How to Grow Beans Indoors
Beans are a plant that you can easily sprout and grow indoors. Not only do they make a delicious snack, but they grow into green, leafy houseplants as well. You can sprout beans in a jar and plant them later. Short or young bean sprouts are extremely nutritious, and the longer the sprout grows, the more its flavor improves. Beans are a warm-climate plant and should be kept in full sun at all times.
Sprouting
Soak your beans in water overnight. Soak different varieties of beans separately.
- Beans are a plant that you can easily sprout and grow indoors.
- Not only do they make a delicious snack, but they grow into green, leafy houseplants as well.
Drain the water in the morning and rinse the beans. Place the beans in the mason jar and cover it using pantyhose or cheesecloth and a rubber band.
Rinse the beans every morning and evening in the jar. Place the jar pantyhose-side down in between rinsings to allow all of the water to drain.
Watch for bean sprouts within two to four days.
Planting
Mix one part soil with one part compost in a long, rectangular tub. The size of the tub depends upon how many beans you intend to plant.
- Drain the water in the morning and rinse the beans.
Plant the sprouts 1 inch deep in the tub and 2 to 3 inches apart. Water the tub thoroughly after planting.
Keep the tub in a tray to catch water. The tray should have standing water at all times. If the water is drying up, the beans need to be watered. Keep the soil moist at all times.
Place the tub in full sun near an oscillating fan. The fan must disturb and move the leaves of the beans to ensure that they do not become scorched by the sunlight.
- Plant the sprouts 1 inch deep in the tub and 2 to 3 inches apart.
- Place the tub in full sun near an oscillating fan.
Grow Navy Beans From Seeds Indoors
Choose a bright spot near large windows or under artificial grow lights to set up your planter. An old galvanized washtub or half whiskey barrel makes an ideal container. Add good quality all-purpose potting soil or compost to within an inch of the top of the container. Make a hole about 1 inch deep for each seed -- spacing them 4 to 6 inches apart all the way around the container about 2 inches from the rim. Many legumes arrive pre-inoculated with the bacteria Rhizobium phaeoli, which helps to ensure that the plants will form nitrogen-fixing nodules, but you can purchase packets of pea and bean inoculant for your seeds and easily do this yourself according to package instructions. Thin seedlings to the six strongest plants after the second set of true leaves appears. Keep soil barely moist, watering only when dry an inch below the surface. Harvest green pods for fresh use like other green beans. If you want to save dried beans, harvest the green pods for awhile to encourage the plant to set more fruits, then allow the new pods to mature and dry on the vines before harvesting the dry seeds.
- Choose a bright spot near large windows or under artificial grow lights to set up your planter.
- Many legumes arrive pre-inoculated with the bacteria Rhizobium phaeoli, which helps to ensure that the plants will form nitrogen-fixing nodules, but you can purchase packets of pea and bean inoculant for your seeds and easily do this yourself according to package instructions.
Tip
Store bean sprouts in the refrigerator if you do not want to plant them.
Related Articles
References
Tips
- Store bean sprouts in the refrigerator if you do not want to plant them.
Writer Bio
Lily Obeck is a copywriter based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She writes for print, online, outdoor and broadcast marketing, with expertise in health, education and lifestyle topics. Obeck holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of North Texas and works as a part-time children's library assistant.
