Beans: to sow, to grow, to harvest in the vegetable garden

Description and Botany

The bean was discovered in the Americas and then acclimatised in Europe from the 16th century. Native Americans cultivated it for its dried seeds, but it was the Italians in the 18th century who initiated the consumption of the entire pod by harvesting it when immature.

The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is a plant of the Fabaceae family, more commonly known as legumes. It is an annual vegetable plant in temperate climates.

It can be classified into two types of growth:

• indeterminate growth, which concerns pole beans or climbing beans that can reach 3 metres high
• determinate growth, which concerns dwarf beans that reach up to 60 cm high.

In the case of pole beans, the plant develops voluble stems that are sparsely branched, with spaced internodes, twisting counterclockwise. The stems of dwarf beans are more branched and adopt a bushy habit. The leaves, green or purple, petiolate, alternate on the stem, are compound and trifoliate.

The very zygomorphic flower resembles a butterfly. It has five petals encased in a narrow calyx. The upper petal, which is turned back, is called the ‘banner’ and overshadows the other petals, forming, in pairs, the wings and the keel, reminiscent of a boat’s shell.

The flower evolves into a pod that contains seeds. Varietal selections have focused on the pods or the seeds. We can classify them into different types:

• String beans, known as “green beans”: they have green, thin, and long pods, round in section and of excellent flavour when harvested young. They require careful attention (watering) and regular harvesting (every 2 days) to maintain their taste quality; otherwise, they become stringy. Depending on their size, they can be classified as “medium” when the pod width is greater than 9 mm, “fine” when the width is between 6 and 9 mm, and “very fine” when the width is less than 6 mm.
• Stringless beans (or edible-pod beans): An intermediate variety between string beans that quickly become stringy and edible-pod beans that do not become stringy and whose fibres in the pod (the parchment) appear late.
• Edible-pod beans: they can be green or yellow (“butter bean”). They remain tender for a long time and do not become stringy. They can thus be harvested at different stages of maturity, even when advanced. Their flavour is less refined than that of string beans, but their yield is significantly higher.
• Shelling beans: these are varieties where only the seeds are consumed in the semi-dry state (fresh shelling beans) or in the dry state. There are well-known varieties such as cocos or flageolets.
• Spanish beans: this is another species of bean, Phaseolus coccineus, cultivated both for its immature pods as very large “green beans” or “runner beans” as the English call them, as well as for its fresh, semi-dry, or dry seeds and also as an ornamental plant with its generous clusters of flowers in red, white, or variegated colours, climbing up to 3 or 4 metres with the help of supports. P. coccineus is the only cultivated bean species that is allogamous; it is also more resistant to cold and can be considered perennial in the absence of frost.

The bean consists of a main root from which many lateral roots emerge. Legumes like the bean have the ability to live in symbiosis with bacteria, the Rhizobium. This symbiosis is observed by the presence of nodosities on the roots, which are small spherical excrescences called nodules. This symbiosis allows atmospheric nitrogen to be made assimilable to the plant. Indeed, atmospheric nitrogen (about 80% of our air) is in a very stable form, impossible for the plant to assimilate. The Rhizobium have the ability to transform this nitrogen and make it assimilable for the plant. In exchange, the rhizobium also gain an advantage from this symbiosis, receiving a carbon substrate (sugar) from the legume.

The zygomorphic flower of the bean – Young seedling – Developed bean plant – Formed bean pods ready for harvest

Bean varieties

Dwarf Beans with Filaments and Mangetout

Dwarf Shelling Beans

Climbing Beans with Filaments and Mangetout

Climbing Shelling Beans

Spanish Beans

Dwarf Filet Bean Aiguillon

The Aiguillon Dwarf Bean is a highly productive variety that produces fine, long beans measuring 18 to 20 cm, with a round cross-section. A bean selected for its resistance to viruses and anthracnose. To be consumed at the extra fine or fine stage to avoid strings and parchment.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 40 cm

See the product sheet

Dwarf Filet Bean Divinel - Vilmorin Seeds

The Divinel Dwarf Bean produces long, fine, dark green pods with slight marbling and excellent flavour. It has the very pleasant advantage of not developing strings, even at an advanced stage, so it can be consumed as a stringless bean or as mangetout.

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 50 cm

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Dwarf French Bean Fin de Bagnols

The Fin de Bagnols Dwarf Bean is an early variety producing a fine, long pod measuring 15 to 18 cm, light green in colour. A variety to be consumed at the extra fine or fine stage, even though it develops strings only late. It has the advantage of freezing well.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 45 cm

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Dwarf French Bean Goussdor - Vilmorin Seeds

The Goussdor Mangetout Dwarf Bean is a perpetual variety producing straight, fine, golden pods, without strings or parchment. The advantage of this perpetual variety is that it will yield crops over several months, provided that harvesting is done regularly to stimulate fruiting.

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 40 cm

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Dwarf French Bean Purple Queen - Ferme de Sainte Marthe Seeds

The Purple Queen Bean is a mangetout variety with excellent yield and good disease resistance, producing beautiful violet pods that turn green when cooked, measuring 15 cm long, to be consumed at the extra fine or fine stage.

