How to Grow Dry Shelling Beans

Jodi Torpey, contributor

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Dry shelling beans are as easy to grow as fresh beans. They just take longer to dry in the garden.

Photo: Jodi Torpey

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Black beans, navy beans, kidney beans. Red beans, cranberry beans, pinto beans. 

Beans are a staple in my cooking, just like in most kitchens around the globe. I've used all kinds of dried beans over the years, in all kinds of soups, stews and chilis, but I've never tried to grow my own. How difficult could it be?

It turns out dried beans are as easy to grow as other kinds of beans, they just need a longer season to dry in their pods.

The amount of time spent growing in the garden is the main difference between growing fresh snap beans, green shelling beans and dry beans. It all depends on how old they are when gardeners clip beans from their plants.

Snap beans are picked while they're still young and their seeds are immature. Green shelling beans, like lima beans, are harvested when pods are large, but still fresh and green. Dry shelling beans stay on the plant until their seeds are thoroughly dry and rattle around in their pods.

If you want to try growing beans to store for next winter, start now. Look for dry shelling bean seeds in catalogs, garden supply stores or at online seed retailers. You'll find a world of beautiful beans, many of them with colorful speckles, eyes, streaks, and other mottling that make dry beans especially lovely.

Dry beans are planted and grown just like other bush or pole beans. Wait for the soil to warm in spring and then plant seeds in a sunny spot in your vegetable garden or raised beds. Plan ahead, because you'll need to plant more beans and they'll need to be in the garden about a month longer than other beans. 

At the end of the season as beans mature, cut back on watering to help speed drying. You'll know beans are ready to harvest when the leaves yellow and start to drop. Beans will be so dry, you'll be able to hear them rattling around in their pods or if your fingernail can't pierce the seed coat. If the weather turns rainy or snowy before beans are dry, pull up the entire plant and dry inside or under cover.

The last step before dry beans can be stored is to separate them from the dry pods. For a small crop you could crack open the pods with your hands. For a larger harvest, you might want to put pods in a burlap sack or pillowcase and gently crush pods to push seeds out. Gardeners use stiff breezes, fans or even air compressors to then help separate the seeds from the chaff. 

Make sure seeds are thoroughly dry and then place them in airtight jars in a cool, dry place to store for use over next winter. 

If you've planted dry shelling beans in your vegetable garden, please share your growing and storing tips here.

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Comments (4)

RonieWallsh writes: Nice...
Posted: 4:46 am on January 11th

MapleManor writes: I enjoy making soups in the dead of winter and like to garden in the summer. So having chosen my favorites - Bean w/Ham Hock Soup and Chili, I decided to grow great northern beans and Montezuma small red beans along with my standard sugar snap peas, petit pois and snow peas. Both beans have performed great, I couldn't be happier. Although I had no clue of how to grow dry shelling beans so I treated them the same as the other legumes in my garden. As the plants started to mature and yellow, I stopped watering - just like I do with garlic. I've cut the bushes, tied several together in bunches and hang them upside down in my garage. The pods are starting to harden, so I must have done something right.
Posted: 8:01 pm on August 4th

WesternGardener writes: Thanks for your question--if you have the garden space, just plant more beans and enjoy some while they're fresh and let the others dry on the plants.

The US is one of the top producers of dry beans in the world. Check out the US Dry Bean Council website for more good info: usdrybeans.com

Regards,
Jodi
Posted: 11:47 am on February 28th

Spacetracker writes: I've read that you need to pick beans before they dry, or the plant will shut down production. I love crowder peas (cowpeas) fresh, but would like to dry some instead of canning them like I do now. I've often wondered how dried beans are produced on a large scale and sell so cheaply, because I doubt those producers would tolerate low production. What is the consensus here? I guess I could let half of my vines produce dried beans and take data myself. Thanks.
Posted: 12:07 pm on February 26th

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