In planning a survival garden as a prepper, one of the first things you need to consider is what types of crops to grow. In this sense, beans, due to their nutritional value and ease of cultivation, should be high on your list. However, which types of beans should you grow?
In terms of nutritional value, ease of cultivation, and storability—kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans are among the best varieties of beans to grow in a survival garden. There are many varieties of beans. They are very high in proteins, vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients.
This article will provide you with a useful list of beans to plant in your survival garden. It will also provide you with insight as to why beans are an important crop and more details about the properties of each variety.
Choosing the Best Variety of Bean to Grow
The following bean varieties were selected because they possess the essential attributes for a survival garden crop:
- High nutritional value
- Easy to plant and harvest by one individual if necessary
- Does not deplete soil nutrients too quickly
- Versatile
- Suited for long-term storage
That said, we will direct our attention to the individual attributes of each type of bean.
Kidney Beans
Kidney beans come in two varieties—bush and vine. Both are robust and resilient. They can grow in soil that has not been fertilized beforehand.
Planting and Harvesting
The vine variety requires you to affix a pole or trellis next to the plant for the vines to use as support and grow upward—wrapping themselves around the support structure. The bush variety grows in a stand-alone fashion.
The vine variety of kidney beans should be planted in rows approximately 4 inches (10 cm) apart. The bush variety can also be planted in rows. However, each plant should be kept 8 inches (20 cm) apart.
Another benefit of the bush variety of kidney beans is that they can be planted in containers. In this case, a 12-inch (30 cm) pot is recommended. Depending on the layout of your survival garden—or as a contingency for salvaging a crop when relocation becomes necessary—this can be useful.
From planting to harvest, kidney beans take 100 to 140 days. Like most beans, they do not respond well to frost. Therefore, it is best to plant them after the last frost of spring in your area.
Drying and Storing
Kidney beans can be dried in their pods while still on the plant. Toward the end of their growing cycle, kidney bean pods will begin to turn yellow. When that starts happening, you should discontinue watering. This will spur the drying time.
Depending on the climate in your area, the pods will begin to harden and change in color to a tanner hue similar to straw in a few days. At that stage, the entire plant needs to be uprooted. It can then be hung upside down to allow the pods and beans to dry completely. This can take five to ten days.
If you live in a warmer climate that is not too wet, the vine variety of kidney beans could yield two harvests per season. If that were the case, you would not uproot the plant for the first harvest.
As with all dry beans, kidney beans should be stored in a dry, dark, and cool environment. Preferably, they should be stored in sealed glass or plastic containers to avoid pest infestations. When being stored for the long-term, you should check on your bean stores for any signs of pests.
Crop Yields
The yield of any crop will vary depending on your local climate, soil condition, watering, etc. However, in general, a ten-foot row of 12-15 vine variety kidney bean plants will produce the equivalent of 1.2 pounds (0.54 kg) of kidney beans. That is roughly 1,100-1,200 individual beans.
If you plant the bush variety, the same ten-foot row would result in a yield that is 25–33 percent lower due to spacing considerations.
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Nutritional Value
When cooked, 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of kidney beans provide approximately 127 calories. Of that, 9 grams (0.3 ounces) is protein, 22 grams (0.8 ounces) consists of carbohydrates, and 6.4 grams (0.23 ounces) of fiber.
Pinto Beans
Pinto beans are native to Mexico. They are traditionally the type of bean used to make refried beans and other Mexican-style dishes.
Planting and Harvesting
Similar to kidney beans, pinto beans come in bush and vine varieties. The planting and harvesting process is identical to that of kidney beans. The time from planting to harvesting is also very similar. Depending on your climate conditions, pinto beans may be ready for harvesting a few days earlier—in as little as 90 days.
Drying and Storing
If your climate and soil conditions allow for such fast harvesting cycles, you should stick to handpicking the pods off the plant during the first harvest to allow for a second bloom. The pods can be picked from the plant once they have started to turn tan in color and the outer husk has a dry feel to it.
These picked pods can then be placed on racks to finish the drying process before being extracted from the pods for storage.
