The oyster mushroom gets its name from its cap which, some say, resembles an oyster. The stem of the oyster mushrooms is perhaps more distinct; it unfurls something like one of those old-time paper lady's fans. The oyster mushroom has...

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Legumes Category Archive

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How to Grow Lentil

Lentils are a cool-season legume. Sow lentils in spring as early as 2 weeks before the average last frost date. Lentils can be started indoors before transplanting to the garden; lentil seeds will germinate in 10 days at 68°F. Lentils require 80 to 110 days to come to harvest.

To grow and learn about other legumes: click here.

Description. Lentils are a hardy annual; they are a member of the pea family. Lentils grow on sparsely branched vines from 18 to 24 inches tall. The lentil has small whitish to light purple pea-like flowers. Pods are small, broad, flat and contain one or two flat, lens-shaped seed that are green or yellow to orange, red or brown.

Yield. Plant 4 to 8 lentils per household member.

Site. Plant lentils in full sun. Lentils prefer loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. They will grow in poor soil. Lentils grow best in a soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Add aged compost to planting beds before sowing.

Continue reading "How to Grow Lentil" »

Harvest to Table's New Encyclopedia:
The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide

A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia

The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide is a veritable encyclopedia and easy how-to guide on all that is natural and necessary in the world of gardening and small fruit, vegetable, and herb preparation. Stephen Albert leaves no stone-collard green, leek, or potato-unearthed in this absolutely amazing field guide that greenhorns, old hands, weekend gardeners and chefs should not be without.

How to Grow Soybean

Soybeans are tender warm-weather legumes. Sow soybeans in spring 2 to 3 weeks after the average last frost date when the soil has warmed to at least 60°F. Soybeans can be planted earlier in warm-winter regions. Soybeans grow best where the daytime temperature averages in the 70°sF.

Description. The soybean is a bushy, free-branching annual legume. It grows 12 to 36 inches tall. Stems and leaves are hairy. Flowers are white with lavender shading. Pods grow 1 to 4 inches long in clusters of three to five. Each fuzzy pod contains 2 to 4 seeds. There are more than 10,000 soybean cultivars. Colors range from black to gray, brown, green, yellow, white, and striped. Seeds can be smaller than a pea or as large as a kidney bean.

Yield. Grow 4 to 8 soybean plants per each household member.

Site. Plant soybeans in full sun; soybeans will tolerate partial shade but the yield will be reduced. Soybeans grow best in loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Soybeans prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.8. Soybeans are tolerant of poor soil.

Continue reading "How to Grow Soybean" »

Bean Growing Problems: Troubleshooting

Beans: garden beans--including pole, bush, and shell--lima beans, mung beans, scarlet runner beans, asparagus beans, and southern peas (which are not beans but share similar cultural requirements). All of these crops share similar problems.

Here is a list of common bean problems and possible causes and cures. For more on vegetable garden pests and diseases see the Pest Problem Solver and the Disease Problem Solver.

For more on growing beans see How to Grow Snap Beans and How to Grow Lima Beans and the Beans Archive.

Bean problems: possible causes and cures:

• Seedlings fail to emerge. Several possible causes: (1) Beans are a warm weather crop and seed may rot in soil less than 50° to 60° F. Delay planting until the soil has warmed; (2) Soil is heavy or crusted; seedlings may not be able to push through. Add aged compost to the planting bed; cover seed with light compost mulch; (3) Seed was sown too deep or not deep enough. Beans planted in spring 2 inches deep or more may rot and fail to germinate. Beans planted at the end of spring or in summer may dry out and die if sown less than 1 inch deep. Plant beans about 1 inch deep in early spring; 2 inches deep later in the season.

• Seedlings are sheared or cut at the soil level, wilt and fall over. Cutworms are gray grubs curled in soil at base of plants. Keep garden clean of debris and plant residue. Keep garden weed-free. Use cardboard collars around seedlings.

• Seedlings are deformed or have no growing tips or leaves when they emerge. Seed corn maggots are the small yellowish-white larvae of small gray flies. Keep the garden clean. Cultivate to expose the larvae and disturb the life cycle. Replant when the weather is warmer.

• Seeds rot or seedlings collapse with dark water-soaked stems as soon as they appear. Damping off is a fungus that lives in the soil, particularly where humidity is high. Do not plant in cold, moist soil. Make sure soil is well drained.

Continue reading "Bean Growing Problems: Troubleshooting" »

Bean Varieties: Best Bets and Easy-to-Grow

Need top-choice, sure-bet, best-pick, easy-to-grow bean varieties?

