Red Beans are a great plant for the survival garden. Why, because they meet every requirement for a sustainable garden. Seed is simply a dry pack of red beans that you get from the grocery store. The seed can obviously be stored for long periods of time. Lots of garden grown vegetables can't be stored for months but some need special storing procedures, such as freezing. But red beans are something you can grow and store dry and eat year round if you plant enough.
Red beans are very easy to grow and require little care. It's pretty simple really. Plant seeds in rows of a garden or really any spot that gets sun. Plant after the fear of frost has passed. As the plant grows just give it an adequate amount of water and your one red bean will grow into a plant that can produce hundreds of red beans over the course of a growing season.
Red beans can be grown without the support like many other beans. Some websites tell you to pull the entire plant out of the ground and let the pods dry. I don't understand why you would do that. I prefer to just pick the pods after they have turned from green to tan and have started to dry out.
Store the bean in any old container and all that you need to do is keep them dry.
Be wary of deer. If a garden is planted the deer love the red bean plants and will mow it down almost overnight.
Back to
Survival Garden
