Beans

[Elfeda]

wonder how the forum members pick a specific variety of seed ?

I am planning to sow bush and pole beans.but also planning for Lablab and 3 or 4 types of borlotti beans

How the first time success rate with beans and is there any issues to try more vigorous bean types than dwarf or pole types.

As I expect my beans will invade the whole plot if I allow it.

[Alison]

When you say bush and pole beans do you mean dwarf or climbing French beans or something else? Personally I don't find the dwarf ones to be worth the bother as they take up too much space for the yield but I know other people love them. Growing Lablab for the first time this year but they will be in the polytunnel as I understand that they need extra protection in our climate.

Re success rate with beans - usually very high germination success sown in root trainers in the greenhouse during April / early May and then planted out late May. Note the ones I grow as borlottis are also French beans (not sure if they all are but mine certainly are)

[Kristen]

Personally I don't find the dwarf ones to be worth the bother as they take up too much space for the yield but I know other people love them

I agree, but we grow a few as they start cropping sooner than climbers and also for an even earlier crop in the greenhouse (tried climbers, far too much "top" and I wanted to clear them out for other crops before they had got into their stride!)

Another negative for Dwarf French, for me, is the backache stooping to pick them. As soon as the climbers start producing I rip out the Dwarf ones.

Note the ones I grow as borlottis are also French beans (not sure if they all are but mine certainly are)

We grow Borlottis but also "flat beans", varieties like Limka, which are also French but look more like Runners (but with skin that is not hairy, and they don't taste like Runners and aren't stringy)

[Scarlet]

The borlotti beans that I grow are Italian Lingua di Fuoco, I don't tend to eat these fresh and are just grown for drying on the plant. Same for "Snow Cap", these are used dry, the colour is fantastic and unlike other beans the colouring remains after cooking. I grow several other beans, these are use for eating fresh and drying but I think most of those are French. If I only grew on variety it would be Cosse Violette, these are fantastic fresh but dried they are also lovely and they crop continuously through summer. I do grow a few dwarf beans but theses are generally because I like the look of them. Like Alison has said, dwarf beans give half the crop compared to climbing French beans.
Runner beans I just grow one variety per year. It was always saved from my original polestar runners but last year I tried scarlet emperor.
French and runner beans are IMO very easy to germinate and an easy plant to grow so long as the slugs don't get them! I start mine off in pots. One per pot.

[Kristen]

If I only grew one variety ...

I'd hate to do that! I only grow X Climbing French Bean plants ... but that is divided into several varieties. If I only grew one variety I would grow the same number of plants ... so doesn't seem like a good trade off to me

I start mine off in pots. One per pot.

I do two per pot. Never done a comparison, and used to grow one-per-pot until someone suggested growing two. Once cane per pot ... some pots only have one plant, as one fails, and it cuts down on the number of pots in the greenhouse. Dunno if I get 2x the yield compared to one-per-pot? but I suspect there is room enough up a cane for two plants. Even if I get 1.5x yield that's good enough for me (in fact its good enough for me if I just THINK that I get 1.5x the yield!!)

I also sow-a-bean in the hole when I plant the pot, that comes along later / lower for a follow-on crop. I don't bother for Runners, they are very robust, but I tend to find that the French are shutting-up-shop a bit before the season is terminated by frost etc.

[Elfeda]

When you say bush and pole beans do you mean dwarf or climbing French beans or something else? ...

Yeah dwarf ones, want to try them first time or else I will move them on to pots If I like to use the space otherwise.

Growing Lablab for the first time this year but they will be in the polytunnel as I understand that they need extra protection in our climate.

I do not have poly tunnel, Should I move it to green house ( mine is not huge, but I can just streach my hands and still have little more room.

How long I can continue harvesting lablab If grown inside green house?

