Dry beans
Vegetable · warm season · also called black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, navy beans, shelling beans, dried beans
When to plant
- Sow seeds outdoors about 1 week after your average last spring frost.
- Ready to harvest about 95 days after planting.
Leave pods on the plant until they are dry and rattle; finish drying indoors, then shell.
Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.
Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b
Growing basics
Toxic parts. Raw or undercooked dry beans (kidney beans especially) are toxic. Soak them, then boil at least 10 minutes.
Harmful to pets. Raw or undercooked beans are toxic to cats and dogs.
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Spacing
- 4–6 in
- Soil temperature
- At least 60°F
- Time to harvest
- About 95 days
- Containers
- At least 3 gallons
- Plant family
- Bean and pea family (legumes)
- Harvest per plant
- About 0.12 lb
- Seeds keep
- About 3 years
Companions
Keep apart: the onion family (alliums). Onions and garlic can stunt beans and peas.
Keep apart: Horseradish. Horseradish spreads aggressively. Give it its own spot.
Keep apart: Mint. Mint spreads aggressively into neighbors. Keep it in a pot.
Keep apart: Fennel (bulb). Fennel slows the growth of most garden plants. Grow it on its own.
Keep apart: Sunflower. Sunflowers release compounds that can slow beans.
Keep apart: Sunchoke (Jerusalem artichoke). Sunchokes spread aggressively and shade neighbors.
Pests and problems
Grow it well
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