Here are 25 top-performers for the home garden divided into 5 popular bean types: (1) snap-bush green, (2) snap-pole green, (3) bush yellow, (4) lima, and (5) dried and shell beans.

Keep reading to the bottom of this post for my tips for sure-fired bean growing success. Also see How to Grow Snap Beans and How to Grow Lima Beans and the Beans Archive for more growing info.

Best Bet Snap-Bush Beans:

• Blue Lake 274. 54-61 days. CBM. Tasty and unique flavor, plump, tender, fine texture. Dark-green, rounded pods 5½ to 6½ inches long; white seeds. Dwarf, bushy plants 12 to 22 inches tall. Beans come to maturity almost all at once; good for canning and freezing. Heavy yields.

• Bush Kentucky Wonder. 52-65 days. R. Excellent flavor. Fleshy, tender, stringless, round-flattened pods to 8 inches long; carmine seeds. Heavy yielder. Good fresh and canned. Vigorous grower over extended period. Good grower in all regions. Also called Old Homestead.

• Contender. 40-55 days. CBM, PM. Tasty fresh out of the garden or cooked. Medium-green, round-oval stringless 6 to 8 inch pods, slightly curved; buff mottled seeds. Bush plants 12 to 20 inch tall. Very productive and early to harvest. Tolerates heat and mildew.

• Derby. 57 days. AAS. CBM. Excellent flavor. Straight, dark-green pods, oval and rounded to 7 inches long; best when picked 5 inches long; white seeds. Good for freezing and canning. Strong upright plant with slow seed development for long harvest. Weather tolerant.

• Greencrop. 55 days. AAS. Excellent flavor, tender, meaty. Flat pods to 8 inches long, but just ½ inch wide, half the width of most Roman types. Top yields. Use fresh or for canning and freezing. Good grower in home gardens.

Continue reading "Bean Varieties: Best Bets and Easy-to-Grow" »

How to Grow Chickpeas, Garbanzo Beans

The chickpea or garbanzo bean is a cool-season annual that requires about 100 days to reach harvest. Sow chickpeas in the garden about the date of the average last frost in spring or slightly earlier. Chickpeas require a long growing season; to get a head start on the season, sow chickpeas indoors in a peat or paper pot several weeks before transplanting out. Set the chickpea and biodegradable pot whole in the garden when the plant is 4 to 5 inches tall.

How to prepare and serve chickpeas: click here.

Description. Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans and gram, are regarded as beans, but botanically are neither beans nor peas. The chickpea is a tender annual legume, a bushy plant that grows to about 18 inches tall and has pairs of dark green, compound leaflets that look like vetch. Chick peas have swollen, oblong pods to about 1 inch long and nearly as wide that contain one or two large, cream-colored, pea-like seeds each. Flowers may be white or violet colored depending on the variety.

Yield. Grow 4 to 8 chickpeas plants per each household member.

Site. Plant chickpeas in full sun. Chickpeas will grow in partial shade but the yield will be reduced. Grow chickpeas in loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Add aged compost to planting beds in advance of planting. Avoid planting chickpeas where green manures have just grown or in soil high in nitrogen; this will result in green leafy growth, not seed production. Add potassium and phosphorus to the soil.

Continue reading "How to Grow Chickpeas, Garbanzo Beans" »

How to Grow Peanuts

The peanut is a warm-weather perennial vegetable that requires 120 to 130 frost-free days to reach harvest. Sow peanuts in the garden 3 to 4 weeks after the average last frost date in spring, when the soil has warmed to at least 65°F. To get a head start on the season start peanuts indoor 5 to 8 weeks before transplanting seedlings outdoors.

Description. The peanut is a tender perennial usually grown as an annual, a member of the legume family. The peanut plant grows from 6 to 30 inches tall, depending on the type; some are upright and erect in habit, others are more spreading. Plants form two sets of opposite leaves on each stem and yellow, sweet-pea-like, self-pollinating flowers. The flowers occur on elongated, pea-like stems just above the soil and after pollination they dip and push into the ground 1 to 3 inches to develop underground seed ends called pegs or peduncles; these are the seed pods we call peanuts.

There are four basic types of peanuts:

• Runner. Runner type has uniform medium-sized seeds, usually two seeds per pod, growing from a low bush. Runner types are ready for harvest 130 to 150 days from planting. The uniform sizes of the seed make these a good choice for roasting. Runner types are grown in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Texas.

