Fabaceae family or Leguminosae is the family of legumes!
From the medicinal plant alfa-alfa to protein rich green beans, runner beans this family covers all the legumes under it’s umbrella. Chickpeas, lentils, soybeans, green peas and peanuts all the rich sources of fiber, iron, potassium and magnesium.
Soil:
Beans enrich your soil they create their own nutrition with bacteria that forms nodules on their roots, these nodules absorb atmospheric nitrogen from the air. This means the soil composition of your legumes must have air space.
Beans love full sun and warm well drained soil. They are very heavy feeders! Stock up your fertilizer if beans are what you want to grow!
Temperature: most beans grow during monsoon in India.
Make 1” inch furrows at a distance of 1 ft 2 ft each if sowing in the ground, and if in container use a wide container which is 2ft deep, and insert the seeds. Most of these are vines which spread vertically and horizontally both, keep trimming for bushier growth, you will need trellises once they are 1 feet in length as they love to climb and spread. A few like chick peas, peas grow like bush.
Common diseases of legumes are: bacterial blight, brown spot, bacterial wilt, fusarium, brown spot, root rot, powdery mildew.
Pests that attack legumes: cowpea aphids, leaf miners, caterpillars, bean flies, pod borer, spider mites, beet-army-worms and thrips are a few common problems you might face!
Companion plants for legumes: try to grow your legumes individually, any antibacterial plnta like onion and leeks or herbs can kill the much needed bacteria in this case.
Moist soil and consistent watering will sort most problems in your plants.
