Phaseolus vulgaris – Black Beans

Black beans, also known as Black Turtle beans, are a staple ingredient in Latin American cuisine, primarily Mexican, Brazilian and Caribbean. Although they look different from the green beans we are used to eating fresh, black beans belong to the same annual species, Phaseolus vulgaris. It is believed their common name, Black Turtle bean, was about their shape and hard, dark shell reminiscent of a turtle's shell.

What are Black Beans?

• Black beans belong to the plant family, Fabaceae, also known as the legume, pea, or bean family, which includes lentils, chickpeas, peas, and peanuts.
• Black beans are native to southern Mexico and Central America and have been cultivated for over 7000 years. 
• Like other bean varieties, black bean plants feature trailing green vines and trifoliate leaves with spade-shaped leaflets.
• They develop inedible green pods, 6 in. long (15 cm), which contain ovate, plump, black, and glossy beans when mature. 
• Black beans can be grown at home in both bush and pole varieties.
• Fresh Black beans are available during the summer and early fall. However, they are most commonly harvested in dried form and sold as legumes or canned beans.
• Black beans fix nitrogen and add nutrients that improve the soil, benefitting the plants that are growing beside them. Beans are great for heavy nitrogen users.
• Popular black bean cultivars today include Condor, Zorro, Midnight, Jet Black, and Domino.

Cooking with Black Beans

• When cooked, black beans have a dense, meaty texture and rich, savory flavor.
• Black beans can be used as fresh-shelled beans or in their dried form.
• They are an excellent substitute for pinto beans, navy beans, cranberry beans, or cannellini beans.
• While black beans do not need to be soaked before cooking, soaking them will significantly speed up cooking time, and the texture of the beans will be at its best.
• In addition to a slow simmer, black beans can be braised, roasted, sautéed, and fried.
• Cooked beans can be added to salads, casseroles, tacos, burritos, salsas, and enchiladas.
• Black beans are popularly added to stews and soups.
• Pureed black beans can be used to make dips, sauces, and spreads.

Health Benefits of Black Beans

• While black beans make a flavorful addition to various dishes, they can also provide health benefits.
• Black beans are rich in protein and are considered a substantial meat substitute. These proteins benefit the immune system and help maintain healthy bones, hairs, organs, and muscles.
• Black Beans are also full of antioxidants, which help fight free radicals.
• Black beans are loaded with fiber, which may help lower bad cholesterol levels and improve your heart health. Fiber also helps regulate the digestive tract and keep your digestive system healthy.
• They are also rich in carbohydrates, B vitamins, folate, manganese, polyphenols, and potassium.
• Black beans provide a decent source of iron that can help prevent anemia.
• Nutrition Facts (per 100 grams): 132 calories, 24 grams carbs, 8.9 grams protein, 0.5 grams fat, 8.7 grams fiber.

How to Grow Black Beans

• Black beans grow up to 6-36 in. tall (15-90 cm), depending on the variety. They can be grown as a low bush (bush bean) or a vine climbing a trellis (pole bean).
• Black beans perform best in fertile, acidic to neutral (pH ranging from 6.0 to 6.5), moist, well-drained soils in full sun (at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day) in a sheltered location.
• If your soil lacks nutrients, add well-rotted organic matter or compost before planting.
• Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Bean plants do require consistent and even moisture once they have formed flowers.
• Black beans are a warm-weather crop and grow best between 65-85°F (18-29°C).
• Black beans are sensitive to frost and will suffer damage from even a light frost. Black beans perform poorly when temperatures rise above 85°F (29°C).
• Sow seeds outdoors anytime after the last spring frost date after the soil has warmed. At soil temperatures below 60°F (15°C), most bean cultivars germinate poorly and are more susceptible to pests and root rot.
• Do not start black bean seeds indoors because their roots are fragile and may not survive transplanting.
• Soak the seed in compost tea for 25 minutes before planting to help prevent disease and speed germination.
• Sow seed 1 inch deep (2.5 cm) and 4-6 inches apart (10-15 cm) in rows 18 inches apart (45 cm).
• Beans are soil builders. They rarely need any fertilizer during the growing season.
• Mulch to retain moisture, keep the soil cool, and control weeds.
• Rotate crops: Prevent problems by not planting beans in the same location more often than every 3 years.
• Compost plants after harvest. Cut them at the root. The nutrient-rich roots can be tilled back into the soil.
• Beans are susceptible to a few pests. Keep an eye out for aphids, blackflies, cucumber beetles, cutworms, grasshoppers, Japanese beetles, Mexican bean beetle, root-knot nematodes, slugs, snails, spider mites, Stinkbugs, thrips, whiteflies, and wireworms.
• Beans are susceptible to diseases, including anthracnose, bean mosaic virus, powdery mildew, bean root rot, bean rust, and white mold.

When to Harvest Black Beans

• Depending on the variety, black beans take 90-140 days to harvest after planting.
• Black beans are ready for picking when the bean pods have turned yellow and dry. The beans should be hard, dry, shiny, and black. 
• After you pick the dried pods from the plants, shell them and remove the glossy black beans from inside them.
• Fresh black beans will keep best if refrigerated for optimum flavor. They should be used within three to four days.

Best and Worst Companion Plants for Black Beans

• Beans are great for heavy nitrogen users. They add nutrients and improve the soil, benefitting the plants that are growing beside them.
   
• A good example of companion planting is The Three Sisters Garden. Practiced by Native Americans thousands of years ago, this garden includes corn, beans, and squash. The tall corn provides shade for the lower squash but also stops the squash vine borer beetle. Corn also provides support for the bean plants to climb up. The beans enrich the soil with nutrients for both corn and squash. And the large leaves of the squash vines create a protective mulch that helps retain moisture while suppressing weeds. Another added benefit is the prickly vines of the squash deter the raccoons from stripping the corncobs.
   
• Mexican bean beetles can reduce the production of green beans if allowed to multiply. Their damage is reduced spectacularly when beans are interplanted with other vegetables and herbs.
   
• Black beans can be grown at home in both determinate (bush) and indeterminate (pole) varieties.

Best and Worst Companion Plants for Bush Beans

Best and Worst Companion Plants for Pole Beans