Can dry beans that are in a bag sold for soup at the grocery store, like kidney beans, black beans, etc. be planted and grow bean plants?

-- julie (jbritt@ceva.net), January 28, 2002

Answers

Response to coutning beans

I do it! I plant Great Northern beans out of the bag! I get mine bulk at a food co op here! Had great luck so far!! Some need inoculant not sure witch ones though!

-- Grizz In Western Maryland (southerneagle@yahoo.com), January 28, 2002.

Response to coutning beans

what is inoculant??

-- julie (jbritt@ceva.net), January 28, 2002.

Response to coutning beans

julie,

Beans are legumes which have "root tubercles which, with the aid of soil bacteria, allow the plant to absorb free nitrogen from the air. A legume innoculent contains the soil bacteria needed by the plants to "fix" nitrogen. An innoculant can be added to the soil and may be particularly valuable when growing a legume in the soil for the first time." from an OSU handout.

You place the innoculant in the planting hole at the same time as you plant the bean(s).

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), January 28, 2002.

Response to coutning beans

Or you can wet the seed and put it in a bag or jar with some of the innoculant and stir or shake til coated.

-- Alison in NS (aproteau@istar.ca), January 28, 2002.

Response to coutning beans

I've grown soybeans and lentils from the bulk section of our health food store, and it's far cheaper than buying as seed.

-- Wendy A (phillips-anteswe@pendleton.usmc.mil), January 28, 2002.

I planted a field full of popcorn that was purchased at the grocery store. It did real good the first year. The second year the sun got so hot that part of the kernals popped while still on corn stalk.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), January 28, 2002.

I posted about 2 weeks ago-I planted Great Northern Beans from the grocery store here and was just harvesting them. I also heard from people who planted pinto beans and blackeyed peas. About the only thing everyone was agreed on was plit peas won't sprout. PS I never use inoculant

-- Mitzi Giles (Egiles2@prodigy.net), January 29, 2002.

Julie, Most store-bought legumes will grow if they haven't been warehoused too long. To be sure, put a sample, wrapped in a wet paper towel, in a plastic bag and keep it in a warm place. If they are are viable, in a few days most will have sprouted. Make sure that your zone is suited to the variety you want to grow. I learned the hard way that where I live, lentils are good only for green manure.

-- Griff in OR (griff@hangnail.com), January 29, 2002.