how many peas and beans?

[Mac]

Hi all, this is our first year at doing peas and beans, and I was wondering how many we should try to plant to "do us" for meals and snacks etc..? There are only two of us in the house, but it would be nice to grow enough to give away to neighbours too. So, are we talking planting 50 peas and 50 beans, or heaps more or less....feel a bit dim asking....

[janeyo]

I am growing 8 runner beans, 8 borlottis (for drying) and 8 climbing beans. There will be enough to freeze some and give away and enough for 2 adults and 2 little ones. This is what I have had for the last 2 years and suits us space wise in the garden. This will also give me enough to make a batch of elderberry and runnerbean wine. We would eat them prob twice a week when they start fruiting.
I guess you can never have enough if you like them And they do freeze well if you blanche them first

[PrideRavyn]

I have 19 'pea' plug plants in and lots of sugar snap peas grown from seed (probably about 40!!) but I know that's completely overkill! I just followed the packet and it said to plant two rows of peas with 5cm between each pea, which made about 40 peas as the beds are a metre wide. They have all come up and are growing well. The plugs I bought as a set and I figured I might as well plant them all as no one else wanted any. I planted two to a pole of 2, 4-pole wigwams I made, as advised by the MIL We will probably be overrun with peas!!

[bloomers]

beans/peas

in answer to your how many beans n peas .well i sow two full pks of pea,s as i have twin grandsons and they will love just picking and opening the pod,s straight off the plant .I also have a daughter who is 43 and love,s nothing better than going on my allotment to pick (a coulpe of pea,s )and hour later she comes home with nothing .Guess where shes put them .Bean,s well i sow two sides of my 12 aside 8ft canes thats 24 canes ,i like to make bean sald,s and i like to freeze a few so i have them in for winter .you should plant more than what you said its a waste to me if you just do a little and you never know just how many will take .Or how many the mice take a fancy too .good luck and happy planting .ann:

[Mac]

Thanks guys....Think I'll just keep putting them in and see how we get on! Re. the mice problem, they gave a tip on Beechgrove a couple of weeks ago to put cut goarse ontop of the pots or area where you plant the peas/beans, as the mice wont touch it as it's too jaggy. i've done it with all mine and not lost anything yet! My neighbour lost all his to the wee blighters so has started again and been up the woods to get some goarse!

[Alison]

I am growing 8 runner beans, 8 borlottis (for drying) and 8 climbing beans. There will be enough to freeze some and give away and enough for 2 adults and 2 little ones. This is what I have had for the last 2 years and suits us space wise in the garden. This will also give me enough to make a batch of elderberry and runnerbean wine. We would eat them prob twice a week when they start fruiting.
I guess you can never have enough if you like them And they do freeze well if you blanche them first

Do you get enough beans to be worth it from the bolottis? I find that you need a heck of a lot of them to make a jar full so devote a 6' by 4' bed to them although I am only growing dwarf varieties so that could be the difference.

[Two_Sheds]

I guess you can never have enough if you like them And they do freeze well if you blanche them first

I don't like 'fresh' beans, so I use them as shelly (frozen) or dried (kidney) beans.
I grow heaps & heaps: 100 plus plants. This year I've majored on dwarf beans which aren't as productive as climbers but produce earlier.
I measured once, and got (I think) 1oz (25g) of dried beans from each plant. They do vary though: my favourite is Flummery's Serbian bean (like a gold borlotti)

[janeyo]

I got 200g of beans (once dried) from 6 borlottis last year.

[Flummery]

It really depends on whether you're growing short peas or tall, dwarf beans or climbing. Amounts vary hugely.

[Scarlet]

I think I've over done it! Having never grown beans for drying, I've planted 36borlottie - as they were dwarf ones I thought I 'd need loads. If they are left to dry on the plant doesn't that affect the total yield, or should I take them off and dry indoors?

[Alison]

I think I've over done it! Having never grown beans for drying, I've planted 36borlottie - as they were dwarf ones I thought I 'd need loads. If they are left to dry on the plant doesn't that affect the total yield, or should I take them off and dry indoors?

Don't think you've over done it at all, I've got 94 on the go . I always let them dry on the plant as much as possible, whenever I've tried to do it inside before they're ready then they've rotted / gone mouldy on me.

[womble]

I don't think you can plant too many peas, or beans for drying.

Climbing french and runners, I usually settle for 12 - 20 plants, they don't always grow the same each year and it also depends on the variety.
The best thing to do, is to plant in whatever space you have for them and then adjust next year.

[Rabidbun]

I planted 154 beans yesterday (if they don't germinate will just cut numbers of them) and am on my 60th or so pea seed (last ten germinating atm). I figure that will give enough to try all the beans (assuming they crop), give some away for others to try, seed save and dry some.

So nah, can never have enough!*

Last year though, planted around 24 bean plants and 30 pea plants over a couple of weeks to get a staggered crop and had more than enough for two adults and a wee bean and pea mad boy for fresh picking.

*Disclaimer: When I come back screaming about beans and peas and gibbering, feel free to mock me!

[Alison]

I've got 4 No 4' rows of peas planted already (and I always plant close together ie about 2" apart when in rows) at 2 week intervals. The first 3 were in guttering but the last lot were direct sown last weekend. I'll sow another row in a couple of weeks time. All these are tall varieties. Also 2 rows of mange tout, again, a tall variety. In addition, I have a small number of 2 different types for seed saving in separate beds and about a dozen dwarf peas and 30 odd dwarf mange tout in the polytunnel, both now flowering and the mange tout forming pods - it's all very exciting!

[Mac]

thanks for all your responses....from them I have decided the optimum number of peas and beans to plant is.........as many as we can! So have started off some more...now it just needs to stop snowing and start getting warmer for us to have any chance of them growing!