Several years ago while browsing the seed displays at my local nursery I saw a packet called bean and pea booster. Curious, I did some experimentation in my garden and found out that my beans grew better with this addition.

What is soil inoculant? It’s used as a way to add beneficial microbes that benefits your plants.

How does soil inoculant work? Bean and peas are in the legume family and a soil inoculant adds tons of Rhizobium bacteria to the soil. This bacteria infects the root of the bean or pea and the helps the root create little nodules below the dirt’s surface. Our atmosphere contains about 80% nitrogen gas, which is unusable to plants until they “fix” it into a usable form of ammonia nitrogen NH3. The nodules are responsible for “fixing” the atmospheric nitrogen to a usable form. This absorbed nitrogen provides direct food to the plant.

What are the results? The inoculant allows the beans and peas to become nitrogen producing powerhouses. I’ve found I do not need to provide a nitrogen fertilizer because the plants are making their own food. I have noticed faster growth and bigger yields when I have used a bean and pea inoculant.

How do I use it? The Burpee Bean and Pea Booster I use is granular. I liberally sprinkle it directly onto my bean seed in the farrow when planting. Some people moisten the bean seed and roll it in the inoculant, but I do not find that step necessary. You cannot over inoculate, so do not worry about over sprinkling the inoculant.

Is it organic? Yes, the bacteria is all natural.

Is it required to inoculate my beans and peas? No, certainly not, however I have experienced wonderful results by incorporating a bean and pea booster in my garden.