How do I grow French beans or runner beans?

Princess beans are annual plants that are best sown or planted after the risk of night frost has passed. It's sometimes said that this is after the Ice Saints , which is after May 15th. This makes sense, as the plant originates from warm Mexico and South America. To get a quick start, you can sow the beans indoors three to four weeks before the last frost date, which is around now. You can use deep-root trays to sow beans . These are specifically designed for sowing legumes. If you want fresh beans until autumn, sow them every two weeks throughout the season. The harvest from your last sowings in September/October will provide beans throughout the winter if you freeze them. You can continue harvesting beans until the first night frost. Keep in mind that the plant won't produce beans above 26°C.

Example of a deep root tray (here with broad beans )

Princess beans , also sometimes called runner beans, are, as mentioned earlier, annual plants grown in our vegetable gardens to eat the green, immature fruits. A mature bean is tough and has large, unpalatable seeds in the pod. That's why we harvest them on time. The color and size of the beans vary by variety. You can find princess beans in green, yellow, speckled, and purple. The pods can be 7 to 10 cm long, but beans of 15 to 20 cm also exist. Leaves usually come in threes. The flowers are yellow, purple, or white. Pole beans can grow up to 2 meters in 60 to 85 days. As the name suggests, the latter require the support of a pole or stake. Pole beans, of course, produce more than bush beans .

Grow 4 to 8 plants per family member

Give beans a sunny spot in your vegetable garden; they originate from warm climates. They will also grow in partial shade, but the harvest won't be as high in that location. The plants thrive in loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Adding tarred compost to your vegetable garden soil is ideal for this. Beans prefer a neutral pH (6.0 to 6.8). Therefore, be sure to use tarred compost or manure, as these provide a better balance of acidity than fresh compost. Avoid soil with a high nitrogen content. Soil that has been used for green manure is also unsuitable. Your plants will produce a lot of foliage but few beans.

Beans are tender annuals and grow best in temperatures between 15° and 30°C. Sow the beans after May 15th, when the soil has warmed up a bit. If you have a cold spring, you can easily wait a few more weeks. Indoors, you can start three to four weeks earlier (mid- to late April), but it's best to plant your beans at the end of May. Provide pots deep enough to store the plants indoors for six weeks. Beans develop a deep root system very quickly. Once the roots become entangled, the plant suffocates and declines. Deep-root trays are ideal for sowing beans . They provide enough space to develop a good root system. With the professional push-out plate, you don't disturb the roots. For a continuous harvest, you can sow beans in staggered patterns. Or you can sow bush beans with a shorter growing time simultaneously with pole beans with a longer growing time (see above).

Sow beans 2 to 4 cm deep. In sandy soil, you can plant a little deeper, in clay soil, a little shallower. Sow or plant bush beans 8 cm apart, with rows spaced 40 cm apart. For pole beans , place a stake every 50 cm, diagonally opposite another stake. The stakes should be about 70 cm apart. Around each stake, plant 5 to 6 seeds, spaced 5 cm apart. You can also plant two seeds in each hole to be on the safe side. However, after germination, remove the weakest plant in the areas where both seeds have germinated. Cut the young seedling off just above the soil level, being careful not to damage the others.

Grow beans in evenly moist garden soil. Bean seeds can crack, rot, and germinate poorly or not at all in overly moist soil. Pre-soaked seeds are very vulnerable in open ground and can easily rot. Indoors, you can control the moisture of your potting soil or seed and cutting mix, and pre-soaking is a good option. Keep your soil evenly moist during the growing season as well. Even moisture during the flowering stage and when the plants are forming pods is crucial for a good harvest. After the soil reaches a temperature of 15°C (60°F), a layer of mulch can work wonders. Mulch slows water evaporation. Straw or wood chips are good mulch options. I prefer straw because it's easier to remove than wood chips.

Beans are best fed with finely ground compost ; they don't need extra nitrogen and thrive on sun, water, and the nutrients present in the soil. Furthermore, beans obtain nitrogen, a growth hormone, from a very interesting phenomenon. The root system of beans establishes a kind of nitrogen exchange system with microorganisms present in healthy vegetable garden soil. The bean plant feeds these microorganisms (bacteria) and receives nitrogen in return. Therefore, avoid nitrogen or green manure when growing beans in your vegetable garden.

Friends Bush Beans : Celery, corn , cucumbers , potatoes , rosemary and strawberries Friends pole beans : corn , rosemary, French beans , sunflower and Enemies of both: Onions, beets and kohlrabi.

Lightly till the soil around the plants, avoiding contact with the shallow root system. Leave the bean plants undisturbed when they are moist; this can prevent the spread of fresh fungal spores. Plant your stakes first, then your plants. Choose stakes that are tall enough for the variety you are planting.

Bush beans can be grown in pots , grow them in 20cm pots .

Princess beans or runner beans can be attacked by aphids, leafhoppers, bean beetles, flea beetles, and mites. You can spray aphids, leafhoppers, and mites away with a jet of water. However, catching them early is even better. Watch for eggs and crush them between your thumb and index finger. If there are large insect concentrations, prune away heavily infested areas. Keep your garden clean at all times; this makes it harder for harmful insects to establish a home in your vegetable garden and overwinter. Beans are susceptible to powdery mildew, mosaic, and anthracnose. Therefore, keep your garden clean and avoid collecting debris. Avoid contact with your plants when they are damp, as this prevents mold. Discard diseased plants and don't add them to the compost pile. Growing beans in the same spot in your vegetable garden every year increases the risk of soil-borne diseases. Therefore, rotate your pod bed annually and grow beans in the same bed no more than every three years.

Bush beans are ready for harvest 50 to 60 days after sowing. Pole beans take a little longer, 60 to 90 days. Harvest the beans on time, before you see the seeds swell inside. Continue harvesting throughout the season to encourage the plant to produce more flowers and, consequently, more fruit. Once the seeds mature, the plant considers its task complete and will die. Do not harvest in extremely hot or cold weather. Harvest the beans with shears; pulling on the beans can damage the plant. The most well-known varieties are:

• Shrub: Maxi BIO , Ferrari BIO , Miracle Chinese , Argus Extra Lang , Boterkoningin (yellow), Delinel , Larma, Prelude , Purple Queen (purple), Saxa or Limburgse Vroege ;
• Stick: Neckargold (yellow), Abundance – Rentgiver ; dried beans (stick): Borlotto Firetongue, White Egg Bean; dried beans (bush): White Egg Bean , Lapwing ;

You can store fresh green beans in the refrigerator for up to a week. After freezing, they'll keep for another 3 to 6 months. Good luck with your cultivation and be sure to take a look at the wide variety of varieties in our online store .