Do dried beans taste better than canned beans? Prowl the online forums, and you’ll find a fairly consistent opinion that, for flavor, dried beans are the winner. They’re also one of the easiest crops to grow in your garden.

Growing your own is never easier than opening a can of beans or even buying a bag of dried beans at the store. It’s one of those things you do for satisfaction, flavor, the opportunity to connect with your food, and to experience the full cycle of the garden, from planting and tending the crop to harvest, and finally saving seed for next year.

While those with expansive gardens may want to grow their entire year’s supply of beans, you may find it equally rewarding to simply grow enough beans for special recipes and dishes. Making a pot of baked beans with your own garden-grown harvest is a very satisfying endeavor. A bean soup, with handfuls of several varieties, lets you show off their colors and flavors. 

Which beans are good for use as dried beans?

We’re familiar with the store-bought canned varieties of dry beans, like pinto, kidney, black, Navy, garbanzo, and the like. But many more tasty, colorful varieties are worth trying. ‘Jacob’s Cattle’ bush bean is a popular red and white bean that has a reputation for being excellent in baked beans. ‘Jackson Wonder’ is a bush lima bean with beautiful speckled colors and stores well for winter.

Some beans can be dual-purpose, for use as both a fresh-eating snap bean and a dried bean. If a bean is recommended for shelling and drying, it’s a good candidate. Beans recommended only for fresh eating will eventually develop mature seeds (the bean) and can be dried, but they may not be as high quality. 

Sun, soil, and moisture needs for beans

Beans love full sun, well-drained loamy soil, and consistent soil moisture. While 8 or more hours of sunshine per day is ideal, you can grow beans reliably even in spots that receive only 5-6 hours of sunlight. Yields may be a bit less, so plant a few extra. 

A well-drained spot is important. Beans won’t tolerate heavy, soggy soil conditions. Not only does it cause problems for their roots, but the seeds may rot before they ever get a chance to sprout. If your location is a bit wet, consider a raised bed or berm to improve drainage. While a nice fertile loam is ideal, beans will grow in nearly any type of soil as long as drainage is adequate.

Beans have pretty average moisture needs. An inch of water per week, whether from rainfall or from irrigation, is sufficient in most climates and soils. Gardeners in very hot or dry locations may need to water twice per week. Check the soil moisture by pushing your finger an inch deep into the soil. If it feels hot and dry, it’s time to water. 

How many beans should I plant?

Bean yields vary greatly by variety, growth habit, and growing conditions. Pole beans may offer a larger yield than bush beans for the same space. Weather factors will affect yield, and so will spacing. Some beans, like ‘Black Turtle’, are compact and a good choice for small spaces.

A standard 15-ounce can of beans from the store contains about 9 ounces of cooked beans after draining, which equates to about 4.5 ounces of dried beans. To grow the equivalent of ten cans of beans, you’d need to harvest about 45 ounces, or just shy of three pounds, of dried beans. Extension estimates for home garden dry bean yields range from 12-25 pounds of dry beans per 100 feet of row. For our example, that means planting anywhere from 12-25 feet of beans (in a row). A raised bed eight feet long with room for three rows would provide enough growing space. 

Instead of trying to plan out my harvest, I usually just plant beans where I have space for them and enjoy what I get. It takes less math that way.

When and How to plant beans 

Beans can, and should, be directly sown out into the garden after the last spring frosts have passed. They often don’t transplant well, and they grow so fast there really isn’t much advantage to starting them indoors. 

Prepare the bed, loosening the soil with a garden fork. Smooth the seedbed and plant beans according to the package directions, normally about 1-2 inches deep. Most bush varieties call for spacing about 2-3 inches apart, and about 18-30 inches between rows. When planting in rows, be sure to leave pathways wide enough for access when it’s time for picking. Two rows, an aisle, and then two more rows work out well. For raised beds, ensure you have access from all sides. 

While you can create a trench and drop bean seeds in, I usually just drop them on the soil, poke them in with my finger, then cover up the holes with soil by smoothing the row with my hand. Water the row well and you’re done. Planting beans goes quickly.

Try growing vertically

Training pole beans to grow up a trellis, tripod, or other support structure is, in my opinion, the way to grow. Not only do the plants take up less space, but they are much easier to harvest. Instead of stooping and bending over, most beans are at a comfortable height for picking. Beans growing on a trellis or tripod add an extra layer of depth to your garden and can be both an aesthetic and a functional element. 

Tripods work well and can be made from three pieces of wood, old tool handles, or even old pipe. If the tripod materials are smooth, scuff them up a bit with 40-grit sandpaper to help the bean vines find traction on their way up. Plant several bean seeds around the base of each leg. You may need to “introduce” the beans to the tripod legs, but after a short while they’ll figure out how to swarm up on their own.

When to harvest dry beans

Beans we intend to use as dried foods are best left on the vine until the pods have withered and look wrinkled and dehydrated. The beans inside will have matured and be much easier to remove. Pods that are dry enough to harvest will begin to turn brown or tan, and the pod will be a bit brittle. 

Harvest pods when they are fully dry. If you need to bring them in before the pods are ready (perhaps to avoid a wet week of fall weather), spread the pods out on a screen to dry, or hang the entire plants in the garage or shed until the pods are ready. If the pods become sodden, the beans inside can start to mold.

How to process dry beans

After you’ve picked all the beans, they’re still stuck in their pods. Ideally, the pods will be dry and brittle, which makes the process easier. Pop a pod open and test it with your thumbnail: if you can’t easily make a dent, they’re ready. 

The simplest method is to settle down at the table with your beans and crack them open. Toss the spent pods into a paper bag and the good beans into a bowl. It seems slow, but if you only have a couple of pounds to do, you’ll be done quickly enough. 

Other fun methods include placing them in a pillowcase and whaling the tar out of them, putting them in a tub and gently walking around on top of them like you are making wine, or even gadgets that roll the beans between two rubber drums. 

If you used a method other than hand hulling, you may need to winnow the beans, which means using moving air (wind or a fan) to blow away dust and small debris, leaving you with clean beans.

Sort out any broken, moldy, or suspicious-looking beans and store the rest in sealed containers in a cool, dry space.

What about cross-pollination when saving seed?

Cross-pollination can happen with beans, and if you intend to save seed for next year, keep bean varieties separated by about 20 feet. Lima beans need more space, so check those recommendations based on the variety you are growing. 

Remember to choose open-pollinated or heirloom varieties, not hybrids, if you wish to save seed. For more information, check out our article on hybrid, open-pollinated, and heirloom seeds.