Why Everyone Should Be Growing Beans In Their Back YardIt's a funny thing when you start looking at the cost of eating each meal... especially when you realize that we are eating out so much that it's killing our cash flow. Have you ever really sat down and thought about how much we spend on food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? If your house is like mine, it's a attrocious. I mean it's just crazy. We're eating biscuits at Hardees... ok, wait, I like Hardees. Then it's Chik-fila for lunch, followed by dominoes pizza for dinner. Then we repeat... with a couple of changes... Now it's Mc Donalds for breakfast, then we might grab Taco Bell, then it's KFC for dinner. Oh, wait, now we are feeling guilty. So now we decide to cook and that's when the revelation takes place. We go down to Publix super market, grab up everything we can because we're going to turn over a new leaf and start doing things "right"... Right! That's when we notice that we actually spent over $100 on groceries and when you really sit down and look at it really hard... it kind of looks like we are still spending close to the same amount that we spent when we went out to the fast food joints. So, how do we beat this endless cycle? We don't seem to be able to save any money... Unless you are willing to stop what you are doing and find the coupons then you're just like everyone else going through the motions. And then it hits you... You need a garden!But what are you going to put in your garden? Do you really want to eat tomatoes every day? Is it really possible to grow your own food and have enough to feed everyone? Are you going to have to have the same three vegetables every day? Oh, and you don't want to eat watermelon every day either. You really want to go back to Taco Bell and forget you even had such a dumb idea. But that's when you realize that a really good burrito has beans on it... As a matter of fact, when you go to most Mexican restaurants, they serve refried beans with every meal. Why had you not noticed this before? And when you really want some barbecue, baked beans usually go right along with it. What would barbecue be without sweet baked beans to go with it. As a matter of fact, when it comes to hot dogs, a lot of people like chili on them.... Beans again. Oh, and baked beans and cole slaw go great with hot dogs. That KFC meal can come with grean beans and at one point they used to sell baked beans too. Are you starting to see a trend here. Beans are a core part of our diets... And for most of us who probably need to be watching how we eat as in how we prepare our food so that we can maintain our health, beans offer a significant portion of the vitamins and minerals we need. So why is it that we don't have our own beans in our yards? It's a good question. I've heard it said that beans can be hard to grow. It's true. I've had all out war with bunny rabbits who will cut down a fresh row of beans in one afternoon. Rabbits can be a terrible pest when growing certain vegetables. But I have to tell you that you should never give up. If one person can grow them, so can you. For me, it was just a matter of changing where I grew them... I.E. a place where there are natural predators that like rabbits... Yes it's sad to say it, but beans grow well where rabbits have to run. And as far as soil conditions go, beans are pretty forgiving. There needs to be a good bit of natural fertilizer and your soil should be well drained. Personnally, I prefer bush beans so that I don't have to erect structures for bean vines to grow on. That being said, fresh green beans are worth the trouble of erecting a structure for beans to climb on. Then there are the black beans. For me, these are the holy grail of the beans. Why? Well let's just say this. I dare you to mix some black beans, kidney beans and brown/baked beans together in a dutch over. Add some diced tomato chillies and sugar and smoke them beans. You just go on an try it. Come back to me and then let's talk about it. There's just so many ways to eat beans, it's not even funny. Beans are nutritious, versatile, tasty, and fun to grow. So, the next time you go out in your back yard, ask yourself, why don't I have any beans? |
 
|
Are you new to gardening? No need to worry. It's easy to get started with this first time gardener's book. It will have you up and running in no time.
