How to Grow and Care for Beans

Common bean is one of the most widely produced cash crops in the world, with 23.6 million tons grown in 2016. China is the largest producer of common bean, accounting for 79% of the market share. While common bean is known as a staple food source, the leaves can be used to trap bedbugs and the beans are widely used in a type of fortune-telling called "pharmancy".

The scarlet runner plant makes for a beautiful display with its lush green leaves with bright red flowers. The beans that grow in the scarlet runner can be cooked and eaten, and they provide fiber, protein, and potassium.

Tepary Bean (Phaseolus acutifolius) is an annual bean plant native to the United States and Mexico and can produce fruit even in arid, drought-level conditions. In folklore, some native tribes believe that the Milky Way at night is actually made up of tepary Beans in the sky! It is an incredibly well-behaved bean that is very easy to grow.

The lima bean is an annual bushy or creeping, perennial herbaceous plant whose stems can reach lengths of 2 to 4 meters. The petals are usually light green, sometimes purple.

A cultivar of Common bean, common bean 'Blue Lake’ produces abundant amounts of stringless green beans from early summer to early autumn. An heirloom variant, this cultivar dates back to 1885 and is chosen by gardeners for its climbing tendencies, making it perfect for walls or trellises.