Remember that children's story we all heard growing up about Jack and his magic beanstalk? Well not only does that story offer a moment of entertainment, possibly a morality lesson, although what it might be escapes me at the moment, but there's some wonderful gardening advice in there too.
This is for all of us that truly love the natural beauty that is a garden but can't seem to justify spending the family grocery money on $15 potted plants from the nursery that, let's face it, won't survive our feeble attempts to support it for more than a week. This is an easy, cheap and beautiful alternative to depriving the kids of lunch money for that perfectly lush patio.
Magic Beans! Okay, fine, maybe “magic” is exaggerating things a bit, but for those green thumb-challenged individuals out there, it's like poof!
First things first, you need soil. The good news is that beans don't appear to be all that picky about soil quality. If a weed can grow in it, so will a bean plant. Till up an area where you'd like to see vegetation or simply add soil to flower pots.
Next, visit your local grocer and purchase a 65 cent bag of dried beans. The type of bean is of no consequence for those of us that can't distinguish between a philodendron and a petunia.
Finally, sprinkle the beans into the soil. I mean that literally. There is no need to place the beans ¼ of an inch or 2 inches down, just throw them at random. If you want the bean plants to grow in full, simply add more beans. Water and wait approximately 24 hours.
Yep, 24 hours later, the beans will have begun to sprout. Within three days, you'll have gorgeous tendrils of green flowing from your flower pots. And the best part... you have beans!
Warning: Even bean plants need a little water now and then...
