Growing Beans For Long-Term Storage
When growing beans to dry, home gardeners will want to provide similar conditions as for snap peas and green beans. Beans are a warm weather plant that require between 80-100 days to reach maturity.
Since beans are nitrogen-fixing plants they do not require heavy fertilizer, however, the yields will increase by inoculating the seeds with Rhizobium bacteria (roll the seeds in the medium before planting). Plant your beans about 1″ deep and provide a thick layer of mulch. Mulch helps the bean plants because they prefer even moisture, and some varieties will need support, staking, or a trellis.
When growing beans for a crop of dry beans, gardeners will not pick beans early through the season, but rather let plants grow fully until pods are completely ripe. Cut the entire plant and hang them upside down in a dry area until the pods are dry. Split to remove the beans or thresh as needed.
Harvesting and Storing Dry Beans
Once the beans begin to dry in the pods you’ll need to shell them. Some varieties, such as soybean and lima beans, will have pods that split open automatically. Most bean varieties will not split on their own, and will need to be split by the gardener.
I find it easiest to grasp the far end of the pod and pinch it between a thumb and forefinger with my fingers on the seams. When I pinch it, the seam will usually pop open, and it’s easy then to use your thumb to knock all the beans out of the pod into a collecting bowl. Discard the pods into your compost bin or feed as roughage to cows, goats, or chickens if they will eat them.
Another way to get the beans out is through “threshing”. You can put the bean pods into a burlap sack and beat them to loosen the beans, or stir them roughly in a small trashcan with a wooden spoon – either way only thresh when the beans are already fairly dry so you don’t smash soft beans.
Beans are dry enough for storage when you can bite them without leaving a dent. If air-drying hasn’t made them dry enough, gardeners can heat them on a cookie sheet in the oven at about 175 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Once they are completely cool and dry, store in airtight jars in a cool, dry place like cellar or pantry.
See more about Growing Shoots, Peas and Beans by Richard Bird.
