Andy asks:

If I take some pinto beans that I buy in a plastic bag at the
supermarket, soak them overnight at room temp, and then plant
them, will they germinate ?

Andy in Eureka, Texas

AndyS wrote:

If I take some pinto beans that I buy in a plastic bag at the
supermarket, soak them overnight at room temp, and then plant
them, will they germinate ?

Almost certainly. The only issue is that you don't know the particular
variety or where it does best (which is a good reason to save your own
seed). But you can't beat the price.

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:18:13 -0700 (PDT), AndyS wrote:

If I take some pinto beans that I buy in a plastic bag at the
supermarket, soak them overnight at room temp, and then plant
them, will they germinate ?

Yup. Also black-eyed peas, red kidney beans, black beans, broad beans,
borlotti beans, chickpeas, you name it. However, be ready to feed them
really well, as they are almost certainly selected for high-input
irrigated cultivation rather than home growing. But if they swell when
you soak them (and especially if they sprout in a bowl as per mung bean
sprouts), they'll grow when planted.
--
Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia
"Read beans and rice, I could eat a plate twice" - Spearhead

On Mar 19, 1:27 am, Ross McKay
wrote:
On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:18:13 -0700 (PDT), AndyS wrote:
If I take some pinto beans that I buy in a plastic bag at the
supermarket, soak them overnight at room temp, and then plant
them, will they germinate ?

Yup. Also black-eyed peas, red kidney beans, black beans, broad beans,
borlotti beans, chickpeas, you name it. However, be ready to feed them
really well, as they are almost certainly selected for high-input
irrigated cultivation rather than home growing. But if they swell when
you soak them (and especially if they sprout in a bowl as per mung bean
sprouts), they'll grow when planted.
--
Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia
"Read beans and rice, I could eat a plate twice" - Spearhead

Andy comments:

Thanks, Ross and Gary. I had googled the subject and pretty
much figured it out, but I wanted to hear from someone on this group
who knew first-hand.

I live on a large lake and have unlimited water resources to my six
raised beds. So I soaked some pintos overnight and then planted
them this morning. I am hoping for something green to appear in a
week or so. I don't know if it is practical for me to grow my own
beans
since they are so cheap in the store ( unlike tomatoes, which are $2/
lb)
but I really like to see rows of green bushy stuff in the garden, and
this
spring I am trying the beans.

Thanks again for the good advice.

Andy in Eureka, Texas