Beans

Fresh beans taste great and you can get them from pod to pan in seconds following harvest.

How to grow
Prepare the soil and keep up with the watering and feeding. Depending on the type of bean you’re growing, you may require a structure, such as an obelisk to grow plants on or a form of plant protection, such as a net.

Position
Beans like a sunny site and may require some protection from harsh winds. It is important to consider that some taller growing beans may cast shade on other plants, so plant them in an area that is best for all your crops.

Soil
As vigorous plants beans require a deeply dug, water retentive and fertile soil. It is advisable to incorporate lots of well rotted garden compost, manure or multi-purpose compost to the intended planting area.

Care
Watering needs to be regular and is an essential task when growing many types of bean. If you have prepared the soil in advance there should be little need to feed your plants, however, you may wish to add a general fertilizer to aid growth. If growing climbing beans carefully tie stems in place, using plant ties, and pinch out growing tips when plants reach their desired height.

Harvesting
Harvest varies depending on the type of bean you’re growing. Generally harvest when beans are young, tender and succulent.

Top Tip
As beans require lots of moisture hoe around the base of plants regularly and mulch after watering to reduce water loss. You may even want to consider purchasing our Water Beads to help with water retention.

Armenian Giant Black Bean

This giant black bean, almost 2 cm long, was found in the Armenian village of Ijevan. Ijevan is a small rural agricultural community where one can find many traditional local fruits and vegetables. It also happens to have an astounding diversity of local beans. After cooking this bean must get monstrous!

Asparagus Bean

(Yard long bean; Dow gauk) Stringless bean with a mildly sweet flavour. Beans will grow from 60cm/2ft-90cm/3ft long but pick them when they’re tender (40cm/16in long). Excellent stir fried. Best started early indoors. Needs plant support.

Avakli Bean

A traditional favourite of the Ewe people of the Volta region of West Africa. Harvest time is eagerly anticipated when the beans, along with maize and groundnuts, are cooked in seasonal dishes such as ayibli and ayikple. The mottled beans are commonly cooked whole or they are first roasted and ground and then cooked to make nutritious stews and breakfast porridge. Drought resistant and sweeter tasting than other beans. Traditionally planted in May or June and harvested in August.

Bantu Bean

This is a beautiful landrace of dry beans found in western Uganda where the Bantu language is spoken. The range of colours -- yellows, tans, browns, pinks, greens and greys -- seems to reflect the rich landscape of the countryside where these beans come from. The diverse colours suggest that farmers long ago realized genetic variation is a good thing, even in a single crop like dry beans. In sharp contrast to our modern Western practice of growing uniform varieties, farmers probably found that genetic diversity makes their crops better able to withstand the vicissitudes of plagues, pests and droughts.

Baby Thorogreen Lima Bean

Dwarf plants don’t require staking and bear pods in clusters. Tasty, plump, pale green seeds. Early maturity makes it a good choice for the North. A 2-oz. packet of lima bean seeds (bush and pole) contains about 50 seeds and sows a 15-ft row.

BeSweet 292 Edamame Soybean

Edamame soybean grows pod clusters of 2-3 beans each. Edamame is a great high protein food and has many culinary uses. The bush type plant doesn't require staking.

Black Valentine Heirloom Bush Bean

This heirloom variety of beans can be left until the shelling stage or harvested while still a green bean. The pods grow about 6" long and produce all black beans. Yields are good and beans are delectable.

Blue Lake Bush Bean

The Blue Lake variety of beans yields long pods up to 6 1/2" long. The plant grows up to 18" and does well in cold soils. Seeds develop slowly.

Blue Lake Pole FM1K Pole Bean

The Blue Lake pole bean grows straight pods that reach up to 7" long. The pods stringless, dark green and smooth. The plant's high yield makes it a great plant for canning or freezing. The Blue Lake plant is Bean Common Mosaic Virus resistant.

Broad Windsor Fava Bean

The Broad Windsor fava bean plant is upright and bears black and white flowers and large bean pods. Each pods grows to around 7 inches and yields 5 or 6 large flat beans. Fava beans have a unique flavor from other beans. The young pods can be eaten fresh or the beans can be left to dry and eaten as shell beans. The plants can grow anywhere from 1-6 feet tall.

Bush Bean Delinel

A very heavy cropping French 'filet' type with 6in mid-green, stringless pencilthin pods, with a unique texture and distinctive flavor. Easy to cook, whole or sliced. CBMV and anthracnose resistant. 75 days.

Bush Bean Golden Teepee

Attractive, golden-yellow stringless pencil pods of excellent flavor, contrast against the dark green leaves. Stringless, round pods are held high up on the plants for ease of picking, so are less prone to disease and rotting from soil splash. 75 days.

Bush Bean Nomad

Very heavy crop, when picked regularly, of straight, shiny dark green, 5-5½in long, stringless pencil pods of outstanding flavor. CBMV and anthracnose resistant. 75 days.

Bush Bean Organic Bean Modus

Heavy-cropping, straight dark green cylindrical 6in pods on bushy plants which crop profusely over a long period. Common Bean Mosaic Virus resistant and anthracnose and halo blight tolerant. Good pod color, ideal for freezing. 75 days.

Bush Bean Speedy

Aptly named as one of the quickest beans to produce pods to pick. As well as being very early, Speedy is also very productive. Fleshy mid-green pods 5-6 long. Very early for your first pick of the season. 55 days.

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