VEGETABLES > FRENCH - BEANS

IN THIS GUIDE

FRENCH bean GUIDES

beans growing on a climbing Hunter French bean plant

HarvestingPests & DiseasesSowingSupport

French bonce are a great addition to a homegrown veg plot .

French beans , or green noggin , are unremarkably cultivate through temperate and semitropic regions as an yearly crop .

French bean plant with large green leaves and beans ready to be harvested growing outside against a wooden support structure

This is a harvest which can provide a range of benefit .

As a legume , French bonce put up not only an edible yield , but also help oneself to maintain birthrate in your garden .

Like other legume , they have formed a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in their root word which take nitrogen from the gentle wind and make it usable in the soil.1Wagner , S. ( 2011b).Biological Nitrogen Fixation . The Nature Education Knowledge Project . recover March 16 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/biological-nitrogen-fixation-23570419/

green bean plant growing up a trellis in a garden bed outside with a road and a grassy lawn in the background

Some of that N is used by the plant themselves , but some may be available for the intake of neighbouring plants , or for plants which surveil the dome in revolution .

Overview

PreferredFull Sun

ExposureSheltered

HeightVaries

wooden stakes with string supporting a French bean plant as it grows outside in front of a grassy field

SpreadVaries

PreferredAny Fertile Soil

MoistureMoist and well drained

someone holding white French bean seeds in their hand over a container full of compost

pHNeutral to slenderly Alkaline

Gallic beans , also known as common beans , are cultivars ofPhaseolus vulgaris .

A herbaceous annual plant , this crop is most unremarkably turn in the UK for the legal tender pods , eaten before the germ inside educate ( often called light-green beans ) .

a large green bean plant growing against wooden stakes outside in front of a grassy field on a sunny day

These plant however can also be leave to grow on for a yield of dry beans which can be taken from the pods at maturity .

Cultivars produce many familiar dry bonce , such as the haricot , kidney bean , cannellini bean plant and pinto noggin for illustration .

These are pulses which can be a worthful improver to a homegrown dieting – so grow types for a yield of ironical bean could also be an interesting affair to count in your garden .

wooden stakes in a garden bed supporting a green bean plant as it grows outside

Planting Guidelines

Climbing beans are ideal for garden growing .

They do best in the ground with sturdy supports , though they can also be grown in larger containers .

Dwarf or bush types are neat where infinite is modified , and do very well in container .

watering can shown next to raised beds growing chives, carrots, beans and more

They can also work well in hanging baskets or other suspend containers .

Sow French bean around 5 atomic number 96 abstruse , placing each one into a small green goddess , module or filth block if sowing indoors , or spacing around 15 cm apart if direct sowing .

If planning on growing on your bonce in a container , containers should be 30 - 45 centimeter wide for dwarf types , and 75 centimeter wide and 45 curium recondite for climb diverseness .

a large green bean plant growing in a raised garden bed outside with wooden stakes supporting it

From the end of May or in early June ( reckon on your placement and the weather conditions ) harden off your young plant to get them used to outdoors conditions .

This just means bit by bit moving them outside – step by step exposing them to outdoors conditions for increase lengths of time over a couple of weeks .

If you are growing climb types which involve support , it is best to get this support in place before sowing or set out .

wooden stakes supporting the growing French bean vines in a raised garden bed

There arevarious dissimilar funding optionswhich you could see .

Choose a suitable location for your Gallic noodle , and prepare the territory by top dressing with mass of homemade compost or well - molder manure .

check that the domain is weed - spare , and piss well .

French beans growing outside in garden beds up against wooden support

If you are not verbatim sowing , indoors grown plants can be planted out ( after the hardening - off process ) .

As when direct sowing , ensure you wait until the precondition are reliably frost - free , and aim for a spacing of around 15 centimetre between works .

verify that you irrigate the plants well before and after engraft out .

red flowering French bean plants growing in containers against wooden supports outside

With climb beans , come out the plant at the home of the support structure or structures you have installed and tie them in broadly with natural string .

Plant Care

Gallic beans are relatively easy to grow as long as you place them in the right locating and meet all of their basic needs .

Gallic beans have relatively high water requirements and will provide the highest yields when watered regularly .

think back , if grow in containers , more oft watering will generally be required .

a basket full of French beans that have been harvested

Mulching around your French bean will aid retain soil moisture , and will also help with birthrate and weed control .

A mulch of high - quality homemade compost , worm castings or well - decompose manure will be ideal .

French beans should be grow in a location in full Sunday , which receives as much light as possible throughout the summertime month .

harvested French beans in a plastic container next to harvested courgettes and tomatoes

Gallic beans are self - pollinated and are seldom insect pollinate .

Cross - pollination is rarely an subject for these plant .

“ Pollen is typically released the night before the bloom opens and the next day , the anther and stigma typically make tangency as the bloom opens , ” partake Dan Ori , a Horticultural Consultant .

Green bean plant with red flowers growing up a wooden branch outside in front of a house

Weeding around Gallic beans is important .

Keep the surrounding grunge cut through with mulch , or study planting ground cover companion works , which will not compete overly with the beans for pee and nutrients .

French beans can be fantabulous companion plants for a range of other crop , due to their nitrogen - fixture capability .

a bamboo support with string supporting a French bean plant as it grows outside in a vegetable garden

“ Gallic beans will rarely   enrich the soil with nitrogen for other plants to access , as they use the nitrogen they fix for their own crop output , ” adds Dan .

“ However , they will not normally come down the grime ’s N levels which is very useful if you are practising crop rotation . ”

“ For a companion planting tip , I advise not engraft Tagetes species ( marigold ) near atomic number 7 fixers as some studies intimate it affects their   origin ability to fix nitrogen . ”

large green leaves from a French bean plant with some vegetables ready for harvest growing along a wooden support outisde

One of the most famous familiar planting combinations involves maturate mount bean alongside corn and squash .

This beneficial combination is called the ‘ three sisters ’ comrade set scheme.2Kruse - Peeples , M. ( 2016 , May 27).How to Grow a Three Sisters Garden . Native - Seeds - Search . call back March 16 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.nativeseeds.org/blogs/blog-news/how-to-grow-a-three-sisters-garden

The corn is the back babe , giving support to the noggin .

The beans fix nitrogen , and the squash provides ground cover , for moisture retention and gage ascendency .

Beans can also be good companion works for a number of other crops – especially unripe leafy vegetables with high atomic number 7 needs , as Gerald Stratford , the King of Veg , explains :

“ you may grow French beans with runner bean and courgettes , but candidly , if you see a plant you want to grow with your noggin , have a go .

“ It ’s better to have a go and fail than not have a got at all . ”

Storage

If you are not eating your dark-green beans right away , you may store them ( unwashed ) in the crisper drawer of your fridge for up to a week or so .

If you wish to freeze your green beans , parboil them by boiling them for 2 - 3 minutes , then plunk then into icy water .

Once blanched , send them in the Deepfreeze in sealed containers .

They should keep well for around 8 - 10 months .

trounce beans should be fully dried , then send in airtight containers .

Common Types

Gallic beans are typically divide into two categories : climbing bean plant , and dwarf or bush attic .

The former grow tall , usually requiring some support , while the latter have a bushy , shorter variety and do not always demand a treillage or stake .

Some enceinte climbing beans to consider include :

And some good dwarf type to weigh admit :

If you would like to harvest teetotal beans rather than green beans try :

References