• Spanish. Spanish type has small, roundish seeds covered with a reddish-brown skin, growing on a low bush. Spanish types are ready for harvest 120 days from planting. The Spanish type peanut has high oil content and is used to for oil, peanut butter, and snacks. Spanish type peanuts are commonly grown in Oklahoma, Texas, and South Africa.

• Virginia. Virginia type has the largest seed of the four peanut types; the seed is most often roasted. There are commonly two and sometimes three seeds per pod. The Virginia type peanut stands to 24 inches tall and spreads to 30 inches wide and is ready for harvest 130 to 150 days from harvest. Virginia type peanuts are mostly grown from southeastern Virginia into northeastern North Carolina.

• Valencia. Valencia type has three to six small, oval seeds crowded into each pod. Each seed is covered with a bright-red skin. Valencia peanuts are often roasted in-the-shell or boiled fresh. The plants grow to about 50 inches tall and spread about 30 inches; most of the pods are clustered around the base of the plant. The Valencia type is ready for harvest 95 to 100 days from planting. Most Valencia peanuts are grown in New Mexico.

Yield. Grow 10 to 12 peanut plants per household member.

Site. Plant peanuts in full sun. Peanuts grow best in loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. A sandy-loamy soil is best. Double-dig clay soil and add gypsum and aged compost. The soil must be loose so that the pegs can penetrate and grow. Peanuts prefer a soil pH of 5.8 to 6.2.

Continue reading "How to Grow Peanuts" »

How to Grow Lima Beans

The lima bean is a tender annual. Sow lima beans in the garden 3 to 4 weeks after the average date of the last frost in spring when the soil temperature has warmed to 65° or more for at least 5 days and daytime temperatures are consistently warm. Start lima beans indoors as early as 2 to 3 weeks before the average last frost date in spring for transplanting into the garden. Lima beans require 60 to more than 90 warm, frost-free days to reach harvest depending upon type and variety.

See all of the bean articles--varieties, preparation, cooking: click here.

Description. Lima beans are tender annuals grown for their flat, crescent-oval-shaped seeds. There are two types of lima beans: bush and pole or vine varieties. Bush types grow to about 2 feet tall and tend to have smaller seeds; they bear more quickly than pole lima bean varieties. Pole lima beans have large seeds and can grow 10 to 12 feet high. Small-seeded limas, usually bush types, are also called butter beans, sieva beans, Burma beans, Madagascar beans, Carolina beans, and "baby limas." Large-seeded lima beans are sometimes called potato limas. Large-seeded limas are often sold as dry beans. Lima beans have pale green pods that vary from 3 to 4 inches long to 5 to 8 inches long depending upon variety. Lima bean seeds are eaten, not the pods. Leaves are commonly composed of three leaflets and the flowers are white. Bush lima bean varieties are ready for harvest from 60 to 80 days from sowing; pole bean varieties are ready for harvest in 85 to 90 days.

Yield. Grow 4 to 8 lima bean plants per each household member.

Site. Grow lima beans in full sun; they will grow in partial shade but the harvest will not be full. Lima beans prefer loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Beans prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.8. Prepare planting beds in advance by working in plenty of aged compost. Avoid planting beans where soil nitrogen is high or where green manure crops have just grown; these beans will produce green foliage but few beans.

Continue reading "How to Grow Lima Beans" »

How to Grow Southern Peas

The Southern pea is a warm-weather annual that will tolerate no frost. Southern peas include blackeyed peas and crowder peas. Southern peas are sometimes called cowpeas or field peas. Sow Southern peas in the garden 4 weeks after the last average frost date in spring. For an early start, sow Southern peas indoors 6 weeks before you plan to transplant them into the garden. Sow succession crops every 2 weeks. Southern peas require 60 to 90 days to reach harvest.

Description. Southern peas are tender bushy or vining annuals. They are more beanlike than pealike. The best know Southern pea is the blackeyed pea. It is white with a distinctive black mark at the hilum or seed scar where the seed attaches to the pod that makes it look like an eye. Other types of Southern peas are: the crowder pea, so named because the seeds seem to be crowded into their pod; cream or conch peas; and the purple-hull pea, named for the color of their pod. Southern peas are also called cowpeas or field peas because they are sometimes fed to livestock or used as green manure.

