Full of Beans 2019

[veggiechicken]

Which beans are you growing this year?

Share your progress; ask for help................we'll even help you eat them when you have a glut.

My first CFBs are coming up so I though it was time we all had a chat about our Beans.

Here are some of my babies - Goldfield on the left and the ?Borlottis I saved last year on the right.

[cariann88]

I am growing saved seeds from last year polestar-runner beans

[carolefu]

I haven't started to grown mine yet. But I will probably wait awhile until the temperature in the raised bed that I am going to put them in has raised up a little. In the meantime, I can prepare the 'supports' with some garden twine. I read somewhere, that you can use the inside of a toilet roll to act as a initial support for the little seedlings until they reach the height of the first 'twine support'; I think I will give a whirl . I might also plant some marigold seeds, to act as a 'companion'

[burnie]

We are not keen on runner beans, but I do have some Broad beans coming along in modules and also some Climbing and Dwarf French beans just sprouting in the greenhouse in pots.

[Thelma Sanders]

Mine are still in their packets because we often get frost in mid-May, but the plan is...
White Lady & Celebration - pretty runners for the garden
On the allotment... Firestorm runners.
Drying beans - Spagno Bianco & Gigandes (the latter from the seed circle).
Climbing beans - Cosse Violette, Mennonite Purple Striped (saved seed), and (from Realseeds and new to me) Coco Sophie.
Dwarf frenchies - Purple Teepee from saved seed and Tiefenbacher (old seed from a swap - so see if they grow!)

[Bren In Pots]

I'm sowing Scarlet Emperor Runners and Serbian pole beans both are saved seeds, then some Dwarf french beans not for a couple of weeks yet though.

[mcdood]

Broad beans are in, Bunyards Exhibition, Jubilee Hyser and a saved non-specific.
Not sown others yet but plans are:
Runners - White Lady for pods, Enorma for dried beans
DFB - Ferrari and Annabel for pods. Borlotti and Canadian Wonder for beans
CFB - Blauhilde, Blue Lake, More Borlotti and cosse de violette for mix of beans and pods
Loved my beans last year, I might have gotten a bit carried away with my plans this year.

[Bumblingbroccoli]

I'm growing climbing, runners and broad beans. My question is how do you know when a French bean is ready as a bean both fresh and dry and how do you cook them? I've only ever eaten the pods so not a clue!

[Small pumpkin]

I'm growing runner beans ( Heinz 57 ) self saved and scarlet emperor.
dwarf French bean - sprite, tendergreen, kinghorn wax.

Will post pics tomorrow, they're all in bed now ,

[SarrissUK]

I'm growing a couple of different runner beans for the beans, not the pods, and a few different climbing french beans, one or two dwarf ones that I had left over from previous years, Swedish brown beans, lima beans, and yin yang beans that I saved a couple of years ago

[veggiechicken]

I'm growing climbing, runners and broad beans. My question is how do you know when a French bean is ready as a bean both fresh and dry and how do you cook them? I've only ever eaten the pods so not a clue!

I only eat them fresh in their pods.
At the end of the year, if you want to dry them, leave them on the plants until the pods turn yellow and dry. They need to be absolutely dry if you want to save them to cook or to sow in subsequent years.

[Derbydal]

iv'e 2 rows of broad beans up andaluce ,longpod, about 30 blue lake french climbing saved seeds ready to go out, chited 14 giant greek beans and sown them in loo roll iners, also got some balotties and white runners that need sowing ! got some field beans for green manure (25 sq mtrs) that need to go in somewhere ! atb Dal.

[kitty12345]

I've got wizard field beans already planted out, and runner beans wise I have dwarf hestia and gigantes ready to go out. French beans hmmm, I am going to try Cobra, climbing Borlotti from the bean swap, possibly Cherokee for dry beans and some dwarf varieties...

[Scarlet]

Not sown yet....
Meuch french bean
Tresnejavec
Cherokee trail of tears

If I can find them - either kew blue or cosse violette.

And I'm just about to put these in the prop...a couple of years old so may not come...


Black Knight runner.

[Jay-ell]

Sowed my beans yesterday so nothing to show but soil.

For Climbing French I'm growing Blue Lake and Lazy Housewife
For Runners I'm growing Flambeau Dwarf Runner Beans - sowed 8 of the white beans and 8 of the red.
Also sown some Lupini and some Adzuki. Tried Adzuki last year direct sown outdoors in May but didn't even get a flower. Sown a bit earlier in a propagator and will plant some of them in the green house some outdoors and see what the difference is.

I have some overwintered broadies in and planted some crimson flowered broad beans the other day.

I'm growing climbing, runners and broad beans. My question is how do you know when a French bean is ready as a bean both fresh and dry and how do you cook them? I've only ever eaten the pods so not a clue!

For fresh geen beans you just pick them when the pods are big enough but the individual beans aren't obvious.

For dried at the end of the season let them stay on the plant to air dry/ If it looks like bad weather then cut the vines off at the bast and hang them upside down in a greenhouse/shed/garage.

Once the pods begin to split but before they start dropping the seeds then you can take the beans out and just lay them on a tray somewhere to finish.