The Uses of Pinto Bean Plants

Field Nitrogen Fixation

• Pinto bean plants, like all legumes, capture nitrogen, convert it into a plant-usable form and store the nutrient in nodules that hang from their roots. When the plant dies, this nitrogen gets released into the soil where it improves soil conditions, reports New Mexico State University Extension. Thus, pinto beans are sometimes grown as a cover crop between other plant crops to help recondition the soil. Once the plants have matured, they're tilled into the soil.

Home Gardening

• Instead of buying dried beans in the grocery store, you can potentially save money by growing pinto beans at home. Purdue University Extension reports that the beans are easy to grow in the home garden and can provide you with a crop of dried beans within three to four months. Once harvested, the plant's dried beans can be used in various dishes where a single 1/2 cup of cooked beans provided 7 g of protein plus vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium and vitamin C, according to University of Illinois Extension.

Ornamental Vines

• Depending on the variety, some pinto bean plants develop lush, green vines. Although the plant's flowers are not remarkable from an ornamental perspective, the vines themselves can help provide vertical visual interest when trained along a trellis. They can also be planted along a fence or wall to help disguise the structure.

School Education

• Pinto beans are hardy and germinate quickly, lending them as ideal candidates for teaching young children about seeds, germination and plant development, according to Scott Foresman Science. They can be soaked and placed between damp sheets of paper towels so that children can observe the actual seed development, or planted in small pots so children can discover what a seed needs to develop into a full-fledged plant.