Advantages & Disadvantages of Growing Beans
You consider growing beans on your balcony or in your garden but wonder whether it is worth it or not?
Great! Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of growing beans at home in the following article.
Advantages of Growing Beans
- Beans don’t grow extremely big in size
- Beans are tolerant to swings in soil pH
- Even beginners can get decent bean yields
- You don’t have to spend lots of time growing beans
- You don’t have to prune beans
- Beans are good plants to grow with your kids
- Beans don’t take too long to grow from seed to harvest
- Growing beans is quite interesting
- Beans are healthy
- You can make many delicious dishes out of beans
- Many different beans to choose from
- Beans are pretty resistant to pests
- You don’t have to pollinate beans by hand
Beans don’t grow extremely big in size
One advantage of growing beans at home is that beans don’t grow extremely big in size. While they will need some space, they don’t grow enormously big in the vertical and can therefore be planted at many different locations without taking away too much space.
Beans are tolerant to swings in soil pH
While beans prefer a soil pH of 6.0 – 6.5, they are also quite tolerant to swings in soil pH as long as they are not too big and you therefore don’t have to worry that much about meeting proper soil pH but can rather focus on other things when growing beans at home.
Even beginners can get decent bean yields
Another upside to growing beans at home is that you don’t need to be a real expert. Even beginners can get decent yields if they follow the instructions in my grower’s guides.
You don’t have to spend lots of time growing beans
You also don’t have to spend lots of time caring for beans and it will also not take you that long to grow beans at home. In fact, you can just let them grow and with a little bit of care from time to time, you can get pretty decent results.
You don’t have to prune beans
It is also not necessary to prune beans. Instead, you can let them grow in a completely natural manner and don’t have to spend time in this regard.
Beans are good plants to grow with your kids
Growing beans is pretty interesting and beans are therefore great plants to grow with kids.
Beans don’t take too long to grow from seed to harvest
While other plants may take up to half a year or even longer, you can grow beans from seed to harvest within a few months and therefore don’t have to wait forever to get returns on your investment.
Growing beans is quite interesting
Beans are also fascinating plants and I really love seeing my bean plants grow and seeing the progress they make every day.
Beans are healthy
Another benefit of growing beans at home is that they are also pretty healthy and contain many precious nutrients that can help you stay healthy in the long run.
You can make many delicious dishes out of beans
Beans are a pretty important part of many different diets. In fact, beans are used in many different cultures and are a basic food that can be used for a variety of different dishes.
Many different beans to choose from
There are also numerous different varieties of beans out there and you can just grow the one that you enjoy eating the most.
Beans are pretty resistant to pests
Growing beans at home can also be great since beans are not that vulnerable to pests compared to many other garden plants and you therefore don’t have to worry that much in this regard.
You don’t have to pollinate beans by hand
Another reason why you should grow beans at home is that you don’t have to pollinate beans by hand. Instead, you can just let do insects do the work for you, at least if you grow beans outdoors.
As you can see, there are many benefits of growing beans at home. However, there are also some problems that come along with it that I want to show you in the following chapter.
Disadvantages of Growing Beans
- Growing beans is not as easy as growing tomatoes or other plants
- Beans need lots of sun
- Beans need lots of water
- You may have to add lots of fertilizer
- Growing beans requires some knowledge
- You need some equipment to stake beans
- You have to keep away animals and pests
- You may have to deal with plant diseases
- Beans are hard to grow in pots
- Many people don’t like to eat beans
Growing beans is not as easy as growing tomatoes or other plants
While growing beans is not extremely difficult, it is still not as easy as growing tomatoes and mistakes on your side may greatly reduce your crop yields.
Beans need lots of sun
Another problem with growing beans is that they need lots of sun to grow well. Hence, if you can’t provide a sunny spot in your garden, you might be better off growing other plants that don’t require as much sunlight as beans.
Beans need lots of water
Since beans should be exposed to full sun all day long, they also need lots of water and this means that you might have to water your plants multiple times per day, especially during hot summer months and times of rain scarcity.
You may have to add lots of fertilizer
Since beans can grow quite bushy, they also need lots of fertilizer to grow well and to deliver decent yields, which may damage the soil in the long run.
Growing beans requires some knowledge
You should also inform yourself carefully before growing beans at home since it requires some knowledge to do it in a proper manner and should not just start out if you are new to gardening.
You need some equipment to stake beans
Another disadvantage of growing beans is that you also need some equipment to stake your plants while you can grow lettuce or many other veggies without taking those measures.
You have to keep away animals and pests
Also animals and pests may try to feed on bean plants and you will also have to protect your plants in this regard if you want to harvest lots of healthy beans.
You may have to deal with plant diseases
Another downside to growing beans at home is that they are also vulnerable to plant diseases and those diseases can ruin your yields if you don’t treat them properly.
Beans are hard to grow in pots
Since beans grow quite bushy, they are pretty hard to grow in pots and you should rather grow them in your garden to get the best results.
Many people don’t like to eat beans
Of course, growing beans is also not great for you in case you don’t like eating beans. In such a case, you should rather go for growing different plants instead.
Top 10 Growing Beans Pros & Cons – Summary List
| Growing Beans Pros | Growing Beans Cons |
|---|---|
| Beans are tolerant to swings in soil pH | Other plants are easier to grow |
| Beans are healthy | Beans are vulnerable to plant diseases |
| Beans are important in many cultures | Animals may feed on your bean plants |
| Growing beans is great for kids | You have to fertilize bean plants |
| Even beginners can grow beans in a decent manner | Beans need lots of sun |
| Beans don’t grow too big | You have to water beans quite often |
| You can grow many different bean varieties | Hard to grow in small pots |
| Beans are pretty resistant to pests | You may not like eating beans |
| You don’t have to care a lot for beans | Growing beans requires some knowledge |
| You don’t have to prune beans | You need to stake bean plants |
Should You Grow Beans At Home?
If you still think growing beans at home is a good idea, you should also have a look at my bean grower’s guide and my growing beans FAQ section to get further information in this regard.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bean
Own experience.
About the Author
My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my own plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.
In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.
