How to Grow Black and White Calypso Beans
You can add a dash of color to the vegetable garden harvest with black and white calypso beans. These bush beans, splashed with patches of black and white, are not so different from the common pinto bean or black bean. In fact, all dried beans belong to the species Phaseolus vulgaris. In a mild, Mediterranean climate, plant black and white calypso beans in spring and fall. The crop requires 70 to 90 days of temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Black and white calypso beans are an annual that grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 11.
Prepare a spot in the garden that gets full sun, at least six hours per day. Spread a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost over the ground, and dig it into the top 8 inches of soil.
Plant black and white calypso beans early in the spring as soon as the soil temperature rises to 60 degrees Fahrenheit or in late summer when it drops to 80 degrees F.
Direct-seed beans 1 inch deep into the soil and 3 to 5 inches apart. Cover the beans with soil, and water the area after planting.
Apply 1/2 inch of water twice a week through the growing season. Water the soil at the base of the plants, and avoid getting water on the foliage.
Weed around the bean plants by hand every one to two weeks to keep weeds from competing with the crop.
Harvest when the pods dry on the plant 70 to 90 days after planting. Clip each bean from the plant.
Remove the plants after the harvest by pulling them from the ground. Beans are annuals that need to be replanted from seed at the beginning of each growing season.
- Bush beans such as calypso beans and other dried beans do not need additional fertilizer to grow well.
- Unlike climbing varieties, bush beans do not need support. The plants grow 15 inches tall and form a compact bush shape that stands on its own in the garden bed.
Eulalia Palomo has been a professional writer since 2009. Prior to taking up writing full time she has worked as a landscape artist and organic gardener. Palomo holds a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies from Boston University. She travels widely and has spent over six years living abroad.