Kidney Beans

[Hungry Hannah]

Hiya,

I have been speaking to people this week who have said that kidney beans are stupidly easy and quick to grow (apparently you can just about sit and watch the shoots opening and growing- which I love!)
Anyway- thought this sounded good and would have a go, but I can't seem to find a stockist.
Any thoughts, or anyone grown them before?
Thanks

[Eyren]

These are the only ones I have heard of - haven't tried them myself. Climbing beans are usually fast growers, but it's best not to sow them until April or May (depending on how far north you are) as they are frost-tender:

The Organic Gardening Catalogue

[Hungry Hannah]

Thanks,
Think I'll just put in more borlotti's and runners to keep me going. Trying to be organised this year!

[janeyo]

I have it on good authority (ie from on here) that you can buy a bag of them from the supermarket and sow them
Brilliant

[di]

We've had success for the last 2 years with shop bought dried red kidney beans.

[SarzWix]

It depends where in the country you are Hannah, as to how easy they are. I've spent 3 years trying to get ripe/dried Borlottis, and despite sowing and growing them on very very early in a heated greenhouse last year, I still only got a handful of ripe pods at the end of the season
On the other hand, some beans I got from the US last year called True Red Cranberry Pole Bean (or something like that) sown and planted late, managed to give me a few ripe beans, so I'll be trying them again
Canadian Wonder are supposed to do well in this country as kidney beans.

[Shaun the Sheep]

When I was growing up in Derbyshire runner beans were always called kidney beans, so I don't think you need to be looking for anything special.

[gridgardener]

there one problem most people do not realize when growing beans for the edible seed and not the pod.That is how many plants you will need to grow to get a usable amount of beans.
one kidney bean plant will produce about .006lbs-.04lbs of beans which means you will need between
25-167 plants to produce 1 lbs of kidney beans.

[zazen999]

Grid: I grew about 15 pinto bean plants for the beans and I've only just finished using them. So, enough for 1-2 meals for 2 people a week for 5 months. That's not bad going in my book.

[gridgardener]

zazen999 pinto beans and kidney beans are not same thing

[zazen999]

I know - but saying that you'd need up to 167 plants to produce a pound of beans will put people completely off the idea of growing beans at all...just trying to show a reasoned argument in favour of growing beans. Of any type.

[BarleySugar]

Is the problem with yield down to the fact that once they have set seed they stop flowering? I could see this would be a problem as you need to let them mature and I would think it would limit how many you would get per plant.

[gridgardener]

zazen999 there four facts you need to also consider when growing beans for dry use.
1. 167 plants is basis on inexperienced grower and it only takes 25 sq ft.
2. in a 100 sq ft you can grow 621 plants with 24 lbs if are really good grower,
3. a large portion of dry beans is refuse.
4. zazen999 i believe in being realistic when it comes gardening.

[zazen999]

Hi Grid.

I'm not quite sure why you are getting at me for presenting my reasoned argument...I was an inexperienced bean grower once and did nicely without knowing any of these 'facts'. And having spent hours depodding peas and beans I'm well aware how much is 'refuse'...

Luckily I never read any of your encouraging posts before I started growing beans, or I might not have bothered.

[tootles]

Would now be a good time for me to shove my oar in and say I am considering growing lentils...............................
(or might that be a little troublesome)