Plant Black Beans
Black beans are believed to have originated in Mexico and Central America. Widely used in Latin American dishes, black beans are nutritious, tasty and fairly easy to grow. They provide protein, carbohydrates and are a good source of iron, folate, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, thiamine and niacin. The growing season is short, and the beans can actually dry on the vine. They thrive in sunny locations in well-drained, crumbly soil. Black beans fare best in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Instructions
Planting Black Beans
1. Check the temperature of your soil. It should be 60 degrees before you begin planting. Test the pH of your soil. It should be between 6.0 and 7.0. If it isn't, add fertilizer and mix it up in the soil. Follow the directions on the packaging to determine the amount to add. Be sure the risk of frost has passed.
2. Soak your seeds in inoculant, a micro-organism that attaches to bean roots and provides them with nitrogen. That way, growing plants won't have to rely on it being in the soil. Put 1/4 tsp. water into a bowl outside for every 56 grams of seed. Put the inoculant powder in the bowl. Put the beans in the bowl and soak them until they are moist. Plant them within 24 hours.
3. Use a hand trowel to scrape one inch of the soil from the top of a row. Put four to five of your soaked seeds in the soil at the beginning of the row. Put in the next four to five seeds in another space, approximately four inches away. Continue this pattern until you have filled the row. Move from the row and begin another row parallel to the first. Repeat the process. Cover the seeds with the previously removed soil.
4. Put mulch between the seeds to prevent the pods from touching the topsoil and rotting as they mature. Water liberally when the plants are in full flower; as the pods being to fill out, water only as needed. When the pods are full, allow them to dry out in the sun. When the pods are completely dried out, pick one and check to see if the beans are black. If you see little specks of white, let them grow longer.
5. Harvest the beans when they are black. Empty the pods on a flat surface and let them continue to dry for a day or two. Gather and store them in a cool, dry place.
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