With food prices climbing higher, maintaining a vegetable garden gives you fresh produce and keeps food costs down. If you’re looking to raise enough produce to take a bite out of your food budget, the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is an excellent choice. Along with zucchini (and similar vegetables), indeterminate tomatoes, and greens, beans are among the highest-yielding garden vegetables in terms of food yield per area cultivated.
Beans are nutritious. They’re 40% starch by dry weight and have both insoluble and soluble fiber. The protein content of beans is 25% to 30% by dry weight, which is high compared with most vegetables. They’re also excellent sources of iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium, and folic acid. When paired with rice, beans are nutritionally complete—they supply all the required amino acids for good health. Excessive