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 40 cm

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Bush Dry Bean Cocagne - Coco Paimpolais

The Cocagne Coco Paimpolais Dwarf Bean is an improvement on the famous Coco de Paimpol, being earlier and more productive. It produces pods of cream-yellow colour veined with violet, measuring 15 cm long, containing round ivory-white seeds with excellent flavour.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 40 cm

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Dwarf Bean for shelling Flageolet Blanc de Flandres

The Flageolet Blanc des Flandres Bean is an old variety of dwarf shelling bean with pods containing white, kidney-shaped, flattened seeds that remain firm when cooked. With high productivity, the reputation of this Northern bean is well established.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 3 m

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Dwarf French Bean Canadian Wonder

The Canadian Wonder Dwarf Bean is an early variety producing fluorescent green pods containing 5 to 6 red seeds. This old variety from Canada is ideal for Mexican cuisine, in Chili con carne or in salad, paired with corn.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 50 cm

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Dwarf Bean for Shelling Splendido - Borlotto Bean

The Splendido Shelling Bean is a dwarf variety of the Borlotto type, producing magnificent pods marbled with bright purple and white, just like the seeds which have a creamy texture with a nutty flavour when cooked. The marbling disappears with prolonged cooking.

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 45 cm

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Climbing bean with net Fasold

The Fasold Bean is a climbing variety that produces long, round, fine pods measuring 30 cm, dark green in colour, on plants that can reach up to 1.80 m. Very prolific and early, this variety also has good disease resistance.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 1,90 m

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Climbing Bean Goldmarie - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

The Goldmarie Climbing Bean is a mangetout variety that produces flat, wide pods measuring 25 cm, to be consumed young as they are better, but do not develop strings or parchment even at a more advanced stage. Fast-growing, this variety is productive and of good taste quality.

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Climbing French bean mangetout Phénomène - Vilmorin seeds

The Phénomène Climbing Bean is a mangetout variety producing wide, flat green pods measuring 25 cm, but best harvested shorter. This variety offers good productivity.

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 3 m

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Climbing Bean to Shell Soissons Large White - Vilmorin seeds

The Soissons Gros Blanc Climbing Bean is a shelling variety producing flat, white seeds with a very fine epidermis. It is harvested at maturity when the pod is well dried, generally in October. It can also be harvested as mangetout when the pod is immature.

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Runner Bean to Shell Borlotto Firetongue

The Borlotto Langue de Feu Climbing Bean is a shelling variety, producing white seeds marbled with bright purple and long, red pods marbled with white. The beans can be harvested immature in their young pods or mature when the pod is dry.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 1,90 m

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Pole Bean Coco Sophie - Ferme de Sainte Marthe untreated seeds

The Coco Gros Sophie Climbing Bean is a shelling bean producing beautiful, round, white seeds in long green pods that can also be consumed before maturity. They can be eaten fresh, dried, or semi-dried.

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 2 m

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Runner Bean Lady Di

The Lady Di Spanish Bean is an RHS award-winning variety, producing long pods measuring 30 cm, light green in colour, which can be consumed as mangetout or for the seeds. The seeds are black speckled with purple. It is also a beautiful ornamental plant with its clusters of ruby-red flowers.

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 3 m

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Runner Bean White Lady

The White Lady Spanish Bean is a very elegant variety with white flowers, producing long pods measuring 20 cm that do not develop strings and can be consumed as a mangetout bean. It can also be consumed at maturity for its seeds, fresh or dried, which are white in colour.

• Flowering time June to September
• Height at maturity 3 m

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Runner Bean Prijswinner - Dutch Red

The Prijswinner Spanish Bean is a beautiful variety that produces long clusters of scarlet flowers attracting pollinating insects. Its long green pods (30 cm) are of good flavour when harvested young and tender. They contain striped seeds of violet, red, and black when mature. Prijswinner easily reaches 3 m in height, even under unfavourable climatic conditions.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 4 m

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Sowing beans

Where and When to Sow Beans?

Sowing of beans takes place from April in the South to May to mid-August, in warmed soil, when frosts are no longer a concern. Its large seeds are sown directly in the ground, in rows or in clusters.

Beans prefer light, cool but not wet soils that are rich in nutrients, but not with poorly decomposed organic matter. They do not appreciate overly calcareous or acidic soils.

Prepare the soil by deeply digging to a depth of 20 cm without turning the soil. Then amend it.

How to Sow Beans?

Start by preparing the bed that will receive the sowing:

• Using a broadfork or a spading fork, loosen the soil without turning it over.
• Remove the adventive plants by hand or with a rake, then level the bed.
• Amend with well-decomposed compost or manure.

Note that sowing beans should be avoided in soil that has been limed recently, as this causes hardening and diminishes the flavour quality of the pod.

Sowing Beans, in Practice:

1. Dig furrows 3 to 4 cm deep, spacing them 40 cm apart for dwarf varieties and 70 cm for climbing varieties,
2. Water generously with a watering can in the furrow,
3. Sow the seeds in a line, spacing them 5 to 7 cm apart or in clusters of 4 to 5 seeds, every 40 cm.
4. Cover the seeds with soil and firm down with the back of a rake.
5. Wait for germination, then resume watering.

Cultivation, care, and companion planting of beans

Beans are not demanding; they adapt to all types of soil, even ordinary ones, but they prefer light, fresh, and not overly calcareous soils. Like most vegetable plants, they need sunlight to bear fruit.

It is useful to mound the plants starting from the stage of the first two leaves. A slight furrow can be formed along the mounding line to facilitate and conserve watering water, which should preferably be done at the neck of the watering can. Once the plants are well developed, we recommend mulching the soil. If you leave the soil bare, you will need to carry out regular weeding and hoeing to prevent the appearance of “weeds”.