Grow Cranberry Beans
Much like their cousins in the fruit family, cranberry beans can be a tasty treat. They don't really resemble the red, juicy and sweet cranberries familiar to most people; on the contrary, they are marble red and cream shell beans that can be eaten fresh or dried. These beans have a short growing season; they are generally available fresh at farmer's markets only in the late summer and early fall. Growing your own cranberry beans can keep the flavorful beans flowing into your meals.
Instructions
1. Fill the flower pots ¾ of the way with potting soil. Any generic flowering or potting soil from a garden center or nursery will suffice.
2. Plant two beans per pot; press the seeds about ½ inch under the surface of the soil.
3. Water the soil well, so that it is moist but not flooded. The amount of water needed will vary by the size of your pot.
4. Cover the top of the pots with plastic wrap. Place the pots in an area where they will receive full sunlight for at least two hours a day. The plastic wrap will keep the soil warmer, promoting growth in the young seeds.
5. Water the plants every day to keep the soil moist. If your pots collect rainwater, the soil will already be moist.
6. Remove the plastic wrap when you see stalks begin to grow. Make sure the wrap is removed before the stalks grow large enough to surpass the top of the plant.
7. Transfer the plants to a larger container, such as a larger flower pot or a barrel, if they outgrow their flower pots. Cranberry bean plants can grow to be six feet tall.
Tags: plastic wrap, flower pots, Grow Cranberry, Grow Cranberry Beans, keep soil, pots with
