Do Beans Grow On Trees? The Answer Will Amaze You!

Beans have a great amount of vitamin K, which improves the health of joints.

Myanmar, Southeast Asia, was the largest dried beans producer in 2016. The largest producer of green beans in the world is China.

A bean is nothing but a seed that is a part of one among many flowering plant genera within the Fabaceae family. Beans are used as food.

There are several different ways to cook beans, like baking, frying, and boiling, and they are also used in several traditional cuisines worldwide. The term bean and other Germanic origins have been commonly used in West Germanic languages even before the 12th century, which referred to pod-borne seeds like chickpeas and broad beans.

This was many years before Phaseolus, the New World genus, became known in Europe.

The use of the word bean was extended to Phaseolus pod-borne seeds and related Vigna genus after the contact of Columbian-era between the Americas and Europe. Some other common names of beans are French beans, green beans, string beans, common beans, pole beans, bush beans, and snap beans.

What are beans?

Beans are edible seedpods or seeds that grow on leguminous plants within the family Fabaceae.

Many species of beans are included in the Vigna and Phaseolus genera. However, many economically vital species are a part of different genera within this family. Most bean species grow either as a climbing plant or erect bush.

Semiclimbers and dwarfs are also extensively grown. Climbers are grown for their premature seedpods and artificial supports must be provided for better harvesting. Bean varieties differ in tenderness or fibrousness of the premature pods, shape, size, and color.

• Most frozen or canned beans are green beans, that were grown in fields.
• Wisconsin is the number one state in the United States that produces green beans.
• A snap bean grows either as a pole green bean or bush bean.
• Pole beans are produced over a long period and around halfway in their growing season, they are able to benefit from the side dressing.
• If the seeds of common beans are sown too early then they can rot in damp and cold soil and they need warm weather for healthy growth.
• Kidney beans, butter beans, and black beans are used as dried beans.
• Pole beans keep growing to produce bean seeds until something stops them like the cold and damp soil in winter. So, for farmers, it is pretty labor-intensive.
• Bean plants produce a variety of beans with different shapes, but peas are usually round.

Health Benefits Of Beans

The health benefits of beans are reduced cancer risk, glucose and diabetes metabolism, heart health, control of appetite, and better gut health.

Beans have nutrients that can improve human health. Beans have antioxidants, which reduce the cell damage done by free radicals. This lowers the risk of signs of aging, sagging skin, and cancer.

Darker beans have more antioxidants due to the high amount of pigments. Other nutrients present in beans are vitamins and minerals. Beans also provide magnesium, potassium, iron, and fiber.

• Soybeans contain nine amino acids. Eating beans is a great way of protein intake.
• Shell beans are used to make baked beans. They are grown for the bean or seed within the shell or pod.
• Dried beans need more cooking compared to fresh bean pods to make them tender enough to be eaten.
• Like lentils, beans are also a good source of iron.
• Folate in bean seeds is vital for our health, which helps in making red blood cells.
• You can add beans into your diet as cooked beans and the time taken to cook (until tender) differs from one type to another.
• When fat accumulates in a liver, it causes fatty liver. Beans can prevent the risk of this condition.
• Beans contain copper, a mineral that improves enzyme functions, which helps in making connective tissues and skin pigment.

Where do beans grow?

Common beans or green beans grow in Burma, India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.

Beans come from within bean pods. Beans are typically grown as vines with extra support, as they grow extremely tall. Today, there are smaller bush beans that need no extra support and are more practical. Some well-known bean species are kidney beans, black beans, lima beans, soybeans, pinto beans, and red beans.

Beans grow on bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris) and not on trees. So, green beans either grow on bean bushes or bean poles. Beans are used as dry bean seeds and fresh bean pods.

• String beans come from the catalpa tree or Indian cigar tree, which is a deciduous tree.
• The catalpa tree is an invasive species and its seeds, long seed pods, and flowers fall on the ground from spring to winter.
• The northern catalpa is bigger than the southern species.
• Most common bean plants are green, however, there are streaked, yellow, red, and purple beans.
• Bean plants grow every year and they grow quickly and the best season to plant them in is spring.
• Gardeners make use of bean poles or wooden trellis for the plant vines to wind up on the wooden stick. Some farmers grow this plant next to maize so that long bean plants can take the support of cornstalks.
• A smaller bean variety can be grown in a pot. Bush beans produce all the fruit all at once and are harvested in a go.
• After 50-55 days of planting, bush beans can be harvested and depending on the type, pol beans can be harvested after 55-65 days of planting.

Difference Between Bushes And Trees

Trees stand on a single woody stem but bushes branch out from a very low height.

Trees grow extremely tall, which depends on the type of species. So, trees have colorful flowers and provide good shade. The word tree itself refers to plants that can reach a particular height, which is not yet established.

Trees can also produce secondary branches sprouting from the trunk every year. Trees have the longest lifespan in the plant kingdom and can live for over 4000 years. Bushes have a lifespan of about 20-30 years.

• Beans can grow on a tree and not only in bush plants.
• The catalpa tree is known for its seed pods that resemble cigars.
• The catalpa tree has a lifespan of about 150 years.
• Bush beans can be harvested from the plant by slowly pulling one bean from the vine or by snapping the bean from the vine end.
• Beans growing in a bush do not need any kind of support.
• Bushes take up little space as they grow compared to trees.
• The northern catalpa tree can tolerate almost every type of soil.
• Beans need loamy soil that is organically rich.
• A tree usually needs uncompacted, loose, aerated, and moist soil to thrive in an urban surrounding.
• Bush beans can either be planted by broadcasting seeds or in single rows in wide rows.