Legumes are very healthy. In terms of protein content, they are close to meat and fish. But at the same time, they also contain other substances useful for the human body. Their cultivation is not difficult even for novice gardeners, and the tops can be used as green manure to improve the composition of the soil.

But if peas or beans can often be found in garden beds, then black beans are undeservedly forgotten by summer residents. Nowadays, many do not even imagine what these beans look like and what can be cooked from them. Meanwhile, it was this vegetable plant that saved the peoples from hunger in lean years, since Russian black beans are absolutely unpretentious, they grow even in a rainy cold summer, and the seed material retains its germination capacity for 9-11 years, and more than 90% of the planted seeds emerge for the first five seasons ...

Black beans - what is this vegetable crop, how to grow and cook it correctly. This and much more will be discussed below.

Bean in brief

Legumes have been in the diet of our ancestors since time immemorial, as they were very nutritious and grew in any conditions (even where it was difficult to grow other vegetables). Even before the appearance of potatoes in Russia, beans were one of the most popular vegetable crops among domestic peasants. But even after the appearance of potatoes, beans were still actively cultivated almost everywhere.

Black Russian beans (cultivation)

Unfortunately, over the past decades, this valuable crop has been replaced from the human diet by other products, and now most often legumes are grown only as green manure, or for livestock feed.

It is interesting! Breeders from Russia bred this vegetable crop relatively recently - at the beginning of the 40s of the XX century. The basis for breeding was an old Russian variety of beans.

Such beans do not occur in nature, but are cultivated only on private farms or on an industrial scale. In our country, this variety of horse beans is found everywhere from the Leningrad region to Transbaikalia.

There are practically no negative qualities in black Russian beans, except for the fact that when they are eaten, gases may appear in the gastrointestinal tract (especially if you eat bread products at the same time).

But this vegetable crop has more advantages:

  • they contain a wide range of essential amino acids;
  • legumes included in the diet help to lower blood glucose levels;
  • thanks to a large set of active substances, beans are a good diuretic, anti-inflammatory and general tonic;
  • improve the metabolic process in the human body.

Black Russian beans (cultivation)

So the benefits of this vegetable plant are undeniable, so summer residents should think about cultivating such beans in their garden.

Characteristics of Black Russian Beans

The description of this culture should begin with a story about its appearance. Black Russian beans are a kind of horse legume plants. These annuals can grow a meter or more in height. All shoots are of medium thickness, hollow inside.

Beans and beans: what's the difference

This vegetable plant quickly produces side shoots in large quantities, and 7-9 pods grow on one stem, each of which ripens up to 3 beans. Ripe pods are small in length (up to 8 cm).The beans that have not reached ripeness have a light color; as they ripen, the "pea" becomes darker, gradually becoming a dark purple hue.

The pods are slightly curved, and the seeds are oval, small in size.

The foliage is fleshy and large, and the rhizome develops so quickly that it can reach 1.7-1.9 m. Therefore, such a variety of beans calmly survives drought.

Interesting! Blooming buds are pure white or pinkish in color.

How to Plant Russian Black Beans

Russian Black beans, their cultivation begins with planting seed. For planting, you should choose sunny areas with fertile soil, since this culture does not like poor soils.

Black tomatoes

It is not difficult to grow these beans if you know some of the nuances. Although the beans are unpretentious, it is best to plant the seeds in warm soil when the spring frost has passed. Seed material can withstand subzero temperatures, but seedlings grow poorly during a period of sharp changes in air temperature. It is optimal to plant seeds when the air temperature is above 15 ° C.

Important! When sowing in open ground, the seed material is not deeply buried (up to 3-3.5 cm, not deeper). The distance between the bushes should be at least 0.2 m, and between the rows up to 1.0 m.

Before planting, it is better to soak the seed, then sprouts appear faster. If the soil is sufficiently moistened and warmed up, then you can do without soaking. After planting, be sure to water the beds.

Care

Asparagus beans - growing and care

Further care of the seedlings is easy. Immediately after planting, you should regularly loosen the soil in the beds even before the first shoots appear. And the aisles are loosened and weeded at least 3 times per season.

Black Russian beans (cultivation)

During the period of growing vegetative mass, the beds with these beans should be watered regularly, since the rhizome has not yet grown to a sufficient depth. After the ovaries begin to appear on this culture, the number of watering can be reduced, since the root has already grown enough to find moisture in the soil.

When the beans grow, they should be tied to supports to prevent the pods from getting dirty. Also, during the ripening period of the pods from the plants, the tops of the shoots are pinched off so that the nutrients come to the fruits.

It is better to use complex mineral fertilizers from dressings.

Pest and disease control

Unfortunately, this legume can be attacked by pests. Most often it is damaged:

  • nodule weevils, which should be dealt with using special insecticides;
  • aphids can be removed with pesticides;
  • it is possible to prevent the development of a disease such as chocolate spot by dressing the seed;
  • in order to prevent the development of fusarium, the seeds should be etched before sowing and the soil should be calcined;
  • special scarers will help from bird raids.

Black Russian beans (cultivation)

It should be especially told about moles, which are a great disaster for the whole garden. These animals dig passages underground, simultaneously undermining the roots and eating the tubers of root plants. It is quite difficult to remove moles from the garden. For this, special traps are used. Alternatively, you can fill in a large amount of water in all passes. Currently, special devices are also used - scarers.

Agricultural technology of cultivation

Breeding Black Russian fruits is not a very difficult procedure. It is enough to observe the following rules:

  • plant seeds in moist fertile soil;
  • regularly water and loosen the soil around the shoots and in the aisles;
  • to make mineral fertilizing on time;
  • regularly inspect crops for diseases or pests, which are best dealt with in a timely manner.

If all planting and growing conditions are met correctly, then a good harvest can be obtained from this legume crop. Fruits are used in different ways: when preparing soups, for making pies, often green beans in pods are simply fried. The amazing properties of beans should not be overlooked by gardeners.