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Home ยป Gardening ยป Garden Tutorials

How to Grow Black Beans

black beans
By: Pamela Reed
Posted:3/6/17
Updated:6/14/23

How to Grow Black Beans from seeds in your vegetable garden.  Looking for a new plant to grow in  your garden this year?  Try growing black beans!  They’re easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

It’s the beginning of March which means your garden has already crossed your mind. We’ll start planting our seeds indoors (tip: check out my post on how to germinate seeds!) in about a week for our Spring garden, but it’s never too early to start planning for Summer.   Whenever I post a black bean recipe I get a few readers that say they want to grow black beans.  You know what? You should! You all should!

If you are looking for a new plant to grow in your 2017 garden, why not try dry black beans?

HOW TO GROW black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden.  Looking for a new plant to grow in  your garden this year?  Try growing black beans!  They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

How to Grow Black Beans

The black beans we always grow are Midnight Black Turtle Soup beans from Johnny Seeds.  We’ve had year after year success with them so if you’re looking for a recommendation, get them. We grow our black beans in the “beans” garden bed where they grow alongside dry white beans, soy beans and green beans.

To get a idea of how much time they take to grow, last year we planted black beans  (directly in the soil) on May 29 and we pulled them to dry on September 10.  On average they take 100-110 days to fully mature, ours took 104 days to be exact.

The way that you know the plants are done is when the plants topple over and turn brown.  The other trick is is to shake the bean pod.  If you hear the beans rattling around then you know they’re full developed and ready to be picked.

You’re going to want to hang up your black bean plants to dry for a week so just yank up the entire plant and tie up in some place that will remain dry.   We usually ties ours up in our garden shed.   Once they’re all dry, now comes the fun/terrible part – time to individually pick each pod off the plant, break it open and remove the beans. And just like you have black beans to use and store.

Tips on Growing Black Beans

Tips/Info:

If you intend on eating these often, I would suggest growing 15 plants per person.   This should last you throughout all the seasons until you grow again.   If you really love black beans, grow even more!  The black beans won’t go bad, so it’s not like you’ll be wasting them if you grow too many.

Black beans are incredibly easy to take care of, they are kind of no nonsense plants.  Plant them, water them occasionally, give them sunshine and they’ll grow without any additional help.

You can grow these in the ground or in containers – both work great.

How to grow black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden. Looking for a new plant to grow in your garden this year? Try growing black beans! They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

For a timeline, this is about 2 weeks after planting the seed directly in the soil.
How to grow black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden. Looking for a new plant to grow in your garden this year? Try growing black beans! They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!
And this is half way through the growing period, around 50 days.  This is our garden bed filled with just beans!
How to grow black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden. Looking for a new plant to grow in your garden this year? Try growing black beans! They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

Me as the black bean lady.   The beans were just picked and now they’ll hang in the shed for a week.
How to grow black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden. Looking for a new plant to grow in your garden this year? Try growing black beans! They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

How to grow black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden. Looking for a new plant to grow in your garden this year? Try growing black beans! They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

And then the most tiring part… popping open the pods and taking out the beans!  If you’re growing lots of beans, put aside a entire afternoon for this.
How to grow black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden. Looking for a new plant to grow in your garden this year? Try growing black beans! They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

Once they’re all removed from the pods, store in a jar, preferably glass jar so you can admire them.  Beans store wonderfully,  I don’t think I’ve ever had beans that went bad.
How to grow black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden. Looking for a new plant to grow in your garden this year? Try growing black beans! They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!
How to grow black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden. Looking for a new plant to grow in your garden this year? Try growing black beans! They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

My favorite part of growing Summer dry beans is being able to eat them in the middle of Winter when it’s 30 degrees out.  It really makes Summer gardening feel special!How to grow black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden. Looking for a new plant to grow in your garden this year? Try growing black beans! They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

Hope you enjoyed learning about black beans and I hope you try growing them!  As always if you have any growing questions leave them in the comments section.

Tip: Once you have black beans, try my Instant Pot Black Beans and Black Bean Tacos!

Tip 2: Looking for the best green beans to grow?

How to grow black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden. Looking for a new plant to grow in your garden this year? Try growing black beans! They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

Pin for later:

HOW TO GROW black bean plants from seeds in your vegetable garden.  Looking for a new plant to grow in  your garden this year?  Try growing black beans!  They're easy to grow, produce a good yield and store great for recipes!

