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Bean varieties are divided into several types: bush, semi-climbing and curly. Most often, on garden beds and farm fields, you can find bush beans, the plant height of which does not exceed 60-70 cm. Such varieties are very productive, they tolerate cold weather and begin to bear fruit earlier than others. However, low bushes often become prey for pests, mainly beans are threatened by slugs, which spoil not only stems and leaves, but also pods with fruits.
Climbing species of this legume are a worthy alternative to bush beans. Long vines, braiding fences, wattle-rides, gazebos and trees will become a real decoration of a garden or vegetable garden, and it will be possible to collect enough fruits from each bush that will be enough for the whole family.
This article is about varieties of curly edible beans, because breeders have bred many varieties of this culture, the fruits of which have no nutritional value, but play only a decorative role. Whereas beans and pods of edible varieties have the same taste and nutritional qualities as beans harvested from a short bush.
Features and varieties of bush beans
Lash length bush beans can reach five meters. Fences are twisted with such vines, they are allowed on the walls of houses, outbuildings, gazebos and pergolas. But you can limit yourself to ordinary props with a slingshot at the end, the height of such supports should be about two meters.
The peculiarities of growing bush varieties include:
- The need to tie up plants.
- Beans love warmth, so they sow it into the ground in late May or early June, when the threat of frost disappears.
- The vegetative period of legumes is 60 to 90 days, depending on the variety. Climbing beans can be harvested until autumn frosts, since the fruiting period of this crop is extended.
- The possibility of planting a climbing bush near fruit or garden trees. Such a neighborhood will not harm even young trees in any way, because the roots of beans, as you know, release nitrogen into the ground, which is necessary for most plants for normal development.
- Create shade with legume bushes.
- Tall plants do not like drafts and wind, which can break their lashes. Therefore, it is necessary to plant climbing bushes in places protected from strong winds.
Depending on the form in which the beans are eaten, the varieties of this culture are divided into:
- asparagus;
- semi-sugar;
- cereals.
Asparagus beans eaten with pods. Such varieties are also called sugar varieties. The seed capsule of these beans is soft, without hard parchment walls between the grains. Harvested unripe beans, when the pods are still tender and soft. Once fully ripe, the beans inside the pod become the same as those of the grain varieties, only smaller.
Semi-sugar varieties when unripe, they have tender pods. But if you lose sight of the beans a little and pick the asparagus at the wrong time, the seed pods will become as tough as those of the grain varieties. In this case, the beans can be eaten in the same way as regular beans.
Grain varieties also called shelling, because the pods are husked in order to extract ripe beans from them. Such beans are used boiled, and the fruits need to be cooked for a long time, at least two hours.
Climbing bushes can grow any of three types of beans: both pods and beans grow well here.It remains only to choose a good variety of fruiting vine.
Blauchilda
Purple curly bush: these beans surprise with purple pods, the same beans and even leaves. The bush also blooms in dark purple. It is better to grow "Blauhilda" in a warm climate, for central Russia it is better to choose a seedling method or plant beans in heifers. The ripening period is 90 to 110 days, so beans may simply not ripen in a short summer.
The bushes begin to bloom very quickly, their flowering continues until the autumn cold. Therefore, there are always fresh pods on the bean bushes - it bears fruit all season.
The variety is considered asparagus, the length of the pods reaches 23 cm. Fresh pods are colored purple, but after cooking they turn green. If not harvested on time, asparagus can get a little tough. In this case, you can eat the beans themselves, because they are also very tasty - large, oily, beige.
The basis for "Blauhilda" must be solid, because the bushes reach a length of three to four meters, have quite powerful shoots with many fruits. This plant will be an excellent decoration for the garden and vegetable garden.
"Winner"
This variety is also called fiery red beans. The bushes of this beans look very impressive: thin whips, up to four meters long, with many small bright scarlet flowers.
In Russia, this variety is found more often than others, because it is very unpretentious. The only thing that the "Winner" is afraid of is frost, even with slight frosts the plant dies.
The beans of this beans are used for food, they are painted in a light purple hue with black specks. There are several varieties of the variety, they all bloom in different shades and have beans of different colors.
Bean pods of the Pobeditel variety can also be eaten. But before that, they must be boiled, like the beans. The fact is that beans contain toxins, and when cooked, they are quickly neutralized.
The taste of beans is average, so they are most often grown for decorative purposes.
