Dry beans (pinto, black, kidney, navy)

Phaseolus vulgaris · Pea family (Fabaceae)

At a glance
Hardiness zones	3 to 11
Sun	full sun
Water	moderate
Life cycle	annual
Frost	Tender: killed by frost
Soil pH	6.5–7.0
Spacing	2 to 6 inches
Days to harvest	90 to 120 days
Soil temperature to plant	at least 60°F

About Dry beans (pinto, black, kidney, navy)

Dry beans are the same species as green beans, but grown until the pods turn brown and the seeds are hard, then shelled for winter soups, chili and baked beans. Hundreds of bush and pole varieties come in every color and pattern, from black turtle and pinto to heirlooms like Jacob's Cattle and Vermont Cranberry. They fix their own nitrogen, need little fertilizer, and store for years. Raw or undercooked dry beans are toxic: see safety.

Grown as a warm-season annual in every zone after frost danger has passed; pick varieties that mature in under about 95-100 days where summers are short.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Sow seeds outdoors: up to 3 weeks after the last frost

Days count from seeding to dry pods. Sow 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep once soil is about 60F (never below 50F): bush types 2-3 inches apart in rows 18-30 inches apart, pole types 4-6 inches apart on a trellis. Inoculate seed with bean Rhizobium; soaking is optional (no more than 12 hours).

Soil

Fertile, well-drained soil in a spot where water doesn't collect; raised beds help heavy soils drain and dry the crop at harvest.

Test the soil (tell the lab you're growing beans), add phosphorus and potassium as recommended, and lime to about pH 6.5-7.0.

Feeding

Too much nitrogen stops the roots from forming nitrogen-fixing nodules and invites white mold; check a few roots late in the season for pink-centered nodules.

Harvest

Leave pods on the plant until they are brown, dry and leathery and open easily in your hand; stop watering once pods turn yellow so they dry down. Pull whole plants or pick pods before they shatter, finish drying them under cover, then thresh by stomping the plants in a tarp or bag and winnow out the chaff.

For dry beans the pods are left to dry on the plant and picked once, or whole plants are pulled; pole types ripen over a longer stretch, so you may pick their dry pods in a few rounds.

Varieties (23)

Variety	Type	Days	Notes
Black Coco	Black	112 days	Black seed.
Black Valentine	Black	111 days	Black seed.
Midnight Black Turtle	Black	118 days	Black seed.
Swedish Brown	Brown	117 days	Brown seed.
Borlotti	Cranberry	121 days	Cranberry-class seed.
Tongue of Fire	Cranberry	109 days	Cranberry-class seed.
Vermont Cranberry	Cranberry	109 days	Cranberry-class seed.
Red Hawk	Dark red kidney	108 days	Dark red kidney seed.
Red Kidney	Dark red kidney	101 days	Dark red kidney seed; one of the earliest in the WSU trials.
Flageolet (French Flageolet)	Flageolet	119 days	Flageolet-class seed.
Great Northern	Great Northern (white)	109 days	Medium white seed.
Jacob's Cattle (Trout)	Jacob's Cattle (white with red)	107 days	Jacob's Cattle-class seed (white with colored speckles).
Lariat	Pinto	114 days	Pinto seed; one of the highest-yielding pintos in the WSU trials.
Othello	Pinto	104 days	Pinto-class seed.
Quincy	Pinto	106 days	Pinto seed; high yielding in the WSU trials.
Red Mexican	Small red	108 days	Small red seed.
Navy Bean	Small white (navy)	114 days	Small white seed.
Soldier	Soldier	108 days	Soldier-class seed.
Cannellini	White kidney	104 days	White kidney-shaped seed.
Calypso (Black Calypso)	White with partial color	111 days	White seed with partial black color.
Hidatsa Shield Figure	White with partial color	109 days	White seed with a colored patch.
Ireland Creek Annie	Yellow	101 days	Yellow seed; an early, productive Northwest heirloom in the WSU trials.
Maine Yellow Eye	Yellow eye	109 days	Yellow eye-class seed (white with a colored eye).

Pests to watch for

Seedcorn maggot, Cucumber beetles, Bean leaf beetle, Aphids, Leafhoppers, Whiteflies, Stink bugs, Cutworms

Diseases and problems

Anthracnose, Bean common mosaic, Bacterial blights of beans, White mold, Rust, Fusarium root rot, Beet curly top virus

In the kitchen

Soak and simmer for soups, stews, chili, refried beans, baked beans and rice dishes; most dry beans can stand in for one another, though cooking times vary.

Keeping it: Dry beans to under about 15% moisture, then keep them in labeled, airtight jars or buckets in a dark, dry place; they keep for years, but after 3 or more years some may stay hard when cooked.

Safety: Raw or undercooked dry beans, especially red kidney beans, contain a lectin (phytohaemagglutinin) that causes severe vomiting; as few as four or five undercooked kidney beans can make someone sick. Soak, drain, then boil in fresh water for at least 30 minutes, and don't cook dry kidney beans from raw in a slow cooker (K-State). Add beans to your diet a little at a time to ease gas.

Pets: Not listed by the ASPCA

Sources

Photo: Photo: David E Mead, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Photo resized for the web.

Planting dates and advice are general guidance; check with your local Cooperative Extension office for your area.