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  1. RC says

    May 19, 2020 at 8:58 pm

    Thanks for all the details, especially the number of plants per person. Did you have to trellis your beans? How far apart did you space them?

    Reply
  2. AtlanticIslandsuz says

    April 15, 2020 at 2:47 pm

    Where do you purchase your seed for black beans?

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      April 16, 2020 at 11:57 am

      We use Midnight Black Turtle Soup beans from Johnny Seeds. You can also find black beans on Amazon (there’s a link in post) or at your local garden center.

      Reply
  3. Jackie says

    April 9, 2020 at 6:26 pm

    Thank you! I popped some black beans from a bag in a clothe pot and they popped up in 2 days! I was like, now what do I do! Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      April 16, 2020 at 12:05 pm

      Have fun growing black beans! Send me pictures of the harvest when you pick them! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  4. Heather Andrews says

    April 9, 2020 at 1:14 am

    Can you then use some of your harvest, to plant as seeds for the next crop?

    Reply
  5. Ava Comer says

    February 12, 2020 at 11:52 am

    I’m short on space with direct sunlight; could I grow okra in the same bed? I’d imagine if I started the okra first they wouldn’t compete for sunlight. I’d have to watch water usage but it seems the other requirements are similar. Thoughts?

    Reply
  6. KELLI SMITH says

    January 12, 2019 at 11:17 am

    Thank you so much for the article and clever tips. I am going to try them in containers. I live in a apt so I can’t really plant a garden. I do live in Florida so I will check the growing season. How big do you suggest the containers should be? Brand new grower… Thank you

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      January 13, 2019 at 11:22 am

      Hey Kelli, you can grow in various size containers but we like the 27 gallon containers. I have a whole post on how we build them here: https://brooklynfarmgirl.com/how-to-make-a-sub-irrigated-planter/

      Reply
  7. Olivia says

    January 11, 2019 at 4:15 pm

    I appreciate your addition of timeline pics! What would you recommend for someone renting and moves often? Also would you advise for or against soaking the beans for 12 hours before planting into soil?

    Thank you for your time!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      January 13, 2019 at 11:21 am

      Hey Olivia, you could grow these in containers if you predict a move in the near future. But obviously you’d need to be moving some place nearby, as relocating containers filled with black beans doesn’t sound very much! Hah. We don’t soak our beans before planting. Hope this helps! Good luck!

      Reply
  8. Frank says

    January 6, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    Thanks… great information… I even make Black Beans Brownies…”to die for”. Try those when you can.
    I’ll definitely try growing my own, this year….2019… Thanks, again..

    Reply
  9. r.a. says

    November 8, 2018 at 11:02 am

    I found packets of black bean seeds at our Ace hardware after I had planted our garden but had some large pots so tried that. After planting I found your website. Thank you for all the pictures, they were very helpful. I only had a few plants due to lack of space but I just harvested ten ounces of black beans that we will eat in the dead of winter. Next year I will have some real space in a garden bed and will plant more. This also has me thinking about trying to grow other dry beans, especially the ones that are expensive.

    Reply
  10. Heather says

    September 12, 2018 at 8:54 am

    My plants are still green, but we’re expecting snow!! I have no clue what to do with my garden full of beans; cover them, pull them? Help!!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      September 13, 2018 at 3:21 pm

      Hey Heather, you could pull them if the beans are big and close to the end, but if they aren’t I would recommend covering with a row cover fabric – to protect them from the snow and temperatures. I would also fill up a few jugs with water and place near the plants – the sun will heat the water up during the day and then share that energy at night when it gets colder.

      Reply
  11. Bethy Jean says

    August 20, 2018 at 10:16 am

    My husband wants to try to eat some of the beans before they’re ripe. He picked some that are still green. Are these OK to eat?

    Reply
  12. rachel kiongo says

    August 16, 2018 at 3:03 am

    This is great. When I was a child in my country in Africa, we grew a lot of black beans.Sorry to say the are no more. I would love to grow them.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      August 16, 2018 at 9:55 am

      I hope you give it a shot Rachel! They’re really fun and easy to grow!

      Reply
  13. Char Strub says

    July 28, 2018 at 4:40 pm

    I did a dumb thing, and picked the black beans when they were not dried (I thought they were green beans). There are beans inside, that are small and white. Is there anything that can be done with them, or do they just have to go into the compost. Can you eat these?

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 29, 2018 at 8:33 pm

      Hey Char, you sure can, but you’ll need to cook them to tender – make sure to fully cook the beans! Enjoy!

      Reply
  14. rosanna says

    June 23, 2018 at 7:54 pm

    Hi Pamela, My name is Rosanna. I just replanted my black beans bush type in my veggie garden behind my strawberry plants. I had heard this was good for the strawberries because bean plants give off a lot of nitrogen. I would like to know I when transplanting my beans I pulled them out of the flower box they were in, unfortunately tearing some of the roots, will this be a problem for my black bean plants, will it make my plants be stunted? Should I planted them in hills? Thank you, Pamela

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 24, 2018 at 3:47 pm

      Hey Rosanna, nice to meet you! Always when transplanting, plant roots have the possibility of getting damaged. Hopefully not too much damage is done and the bean plants will recover quickly. Are they still standing straight up or do you notice them wilting?

      Reply
  15. William says

    June 9, 2018 at 12:37 pm

    Is it possible to use black beans before they dry? Have a 4×6 box growing and producing lots of bean

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 11, 2018 at 12:27 pm

      Hey William, it is, but you still might need to soak them to soften them up a bit. Have fun with growing beans!

      Reply
  16. Luc says

    June 1, 2018 at 3:32 am

    Black beans sure are a cool thing. Especially the climbing ones in my case. I love growing them along the fence the side of my property and extend their path with ropes tell they get to my balcony. Last year they were something like 6 meters high! The shade they produce is so refreshing in the hot summer…

    I think some people asked if you needed to mulch your beans. It’s not necessary, but always better, gives them a nice damp blanket they appreciate especially when they are young bean seedlings.
    Once they are taller they are pretty resistant though, in my garden the climbing black beans actually protect my other plants from heatwaves.
    Also, you can plant beans indoors before the growing season and transplant, but beans you plant directly in the soil outside catch up pretty fast with their indoor counterparts.
    You don’t need to fertilize them with nitrogen (green mulch/compost) because they are the ones who pump it from the air into the soil! Yes, you read me, they fertilize your garden for free. Try planting anything else the next season in the same soil after beans, you will get fabulous results.
    I would recommend though to fertilize beans by adding compost when they start flowering to help them produce more bean pods.

    Reply
  17. Kimberly Johnson says

    May 27, 2018 at 2:19 pm

    Thank you for the detailed information, I bought some and was also wondering if they were a bush tyupe plant or vine. Mine are going in the garden today!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      May 28, 2018 at 5:21 pm

      Have fun growing black beans Kimberly – good luck!

      Reply
  18. Manju Kumar says

    May 11, 2018 at 10:49 am

    thanks for sharing, i’m going to grow them this year and was trying to figure out it they were bush or vine ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  19. Sheri says

    March 10, 2018 at 3:44 pm

    Do these grow up a vine or are they strictly for ground growers?

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      April 24, 2018 at 1:57 pm

      Hey Sheri, they are more a ground plant as they don’t grow very tall.

      Reply
  20. Jaquenta williams says

    March 8, 2018 at 1:28 pm

    Thank you for the past. Love black beans, eat them regularly. I garden every year but have not grown black beans. I will this year. Thanks again

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      March 11, 2018 at 12:07 pm

      Good luck Jaquenta, I’d love to hear how your beans turn out!

      Reply
  21. Matt says

    November 19, 2017 at 2:25 pm

    Can you just use any dry beans such as store-bought or would I have to order them online
    I too would like to plant my own beans

    Reply
  22. Rhonda says

    September 14, 2017 at 6:49 pm

    Pamela, Hello from Maryland. Thank you so much for this blog post with the beautiful detailed pictures! I had never grown black beans before but based on this post, I decided to give it a try. Today, I pulled 25 plants out of my square foot garden and put them in the garage to dry. I think they are going to turn out perfectly. THANK-YOU!! Rhonda

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      September 15, 2017 at 3:12 pm

      Hey Rhonda, your comment made my day! I’m so happy this post helped you grow black beans! Enjoy your black bean harvest all Winter long! Thanks for keeping me updated! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  23. Richard @ My Greenery Life says

    July 21, 2017 at 10:31 am

    Wow, I has thought that growing black beans is very difficult before reading your article! Thanks a lot for sharing. I can’t wait to try

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 21, 2017 at 4:50 pm

      Good luck Richard!