Southern peas have compound glossy green leaves with white or pale purple flowers. The pods resemble those of the common bean. Dwarf varieties of the Southern pea produce blackeyed peas. Other subspecies of the Southern pea include a very long-podded subspecies (sesquipedalis) known as asparagus bean, snake bean, or yard-long bean and an oblong-seeded subspecies (cylindrical) known as catjang pea or Indian cowpea

Yield. Plant 30 Southern pea plants for each household member. Succession sow Southern peas every 2 to 4 weeks for a continuous harvest.

Site. Plant Southern peas in full sun; they will tolerate partial shade. Grow Southern peas in loose, well-drained soil. Southern peas prefer sandy, loamy soil. Soils rich in organic matter will increase productivity, but Southern peas, like other legumes, are often planted to help improve poor soil. Add aged compost to growing beds at planting time. Southern peas prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5.

Continue reading "How to Grow Southern Peas" »

How to Grow Green or Snap Beans

Green beans--also called snap beans--for fresh eating are a tender annual best planted early in the season as soon as the frost has passed. Sow green beans in the garden just after the average date of the last frost in spring. To get an early start on the season, sow beans indoors as early as 3 or 4 weeks before the average last frost date in spring for transplanting into the garden a week or two after the last frost. For continuous fresh harvest through the growing season, sow succession crop bush beans every two weeks. Beans can continue in the garden until the first frost in fall. However, beans will not set pods in temperatures above 80°F.

Which bean is the right bean? Read all about beans, click here.

To grow beans for drying and long storage: click here.

Description. Green or snap beans are tender annuals grown for their edible immature pods. Green beans grow either as bushes or vines. The size and color of pods and seeds can vary. Pods can be 3 or 4 inches to 6 to 8 inches or more long and vary in color: green, yellow, purple, and speckled. Yellow beans are often called wax beans. Pods can be round or flat. Leaves are commonly composed of three leaflets and flowers are yellow, lavender, or white. Bush bean varieties are ready for harvest in 45 to 60 days; pole bean varieties are ready for harvest in 60 to 85 days. Bush beans grow to 2 or 3 feet tall and mature earlier than pole beans. Pole beans can grow to 8 feet tall and require a stake or trellis for support. Pole beans produce more beans per plant than bush beans.

Yield. Grow 4 to 8 bean plants per each household member.

Site. Grow beans in full sun. Beans will grow in partial shade but the harvest will not be full. Beans grow best in loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Beans prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.8. Prepare planting beds in advance by working in plenty of aged compost. Avoid planting beans where soil nitrogen is high or where green manure crops have just grown; these beans will produce green foliage but few beans.

Continue reading "How to Grow Green or Snap Beans" »

How to Grow Dry Beans

Dry or dried beans--also called shell beans--are beans grown to full maturity and left in their pods to dry before being shelled and stored for later use. Dried beans can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to a year or more. (These beans also can be harvested at the green, shelling stage--when seeds are still tender--and eaten before they dry. Often these beans are called "shuckies.") Many beans that can be eaten fresh and immature also can be grown to maturity and dried.

Beans are a tender annual best planted early in the season as soon as the frost has passed. Sow beans in the garden just after the average date of the last frost in spring. To get an early start on the season, sow beans indoors as early as 3 or 4 weeks before the average last frost date in spring for transplanting into the garden a week or two after the last frost. Beans will grow in the garden until the first frost in fall. But they will not set pods in temperatures above 80°F. Beans for shelling are sometimes harvested after the first frost, well after plants have dropped their leaves.

Learn all about beans at our bean archive: click here.

Description. Dry beans or shell beans are beans grown to full maturity, usually harvested in fall after the pods have matured and the leaves of the plant have dried and fallen. Beans grow either as bushes or vines. The size and color of pods and seeds can vary. Pods can be 3 or 4 inches to 12 to 14 inches long at maturity and vary in color during the growing season: green, yellow, purple, and speckled. Leaves are commonly composed of three leaflets and flowers are pale yellow or white. Beans for shelling commonly grow on bushes that are to 2 or 3 feet tall; some are pole beans that can grow to 8 feet tall or more. Dry beans require from 70 to 120 days to reach harvest.

Yield. Grow 4 to 8 bean plants per each household member.

Site. Grow beans in full sun. Beans will grow in partial shade but the harvest will not be full. Beans prefer loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Beans prefer a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.8. Prepare planting beds in advance by working in plenty of aged compost. Avoid planting beans where soil nitrogen is high or where green manure crops have just grown; these beans will produce green foliage but few beans.

Continue reading "How to Grow Dry Beans" »

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Legumes Category Archive

Harvest to Table's New Encyclopedia: The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide

A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia

Harvest to Table's New Encyclopedia:
The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide