# Life Cycle of Beans & Soybeans
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Bean Germination
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Beans germinate within a week. All types of beans, including soy beans, germinate very quickly. The dry bean seed is placed in a soil-less mixture of peat or directly in the ground once the soil has warmed up. Keep the soil moist to allow the seed to swell and within a week the bean should start to sprout, showing the first two leaves which are called the cotyledon. All the nutrition that the bean requires at this time is stored in the seed until the plant is large enough to photosynthesize food directly from sunlight. The bean also sends out rootlets to anchor the plant and to draw moisture and minerals from the earth.
Growth Phase
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All types of beans and soybean plants first use up all the food that is stored in the seed, but once the plant has its first two leaves it starts the process of photosynthesis. Beans come in two types: pole and bush. Pole beans need to be staked or they will fall over. Bush beans, including soy, are shorter bush plants and do not need to be staked. Once photosynthesis begins, the plant grows rapidly over the course of a few weeks before it goes onto the next stage of its life cycle.
Flowering Stage
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After the beans and soy beans have set forth a sufficient amount of leaves so that the flowers will be shaded, the plants move into the reproductive stage. Pink or white flowers appear and can be pollinated by bees or other insects, although they don't need to be since they are self-pollinating plants. Scarlet runner beans, however, do require pollinators. When pollinated, the flowers start drying up and a mini bean pod is visible, often with the withered flower still attached.
Bean Pods
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If left on the vine, the beans will ripen and dry. As the tiny bean pod begins to grow, the bean seeds within are just visible. Beans, except for yellow wax beans, are generally bright green at this stage of their life cycle. Beans can be picked for eating when they are finger-long and succulent. If left to mature on the vine, they will start to bulge, the pod will turn brown with age and burst. The seeds can then be collected, dried and used to start the life cycle again the next year.
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