      Reply
  24. Becky says

    July 10, 2017 at 4:19 pm

    Hi! My name is Becky and I live in central Florida. Our weather here has been a scorcher this summer, so I was wondering if it would still be OK to plant black beans. They are my family’s favorite so they’ll never go to waste. I’ve been prepping the soil with natural organic things like banana peels , Coffee grind, natural organic food and soil. But on one of your pictures I noticed you had I believe mulch around the seedlings, am I my correct and should I use this here in Florida ? Any help or ideas would truly be appreciated, I really enjoyed reading your blog. Oh sorry so many questions, are beans from a bag ok (Goya)? Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Michele Munroe says

      April 24, 2018 at 12:21 pm

      Hey Becky. I live in Brevard county and hope you get an answer about the mulch. I want to Try black beans too!

      Reply
  25. Alissa says

    July 2, 2017 at 7:33 am

    Oh the pain of podding those beans! It hurts! BUT!!! Good news! I saw an idea from Seed Savers Exchange… Just pick off the dried pods and stuff them in a sack (the kind of plasticy woven gunny sack that bulk dried beans come in) then throw it around, hit it against a building, have a child jump on it…. Anything to break those tough pods. Then separate the beans from the chaff which you can do with a fan or the wind or your hands…. I am SO doing this next year!!!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      July 2, 2017 at 11:14 am

      Hey Alissa, I’ve totally tried this but it didn’t work too well for me and left so many broken pod pieces with the beans which were a real pain to pick out. Might be worth trying again, but if not, I always have the loving one at a time method to fall back on! Hope you have good luck with it, enjoy the beans!

      Reply
  26. Jess Cox says

    June 13, 2017 at 9:15 am

    A couple of years ago, I had an empty raised bed and decided to toss some black beans out there to try…..not from seed packets, but from the grocery store. They did amazingly well!! So, instead of 20 seeds for $1+, I got a full pound of seed for $1+. I think I planted maybe 60?? And harvested a couple pounds of beans. A little tedious, but a fun experiment!!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      June 13, 2017 at 12:05 pm

      That’s amazing Jess! I can’t imagine the amount of beans that you had to shell…. fun! ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Reply
  27. Judy says

    March 30, 2017 at 12:44 pm

    Where do you buy your seeds?

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      March 30, 2017 at 5:26 pm

      I buy most of my seeds from Johnny’s Seeds (online).

      Reply
  28. Cakespy says

    March 8, 2017 at 6:18 am

    This is so great!! BB’s are definitely one of those things I think “buy”instead of “diy” but you have challenged that!! Beautiful work and great tutorial!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      March 8, 2017 at 12:17 pm

      I hope you try growing them Jessie! They’re one of my favorites to grow, especially because I can admire then in my kitchen for months after picking!

      Reply
  29. Saeriu says

    March 7, 2017 at 12:40 pm

    Do you start these in containers and them move them outside? We’re in Minnesota so the early gardening season is touchy.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      March 7, 2017 at 2:28 pm

      Hello Saeriu, I’m in zone 5A where it’s risky as well in early Spring. I always find it’s best to plant the black bean seeds directly in the soil. The beans usually take about 100 days to maturity so if you plant them in late May, you should have plenty of time for a full bean growing season.

      Reply
    • Jessie says

      September 13, 2018 at 2:20 pm

      Try a plastic cover over the evenings/a hot cap after planting, it keeps them warmer and the plastic hoop cover protects from fluctuating temps

      Reply
  30. Annie says

    March 7, 2017 at 12:37 pm

    I am definitely going to try them this year!! I love black beans but never thought to grow them. Last year I grew pole beans on a trellis on the duck pen-a crop and shade for my babies!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      March 7, 2017 at 1:11 pm

      Happy to hear you’re going to give them a try! Keep me updated on how they’re growing – have fun!

      Reply
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