For the second harvest, you can follow the technique of uprooting the entire plant and hanging it upside down for drying.
Crop Yields
With an adequate amount of sun and proper watering, a 10-foot (3.05 meters) row of the vine variety of pinto beans will yield, on average, 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg) of beans. This is equivalent to 2,000–2,100 individual beans.
Nutritional Value
Half a cup of cooked pinto beans will provide you with 200 calories and 18 percent of your daily protein requirement. In terms of nutritional value, they are on par with kidney beans.
Black Beans
Black beans can be considered for a survival garden due to the rich meaty flavor that they have. In this regard, they are a great option to escape flavor fatigue.
The method for planting, harvesting, and storage is the same as that described for kidney and pinto beans. Their yield per ten-foot (3.05 meters) row is also comparable at 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg). A noticeable difference, however, is the number of individual beans that this represents.
Since black beans tend to be smaller in size than kidney and pinto beans, the yield in the number of beans is 4,000-4,500.
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Nutritional Caveat
Even though they require the same amount of time, space, and effort to reach harvest, black beans have one downside compared to kidney and pinto beans. This comes in the amount of protein that they provide. For the same half-cup (237 mg) serving, black beans only provide you with 15 percent of your daily recommended protein compared to 18 percent for the other beans.
While the difference between 15 and 18 percent can seem small, it represents a 17 percent reduction in protein yield. Considering the effort and resources that it takes to grow your crop, this has to be taken into account. Remember, a survival garden is all about efficiency.
If the space in your survival garden is very limited or if the climate in your area is such that it adversely affects yields, it may be best to skip black beans in favor of kidney or pinto beans. However, if space and climate conditions are not a concern, adding black beans to your crop mix can be beneficial by adding variety to your flavor options.
Soybeans
If you are looking for a bean crop that provides the maximum in protein, nothing beats soybeans. A half-cup serving (237 g) of cooked soybeans provides you with 32 percent of your daily protein requirements. That is nearly double kidney and pinto beans and more than double of black beans.
The process for planting soybeans shares many things in common with planting the other dry beans described above. However, there are a few unique distinctions that need to be mentioned.
Choosing the Variety of Soybean
Whereas with other beans, you select the variety of plants based on whether they grow in a stand-alone bush format or a vine variety. With soybeans, you need to consider the varieties available based on the final food product you wish to harvest.
Soybean varieties can be classified into three categories:
- The green variety of soybeans. These are meant to be eaten fresh. The most popular example of a green soybean is edamame.
- The yellow variety of soybeans. These are used primarily to make soy flour and soy milk.
- Black seeded soybeans. This is the variety used for dry soybeans. It allows for extended storage times comparable to other dry beans.
Planting and Harvesting
The process for planting soybeans starts the same as that for kidney, pinto, and black beans. However, soybeans are more susceptible to competition for soil nutrients from other plants. This requires you to be more vigilant about removing weeds and soybean sprouts that are too weak to survive.
By the time the soybean plants are 3 weeks old, they should be robust enough to choke out other invasive plants.
Soybean plants can grow 4 inches (10 cm) apart from each other in a row-style arrangement. However, 6 inches (15 cm) of separation is recommended.
All types of soybean plants are considered to be of the bush variety. This means that, technically, they do not need poles or lattices to grow. However, if your survival garden is located in an area susceptible to high winds, using poles or lattices can help protect your crop from wind damage.
Depending on the exact type of soybean that you plant, the time from planting to harvesting can range from 70 to 160 days. Usually, varieties that are meant to be eaten fresh will have the shortest time to harvest. Varieties that are meant to be processed into flour, soy milk, or tofu need to reach full maturation. As a result, these would require the longest time for harvest.
This means that if you are harvesting green varieties of soybeans, you have to handpick the pods while they are still green off the plant. The way to determine that they are ready for harvest is when you can detect the bulges of the individual beans inside of the pods.
For yellow and black seeded varieties of soybeans, you would follow a harvesting protocol similar to other beans. You wait for the pods to turn yellow or tan before harvesting them.
