How to Plant Pinto Beans
Pinto beans are the second leading commercial crop (after soy beans). They are traditionally grown with corn and squash as part of the Native American "three sisters" crops. Pinto beans are usually harvested as a dry bean; they can be found in grocery stores in dry bean mixes or commercially prepared as refried beans. In the backyard garden, pinto beans can be eaten fresh, when the pods are 2 to 3 inches long, or left to mature and dry on the plant before harvesting. Pinto beans require full sun and well-drained, fertile soil. Like all beans, pinto beans "fix" nitrogen in the soil and should follow heavy-feeding vegetables like corn and potatoes in crop-rotation plans. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Planting pinto beans
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The autumn before planting pinto beans, choose a spot in your garden that receives full sun.
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Add compost or well-rotted manure and till into the top 6 inches of soil. The soil should be light and fluffy. The soil is ready when you can insert your hand with little resistance.
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Plant pinto beans in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. Make a furrow in the soil 1 to 1.5 inches deep and drop the seeds into the furrow, spacing them 2 to 4 inches apart. Space rows 2 to 3 feet apart.
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Give your seeds 1 to 2 inches of water after planting.
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Apply 2 to 3 inches of mulch between rows for weed control and moisture retention.
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Tips & Warnings
Buy seeds that are already inoculated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Plant pinto beans every two weeks until mid-July for a continuous harvest. Pick pinto beans when the pods and seeds are completely mature and dry.
Rotate your bean crops with other vegetables to discourage disease and pests.
