Beans

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There are many variety of beans which include not only the one thousand varieties of delicious, cute little dry seeds of the bean plant, but also runner beans and French beans for which the whole seed pod is eaten before the seeds start growing. They are vine plants that require support and usually grow to about 2 m. The supports can be made in many shapes, but the teepee (see photo on the left) is the most attractive and also quite practical.

Runner Beans (Phaseolus coccineus)

Soil
fertile with a lot of organic matter
Aspect
warm, sheltered
Row spacing
45 cm
Plant spacing
15 cm
Germination
10 days
Time to maturity
15 weeks
Sow outside
May-July
Sow undercover
April-May
Plant outside
May-June
Harvest
July-September
Store
freeze after blanching
Pests/diseases
aphids, frost

French Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Soil
fertile soil, does not dry out nor waterlog
Aspect
sunny, sheltered and warm
Row spacing
20 cm
Plant spacing
20 cm
Germination
10 days
Time to maturity
12 weeks
Sow outside
May-July
Sow undercover
April-May
Plant outside
June-July
Harvest
August
Store
freeze whole pods, leave beans to mature and shell and store dry
Pests/diseases
aphids

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