The Beans are A'Poppin

There they are.  You can barely see them, but those are my beans popping up out of the ground.  I am useless on the day the beans start popping; I keep running outside to see if any more are up, and if the ones that are up have unfolded their true leaves.  Today will probably be no different.  So let me leave you with some short thoughts about growing your own beans.

Beans are remarkably easy to grow.  They aren't terribly particular about when you plant them, so you can succession plant throughout the season, getting several crops or just getting a late start.  I grow a bush variety that takes up very little room in the garden; you could probably sneak a few in to your foundation landscaping if that is all of the land you have available.  They freeze very well, requiring just 3 minutes of blanching before you throw them in the freezer.  And, for those of you with kids (or just fumbly fingers), the seeds are large and easy to handle.

The Analysis

Fast:  Just shove them in the ground and watch them grow!

Cheap:  A single pack of bean seeds (often $2-3) will yield enough beans to keep a small family going most of the year.

Good:  Fresh beans, or those you froze yourself, are infinitely better than those mushy things from cans.