- Plants need three things to grow: soil, sun and water; add a seed or two, and you have an exciting experiment for children and adults alike. Watching bean plants grow is quickly rewarding since they have a quick life cycle and produce fruit rather fast.
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There are two main types of beans commonly grown at home: bush bean and pole bean.
Bush beans commonly are referred to as string beans or snap beans, stand erect without support and require little work.
Pole beans require a form of support to grow properly and are easily harvested. -
There are five basic steps in the life cycle of the bean plant.
1. Germination-After the bean is planted and watered, it takes about one week to sprout.
2. Growth-When the sprout surfaces and is exposed to sunlight it will grow in that direction; this takes about six weeks.
3. Reproduction and flowering-The plant will flower and then naturally wither and begin growing into the bean pod.
4. Bean-When the beans have fully ripened they may be harvested for consumption.
5. Bean Plant-Allow some bean pods to naturally dry, burst and fall to the ground for the seed-to-seed process, which completes the life cycle of the bean plant. - WeBelieveWeb.com offers simple instructions and pictures on how to grow a simple bean plant. Joseph Ciciano, author of the book "My Bean Plant," provides an online handout appropriate for use in the class or in homeschool.
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Since beans tend to have poor root systems, do not plant them deeply or too close together.
Keep the moisture of the soil at a proper level to avoid seed cracking and poor germination.
Since beans are sensitive to cold temperatures, gardens should be planted after there is no risk of frost.
Plant new bean plants every two to four weeks for a continuous supply of beans through the growing season. - Beans commonly have two diseases, bean mosaic disease and bacterial bean blight, which result in discoloration of the plant leaves. Bean mosaic disease can be prevented by using mosaic-resistant bean varieties; bacterial bean blight can be controlled by using disease-free seeds and avoiding contact with wet plants.
