benefits and harms

Red beans contain up to 30% easily digestible protein, which makes them an excellent alternative to meat and suitable for a plant-based diet. Beans are also full of various trace elements and vitamins - B vitamins, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and phosphorus. The fiber in red beans helps keep you feeling full longer, regulate blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and flush out toxins from the body. Raw beans contain toxic substances, which is why they must be cooked and not eaten raw. In addition, beans are a heavy food, and people with gastrointestinal diseases should use them with caution.

How it tastes

Red kidney beans have a pronounced sweet taste with a nutty tinge. Of all the species, it has the densest shell and tender, oily flesh. Unlike white beans, red beans are rarely used in full-fledged dishes due to their characteristic taste.

As it is

Red beans are an important base for many dishes, from everyday to festive. To cook the beans, they must be soaked for several hours in cold water, and then boiled for a long time. But, if this method of cooking is not very suitable for you, you can choose canned beans.