Are Pinto Beans Grown on Trees or Vines?

Plant Types

• Many pinto varieties are indeterminate or vining varieties; a few grow as determinate bush plants. No pinto bean varieties grow on trees.

Bush Varieties

• Bush varieties are short plants growing upright. Pinto beans prefer warm weather, and will die at the first frost. The plants are called "bush-type" because of the plant style, but they are not true bushes. Agassiz is a commercially grown bush variety of pinto beans.

Vining Varieties

• Most vining varieties require the support of a pole or trellis to keep the beans off the ground. The pinto bean plant grab the support and naturally hold on by winding a tendril around it. In addition, some vining varieties grow upright without the need of a support. Common vining varieties include: Apache, Arapaho, Bill-Z, Chase, Elizabeth, Fargo, Fiesta, Hatton, Maverick, Othello, and Topaz.