[Scarlet]

I do two per pot. Never done a comparison, and used to grow one-per-pot until someone suggested growing two. Once cane per pot ... some pots only have one plant, as one fails, and it cuts down on the number of pots in the greenhouse. Dunno if I get 2x the yield compared to one-per-pot? but I suspect there is room enough up a cane for two plants. Even if I get 1.5x yield that's good enough for me (in fact its good enough for me if I just THINK that I get 1.5x the yield!!)

I also sow-a-bean in the hole when I plant the pot, that comes along later / lower for a follow-on crop. I don't bother for Runners, they are very robust, but I tend to find that the French are shutting-up-shop a bit before the season is terminated by frost etc.

I put one in the pot and like you sow another seed at the time of planting. Perhaps I'm just tight on my seeds but very few don't germinate.
#just to add! I usually don't plant out till late May early June so the seed planted out at the same time isn't that long behind the pot grown plant. I space my poles quite close together. I'm cr@p at DIY and find that if I grow more than 2 per can if we get a windy spell (open plot ) I have a little trouble with leaning frames and often have to add in extra supporting ropes.

[Elfeda]

the ones I grow as borlottis are also French beans (not sure if they all are but mine certainly are)

The ones I want to try are more of Indian varieties.

[Elfeda]

also for an even earlier crop in the greenhouses.

Kristen, when should I start seeds in green house to get early dwarf beans?

[Kristen]

when should I start seeds in green house to get early dwarf beans?

They need to be frost free, but that's about all. They get very upset at cold temperatures, but I think it has more to do with combination wind & cold, so in a greenhouse a bit of cold (but NOT frost) is less of an issue, because no wind, compared to the same temperature outside with a bit of a breeze.

The beans, in small pots or modules or similar, can be started in the house a few weeks before actually planting out in the greenhouse, so you could sow indoors a few weeks before they could safely go into the greenhouse.

My records say I sowed in middle of March, but if you have plenty of seed it might be worth trying a few earlier than that, and if they snuff it your later-sown ones can take over.

Can't find an empty packet of "Speedy" but pretty sure that crops in 8 weeks, maybe less. The ones I have here say 9-12 weeks, so at worst they will be cropping at the end of May - the time at which I am planting outside. I then don't have to rush to plant outside (I sow those on 1st May), and thus I also don't have to faff to keep the cold off them / protect them on cold nights / etc. as I can rely on the indoor ones for cropping until outdoors are ready.

I sow another crop in mid-August to plant in the greenhouse for a late Autumn harvest, when the Climbers are shutting down.

[Elfeda]

Kristen,

That's brilliant info, will give a try on all

[Scarlet]

The ones I want to try are more of Indian varieties.

What varieties? You may find that Indian varieties need a longer growing season than our average UK Summers have to give or need to be grown under cover. Last Summer my borlotti beans dried well on the plants but most years they have to be dried indoors. It may be wise to spread the risk and sow other varieties too.

[nellie-m]

I tried to save a variety from San Francisco for the Bohl archive this past summer. No avail. They grew fine, blossomed until the frost came, but didn't set a single pod. Something to do with day length perhaps...

Sometimes it makes sense to grow what has proven to be well adapted to soil and climate. Especially if it's the first time you try - saves frustration. Just saying

[Jay-ell]

I'm growing Blue Lake french and Scarlet Emperor runners as they grew well last year and I've saved the seeds to grow acclimatised plants.

Last year I grew up wigwams but this year I'm going to try growing on a V frame and I'm thinking about planting the space towards the edge of the bed with dwarf beans.

What's the optimal spacing for the canes for the climbers?

[Elfeda]

What varieties? You may find that Indian varieties need a longer growing season than our average UK Summers have to give or need to be grown under cover. Last Summer my borlotti beans dried well on the plants but most years they have to be dried indoors. It may be wise to spread the risk and sow other varieties too.

In that case I try Indian beans to try and go. seems it saves lots of freezer space if at all planning to store beans. any way I feel trying better with cluster beans than vigarous wine beans

Nellie, I know what you mean.