Seedlings will be ready to plant out after about three weeks.
Water well, label and place on a sunny windowsill to germinate. Sow a single bean seed, 4cm (1.5in) deep, in root trainers or into a 7.5cm (3in) pot filled with multipurpose compost. Robust young plants will be ready to plant outside within about 5 weeks, growing away far quicker than outdoor sowings. Beans sown directly outside often germinate poorly or get attacked by slugs.Īvoid problems by sowing seeds in late April and May in pots or root trainers in the greenhouse. Sowing seeds early indoors gives a faster and more reliable germination rate. Plant outdoors only after the last frosts, May onwards Sowing: Sow indoors late April and May, outdoors in late May to July.Įven when temperatures are not below freezing, cold air can damage bean plants, so don't plant too early. These will twine together as they climb, attracting pollinating insects to the beans, and providing flowers to pick at the same time as the crop Add to the ornamental appeal of wigwams by planting a few fragrant sweetpeas alongside them. Either make a wigwam with canes, lashed together with string at the top, or create a parallel row of canes, which have their tops tightly secured to a horizontal cane. If you wish to train the plant vertically, create a support before planting. Fill with a mixture of equal parts loam-based compost and loam-free compost. Choose pots at least 45cm (18in) in diameter and make sure there are plenty of drainage holes. Prepare the soil for planting by digging over and adding plenty of organic material, this will help to improve the soil's moisture-retaining ability and fertility.īeans can also be grown in pots. If the pods are left to mature on the plant they can be dried and shelled as haricot beans for winter use.īeans prefer to grow in moist, fertile soil in a sunny, sheltered spot away from strong winds. To enjoy at their best, pick when young and tender, they require only a brief cooking time and are best steamed and served whole. The beans are flavoursome and versatile in cookery and freeze very well. The plants need no thinning, transplanting or training as other vegetables do and like their climbing cousins, they are also self fertile and ideal for growing under cover early or late in the season. The succulent fleshy pods bursting with flavour turn bright green with cooked, they are best steamed to retain colour.ĭwarf French beans are one of the most popular garden vegetables, very easy to grow, they give superb yields for a small amount of space, outlay and effort, and are very quick to give results. you can usually be eating beans 12 weeks after sowing the seeds. For a regular and steady supply, sow a few seeds every couple of weeks, from April to July. This wonderful heirloom variety has tan coloured seeds which can also be used as a dry bean in soups and stews. The colourful pods and pretty bicolour, pink and white flowers make French Bean ‘Red Swan’ very ornamental and a good choice for large pots and containers. A bush or dwarf cultivar, the plants will grow to around 50cm (20in) tall. A cross between a purple snap bean and pinto bean, the vigorous plants produce high yields of Romano-type, flattened pods that are meaty and flavourful. Red Swan is a newer variety, an open-pollinated bean that was bred out of a cross between a pinto and a purple podded bean, and makes for delicious fresh eating.French Bean 'Red Swan' is an heirloom stringless bean with burgundy red pods. More than just pretty, these beans have an added value that no gemstone can provide: eating them makes your heart healthy. The flavor is deep and earthy, similar to that of a Romano type. Perhaps Lobitz bred this bean to be a jewel as elegant as a swan. The plants are quite striking, having bi-colored flowers that pop over the foliage, making Red Swan a great choice for edible landscaping, as well as a unique offering at the market booth. The dusty pink color ranges from pale rose to deep magenta, with a bit a green in the background, giving them an iridescent appearance. Look closely: each one is different, and some are reflective, colorful, fit to be set as a pendant. Dedicated life-long bean breeder Robert Lobitz once said, "Beans are a poor man's jewels." You may have experienced that heart-felt sentiment when admiring a handful of beans.
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