Pinto Beans Grown in High Altitude

Challenges

• Pinto beans thrive in warm, slightly moist soil and full sun. Growing them at a high altitude is a challenge because they need a long, warm growing season and may not mature before the first frost. They also take up a fair amount of room in the garden to get a sizable crop. Most high-altitude gardeners have limited gardening space due to rocky or shaded conditions. The soil at high altitude is often thin, dry and infertile as well.

Solutions

• Build raised beds for your vegetable garden, and fill them with high-quality topsoil. Raised beds warm up earlier in the spring, allowing for earlier planting. They are also easier to weed and maintain, and they take up less room than a traditional garden. Plant pinto beans after the last frost, and cover them with floating row covers to keep them warm and to encourage fast growth. Allow the beans to remain on the vines until the pods turn dry and the beans rattle when shaken. Remove them from the vines and dry them for a few days before shelling them for storage.

High-Altitude Seeds

• Several companies offer seeds adapted for high-altitude gardening. These plants grow more quickly and are also more tolerant of cold weather. Supplies are usually limited, and you may have a hard time finding pinto bean seeds. Consider other dry bean varieties, such as dark red kidney, navy or black turtle.

Considerations

• Dry beans, such as the pinto variety, are so inexpensive to buy at the grocery store that most gardeners prefer to put their energy into crops with higher value. Try cool-season crops, such as carrots, onions, lettuce, broccoli, kale and peas, in your high-altitude garden. These crops thrive in the cool growing conditions found at a high altitude and require less work and maintenance to bring to harvest.