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  • in How to Grow, Legumes, Plant

    How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Snap Beans

    How to Grow Beans

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    Snap beans–also called green beans–are tender annuals best planted shortly after the last frost in spring. Snap beans are grown for fresh eating or for canning. The color of snap beans can vary. Green beans are green but other snap beans can be yellow, purple, or speckled depending on the variety. Yellow snap beans are […] More

  • in Harvest and Storage

    How to Harvest and Store Snap Beans

    Bean Harvest bigstock Green Bean Basket 816102 scaled

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    Harvest snap beans (also known as green or string beans) before the seeds swell in the pods when they are no more than the diameter of a pencil. Smaller beans can be served as tender, baby snap beans. When to Harvest Snap Beans Start your snap bean harvest about 2 to 3 weeks after the […] More

  • in Gardening Tips, Tips

    Corn, Beans, and Squash: The Three Sisters

    Corn and beans 2

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    Sometimes one vegetable crop can help another vegetable crop grow better just by being nearby. For example lettuce and spinach often grow better in the shade of a taller plant. Growing two or more crops in close proximity for a shared benefit is called companion planting. A classic planting of three garden companions is corn, […] More

  • in Tips

    Pole Bean Planting Tips

    Vertical A frame support

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    Pole beans are heavy producers for the relatively small area of garden space they require. Choose a spot in full sun, loosen the soil to a depth of 1 foot, and add a 4-inch layer of aged compost or organic soil amendment—but not manure (beans produce their own nitrogen). Plant 5 seeds around the base […] More

  • in Preserve

    How to Can Green Snap Beans for Beginners

    Greens beans

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    Green beans are easy to can. You pick them, quickly snap or cut them in half or short pieces, simmer them for four minutes or less, pack them in jars, and process them in the canner for less than half an hour. Canned beans are delicious and versatile; they can be served as a side […] More

  • in Prepare, Recipes, Soups and Stews

    White Bean Soup with Variations

    White bean soup with carrots

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    White bean soup is hearty and well suited for cold weather. Basic bean soup is easy to make; follow one simple rule for best flavor: keep the heat low; bean soups burn easily. Variations on bean soup are many: you can add leftovers, fresh vegetables such as greens sliced thin or chopped, pasta, cooked vegetables—carrots, […] More

  • in Plant

    Preparing to Plant Snap Beans

    Soil preparation1

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    You can prepare a planting bed for beans wherever the soil is workable. Pole and runner beans and lima and broad beans will grow well in soil too poor for most other vegetables. But soil enriched with aged compost and fertilizer will give beans a good home to grow quickly and yield well. Bean planting […] More

  • in Main Courses, Recipes, Side Dishes

    Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

    Chili on baked potato1

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    This all vegetable and black bean chili is warming and filling. I serve this chili over a hot baked (and buttered) potato. Chili and chunks of potato are perfect after a winter afternoon in the garden. This recipe calls on dried black beans—but you could also use pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, […] More

  • in Legumes

    Bush Snap Beans for Quick Harvest

    Beans bush1

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    Bush snap beans are mild flavored and from seed are ready for harvest in as few as 40 days. Plant bush beans every 10 days or so for a continuous harvest throughout the season, or plant bush beans early in the season for a harvest before pole beans are ready or late in the season […] More