How much crop roughly from beans?

[janeyo]

Hi I have sowed 8 climbing bean seeds (after posting the pic of my trellis thing earlier) in individual pots indoors. Someone suggested 20 plants but I think this may give me a HUGE crop that I don't know what to do with!

I have sowed 8, if they all take how much harvest could I expect? Enough for a family of 4? Who like beans but wouldn't want to eat them everyday for a month, lol.

Thanks, janeyo

[Alice]

Janeyo, I think you have it about right with your 8 plants. I grow like that. I'm only interested in getting enough veg for 2 people over the longest season that I can. I'm not interested in 20 pounds of beans for the freezer. I think your beans will give you all you want in that department.

[Farmer_Gyles]

last year i got roughly 4 pounds of runners from each runner bean plant, and 2 pounds of "french" beans from each french bean plant
BUT the runners should really have been picked smaller, so 3 pounds would be more reasonable

this year i'll have 18 french beans and 6 runner bean plants - should get plenty of beans for us for the year, plus spare for a couple of friends
good job i like french beans!
i MUST get a chest freezer ........

oh yes - a bean slicer thing is a godsend!

[Sue]

Janeyo
If you want to dry the beans to eat through the winter then you'd need a lot more. I had about 20 climbing French beans on the go and that gave me a good crop of beans for drying and that would have provided around 30 meals.

I will be growing more Runner beans this year as I found a really good method of freezing them cooked in tomato sauce. They're just not the same when frozen plain but this method I did like and provided some very welcome home grown green veg that wasn't cabbage throughout the winter. So I shall be planting something like 14+ plants and getting ready with my biggest saucepan!

best wishes
Sue

[Flummery]

I grow beans to eat fresh but also let some grow on to dry for seed and for winter eating. 8 definitely wouldn't be enough for the Flum family!