Phaseolus vulgaris – Navy Beans

Navy Beans are small, oval beans with white skin. They have a mild, delicate flavor. They were named Navy Beans because of their inclusion in the U.S. Naval diet during the second half of the 19th Century. These are also the beans used for the famous Boston Baked Beans. Although they look different from the green beans we are used to eating fresh, Navy beans belong to the same annual species, Phaseolus vulgaris.

What are Navy Beans?

• Navy beans belong to the plant family, Fabaceae, also known as the legume, pea, or bean family, which includes lentils, chickpeas, peas, and peanuts.
• Beans are believed to have originally been cultivated in Peru several thousand years ago. The beans have been a staple food in the US Navy for over 200 years, hence their popular Navy beans name.
• Navy beans are also called Boston beans, Yankee beans, haricots, or pea beans.
• Navy beans are white, oval-shaped, and about the size of a pea. They have a mild, delicate flavor.
• Navy beans should not be confused with Great northern beans or Cannellini beans. While their flavor is delicate and mild, Navy beans are much smaller, plumper, and have thicker skin.
• Like other bean varieties, Navy bean plants feature trailing green vines and trifoliate leaves with spade-shaped leaflets.
• Navy beans can be grown at home in both bush and pole varieties.
• Navy beans are available in late summer and early fall. They can also be found canned and dried all year round.
• Navy 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.

Cooking with Navy Beans

• These gluten-free beans are key ingredients in various dishes and are most popular in American recipes.
• When cooked, Navy beans have a soft, velvety texture and a mild flavor. They can easily absorb the flavor of other ingredients during the cooking process.
• They are an excellent substitute for pinto beans, black beans, cranberry beans, or cannellini beans.
• Navy beans are the beans used for the famous Boston Baked Beans.
• Since Navy beans hold their shape when cooked, they can be added to stews, soups, and chili.
• Dried Navy beans should be soaked overnight.
• Canned Navy beans do not need to be cooked. You can add them to any recipe for beans without cooking them.
• Navy beans must be adequately prepared as they contain a toxic protein called lectins found in undercooked and raw beans.
• To ensure that your Navy beans are safe to eat, always soak them in advance. If you are using canned Navy beans, remember to give them a thorough rinse.

Health Benefits of Navy Beans

• While Navy beans make a flavorful addition to various dishes, they can also provide health benefits.
• Navy 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.
• Navy beans are also full of antioxidants, which help fight free radicals.
• Navy 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 and contain folate, zinc, manganese, copper, calcium, and potassium.
• Navy beans provide a decent source of iron that can help prevent anemia.
• Nutrition Facts (per 100 grams): 128 calories, 23.7 carbs, 7.5 grams protein, 0.6 grams fat, 9.6 grams fiber.

How to Grow Navy Beans

• Navy beans grow up to 18-72 in. tall (45-180 cm), depending on the variety. They can be grown as a low bush (bush bean) or a vine climbing a trellis (pole bean).
• Navy beans perform best in fertile, acidic to neutral (pH ranging from 6.0 to 7.0), 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.
• Navy beans are a warm-weather crop and grow best between 65-85°F (18-29°C).
• Navy beans are sensitive to frost and will suffer damage from light frost. 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 65°F (18°C), most bean cultivars germinate poorly and are more susceptible to pests and root rot.
• Do not start Navy 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 1½ inches (4 cm), 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) apart with at least 2 feet (60 cm) between rows.
• 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 Navy Beans

• Depending on the variety, Navy beans take 85-100 days to harvest after planting.
• Navy bush beans mature all at once, but pole beans are harvested continuously, encouraging additional production for a month or two.
• Navy beans are ready for picking when most leaves have dropped off and those left are yellow. The bean pods should be straw-colored and dry.
• Harvest Navy beans by cutting the pods using clean scissors or a pruning shear.
• After you pick the dried pods from the plants, shell them and remove the Navy beans from inside them.
• To store, keep fresh Navy beans wrapped in plastic and refrigerated. For the best flavor, fresh beans should be shelled and used within three to five days.

Best and Worst Companion Plants for 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.
   
• Navy 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