Other Considerations
As has already been mentioned, soybeans will provide you with the largest amount of protein per serving than any other bean. They are also very versatile. Not only can they be prepared fresh or dry as the main ingredient of a meal, but they can also be processed into other foodstuffs. These include soy milk, tofu, and soy flour.
When drying soybeans for storage, they can last similarly to other dry beans for periods of multiple years. Where some people will encounter an issue with soybeans is in their preparation.
While preparing dry soybeans for a meal takes significantly less cooking time, usually 1 hour for every 3 to 4 hours required by other beans, most people will prefer to eat soybeans only after they have been dehulled.
Dehulling is the process of removing the outer layer of the bean. There are many ways to dehull soybeans. It can be done before they are dried and stored by blanching them soon after being removed from the pods, rubbing and scraping them to loosen the hulls, and then drying them.
The other method involves dehulling them during the cooking process. This means that you have to allow the soybeans to rest at some stage during the cooking phase and then agitate them with a spoon to loosen as many of the hulls as possible. You then scoop the hulls floating on top of the water and continue cooking your soybeans.
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Why Beans Are an Important Crop for a Survival Garden
A proper survival strategy requires incorporating efficiency into everything. In other words, deriving the most benefit from the resources that you put into every component of your survival plan. Time, energy, water, power, etc.
In the case of food—especially when growing your food—getting the most nutritional value out of the crop while minimizing the depletion of the soil’s nutrients is a top priority. This is what makes beans an excellent crop for a survivalist strategy.
High in Nutrients
Beans provide an excellent source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Among the many nutrients found across all varieties of beans are:
- Protein
- Soluble fiber
- Folate (also known as vitamin B9)
- Iron
- Complex carbohydrates
- Antioxidants
Additionally, beans provide a decent amount of calories per serving. When planning what crops to grow, those that pack a high caloric value are logical choices for a survivalist diet. Your body converts calories to energy. In a survival situation, your body will be required to engage in higher amounts of physical exertion than in your normal daily routine. The higher the number of calories that you can consume, the more energy that you can exert.
Easy to Store
In a survival situation, your food needs to be stored in a way that does not require refrigeration. Ideally, it should be easy to secure and carry.
Once dry, beans can be stored in an air-tight container. They can last for years. Depending on your storage techniques and your local climate, dry beans should last two to five years once stored.
Has Variety in Preparation
Beans can be prepared in a variety of ways. These include boiled, fried, and pureed. They can also be incorporated into other dishes to enhance flavor and nutritional value. They can be added to rice, mixed into stews and soups, and combined with meat or vegetables.
The versatility in preparation techniques allows you to avoid flavor fatigue. This is the term used to describe the moment when you become tired of eating the same thing in a repeated fashion. Sometimes, you have no choice but to eat the same thing day in and day out in survival situations.
By being versatile in the way that they can be prepared, it is possible to avoid flavor fatigue by preparing beans differently each time you cook them. Flavor fatigue can be demoralizing. Avoiding it with beans in your diet can help you sustain the positive sense of mind required to survive.
Growing Beans Is Gentle on the Soil
When you grow a crop, the plant is going to take nutrients from the soil to grow. After a few planting seasons, the soil can become depleted of essential nutrients making it unviable to grow further crops.
Beans are effective at returning nitrogen—a key element in soil fertility—to the soil. This makes it a wise choice when rotating crops.
Ease of Cultivation
Beans should be planted in rows. The basic requirements are plenty of sunlight and avoiding frost and soil temperatures below 60° F (15.6° C). They require consistent watering during their first three weeks and while blooming.
Depending on the variety of bean, some can be allowed to dry on the plant. Those that do not—or when it is not practical to do so due to pests—can be dried on racks or placed on the ground.
From planting to harvesting, a half-an-acre plot of land planted with beans can be managed by hand by one or two people.
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Final Thoughts
Packed high in nutritional value, gentle on the soil, easy to prepare in various ways—beans make for an ideal choice in any survival garden. Add to that the long storage life of beans, and it is not a question of whether they should be cultivated as part of a prepping strategy, but rather what variety you should plant.
By choosing any of the varieties listed above, you will be able to ensure having ready access to one of the best food sources for any survival scenario.
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