"Purple Lady"
This climbing bush is not very tall - its height reaches a maximum of 150 cm. The plant is decorated with large dark purple flowers. The fruits of the variety are pods up to 15 cm long, the shape of which resembles a tube.
The variety belongs to the early maturing, asparagus can be eaten already on the 55-60th day after sowing beans in the soil. Beans are also eaten, they are painted white and have excellent taste.
The Purple Lady differs from the Blauhilda variety in more graceful shoots and higher yield.
"Harmony"
The variety is considered semi-sugar - you can eat asparagus and beans. Beans begin to bear fruit on the 65th day after planting, fruiting continues until the first frost.
Gardeners love "Harmony" for its unpretentiousness, good germination and stable yield. Bean pods are golden in color, and you can eat them, and the beans themselves, which are colored white.
From each bush, 300-500 grams of beans are harvested. The weight of the lashes is large enough, so the vines need to be tied up on reliable supports, because their length reaches four meters.
"Spanish white"
Beans are unique in this variety - their size is five to six times the average size of beans. The variety belongs to the peeling variety, it is also distinguished by the excellent taste of the fruits, which have a very delicate and thin peel.
The pods of these beans are not eaten - they are too tough. But the beans can be added to borscht, lobio, canned or stewed - they have a unique, very delicate taste.
Each green pod, the length of which does not exceed 14 cm, contains only 3-5 beans. The variety begins to bear fruit not very early - on the 70th day after sowing the seeds into the soil.
The decorative qualities of the vines are also high - the length of the lashes is about four meters, the bushes are powerful and strong. Beans bloom with snow-white flowers, which the bush is literally dotted with.
"Berlotto"
The fiery color of the inflorescences, the delicious asparagus and the powerful climbing vine made the Italian variety one of the most popular in Russia. At the beginning of the growing season, bean pods are colored green, have a size of about 14 cm, flattened shape. After some time, a beautiful marble pattern appears on the pods, they become variegated. Each box contains four beans. It is better to collect grains in an unripe form, so they are more tender, quickly boil down, and have a slightly nutty flavor. When fully ripe, the white beans also develop a mottled pattern.
It is recommended to eat "Berlotto" as long as the grains are colored uniform green. You can harvest the fruits 60 days after disembarkation. Even earlier, you can eat the pods of these curly beans - they are tasty in an unripe state, until the green color changes to a speckled one.
"Vigna"
This Asian beauty is quite whimsical and capricious, but the bushes of this plant can decorate any site. Beans belong to the subspecies of asparagus, they have a very high yield.
The average pod of "Vigna" is one meter long. Climbing bushes reach three meters in height. The plant blooms only at night, the flowers are painted in a purple hue. During the day, the flowers are closed and their color is changed to yellow-brown.
About 200 beans can be harvested from each bean bush. You can eat asparagus and the beans themselves, which are colored white. You can easily recognize the fruits of "Vigna" by the dark speck on the side of the beans.
"Golden nectar"
These beans are classified as asparagus varieties, their pods reach a length of 25 cm, painted in a yellow-golden color. The variety is considered early maturing, the fruits ripen on the 60th day after planting.
You should eat unripe pods and Golden Nectar beans before they become too tough.
Dolichos
In India, the fruits of this variety, which is a variety of "Vigna", are eaten and considered a delicacy. Whereas in Russia this beans are still grown only for decorative purposes. True, some gardeners feed the beans to livestock or use them as green manure.
Depending on the variety, Dolichosa vines can be purple, red or green. The whips reach a height of four meters. Bean inflorescences are not only beautiful, they exude a delicate, pleasant aroma.
The pods adorn the vines until the first autumn frosts, they are colored in different shades, like the flowers of "Dolichos" - it depends on the type of beans.
Cooking Bean Fruit
Beans aren't the only ones that need special processing before they are eaten. After all, everyone knows that beans need to be soaked in cold water for a long time, and only then cook for 1.5-2 hours.
Pods of asparagus varieties also need to be able to cook. Cook them quite a bit - just a couple of minutes. And if the asparagus is to be frozen, it must be blanched. For a few seconds, the pods are poured with boiling water, abruptly replacing it with ice water. This tactic helps to preserve all the nutritional properties of asparagus, "clog" useful vitamins and minerals.
Curly beans can be not only a decoration - it is a great way to get a high yield of beans or asparagus with excellent taste from a modest plot of land.
