Beans
Beans, Snap
Snap beans or “string beans” are a warm season crop harvested for their pod consumption rather than for its seed. While stringless beans are more common today, many consumers prefer the flavor of the string types. They are a very popular direct marketed crop and are often the first to sell out at farmers market booths by those consumers who like to can or freeze them. Good marketing opportunities for producers interested in growing heirloom or specialty varieties, with small-scale production indicating good profit for direct sales channels.
Key Requirements
| Land | Low |
| Labor | Medium |
| Capital | Low |
Take the HortBizQuiz to see how much Land, Labor, and Capital you have for your operation.
Markets
- Direct to Consumer
Pests & Disease
Beans can suffer from a whole host of soil and foliar diseases, but good cultural practices and active scouting routines can go a long way to prevention. Take care to plant disease resistant varieties when possible. A variety of insects can also cause losses so monitoring populations is important to determine when pesticides should be applied.
Costs and returns are presented as estimates. They will vary based on your farm and markets.
Costs and returns are presented as estimates. They will vary based on your farm and markets.
Challenges
- Beans harvested by hand rather than by machine can be very labor intensive
- Snap beans need a continuous supply of moisture, so irrigation may be necessary during dry summers.
Opportunities
- Bush beans can be grown using black plastic and drip irrigation
- Beans can be succession planted every 2-3 weeks during warm months for consistent supply.
- Specialty and heirloom bean varieties can call prices two to three times more per bushel than newer varieties.