'Willpower & sheer idiocy combine in harmony'
Broad & French beans from seed
BROAD beans are one of the first - and easiest - veg I grew. It's possible to sow directly in autumn or February in sheltered, southern gardens, with well-drained soils, for a May harvest. However, I wouldn't recommend this in the north, if you have a damp or clay soil (which warms up slowly in spring) - the beans are likely to rot, or be eaten by mice.
Sowing under glass
SOW beans in deep pots in an unheated greenhouse in January/February for planting out in spring.
Sowing direct
You can sow direct in autumn or from March-early May - stagger the sowings every fortnight, for harvests throughout the summer.
Choose a well-drained site improved with compost or well-rotted manure. Sow seeds 5-7.5cm deep and 15-23cm apart, depending on the variety.
Sow in single rows 45cm apart or double rows 23cm apart with 60cm between each row. In raised beds, space 23cm apart. Sow a few extras to fill in any gaps.
Aftercare
Tall cultivars need staking - I grow The Sutton, which is compact for exposed sites and doesn't require it. When the lowest truss of blossom has formed small pods, pinch out the tips to promote fruit set and reduce blackfly.
Varieties: Aquadulce Claudia/Super Aquadulce (autumn/early spring sowing); Masterpiece Green Longpod; Medes; Scorpio; The Sutton; Witkiem Manita.
Sowing early crops of dwarf or French beans
CONFUSINGLY known by several names, dwarf/French/green/bush beans can be sown indoors in February for early crops under glass.
Sowing under glass
It's more usual to sow them indoors from mid-April for transplanting outdoors after the last frosts, or direct sow outdoors from late May to July.
For indoor sowings, place beans 2cm deep in 7.5cm pots of seed compost. Put in a propagator or seal inside a plastic bag at 12-25C until germination, which takes 7-10 days. Do not exclude light.
Once germinated, grow on in cooler conditions under glass for extra early crops, or harden off gradually and plant out when all risk of frost has passed.
Sowing direct
From late May-July, sow 2 beans per station 5cm deep and 23cm apart. Plant rows 60cm apart, or up a wigwam to save space. Support with garden canes, string or netting - put in place when planting.
SUGGESTED French bean varieties - some new, some heritage:
Speedy, Opera, Delinel, Purple Teepee (purple), Nomad, Cobra, Amethyst (purple), Concador (yellow), Fasold, Boston, Helda, Bellini,Sonesta (yellow), Flajoly, Tendergreen, Golden Teepee (yellow), Cantare, Creso (yellow), Blue Lake, Pencil Pod Black Wax (yellow), Selma Zebra (marbled), Monte Cristo, Mascaret, Mascotte, Tiger Bean (striped), Berner Landfrauen (mottled), Brienzer (pink mottled), Bird's Egg Horticultural (red striped), Coco Bicoloured (white/grey/pink speckled), Sansoucy.
Some I grew earlier: broad bean The Sutton.
