Climbing Bean to Shell Soissons Blanc

Renowned for its white and flat seed with a very fine skin, the White Soissons Bean with Vines is a very hardy variety. It produces very plump light green pods measuring 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10in) when ripe. Harvest can take place once they reach this size. Before this date, the pod is immature and can be consumed as a snap bean or for fresh seeds. Once the pods have dried, harvest the dry or semi-dry beans. White Soissons offers its full flavor potential with its seeds in salads or stews.
By arranging bamboo stalks in a teepee or Canadian tent shape, you combine utility with aesthetics in the vegetable garden: you will obtain beautiful 2m (7ft) tall vines that will form a green wall. Place several seeds in a hole at the base of each support. Each plant produces a multitude of white flowers in spring, giving way to a bountiful fruiting from July to October. Pole beans have a high yield and the harvest extends over a longer period than dwarf varieties. Sow White Soissons from April to July to harvest from July to October.

Whether consumed for its pod or its seed, beans are a highly appreciated vegetable in gardens because they are very easy to grow. They are so punctual that gardeners know the exact date when they will make their first harvest, which is 60 days after sowing.

Discovered in the New World and acclimatized in Europe from the 16th century, beans have now become an essential legume in diets worldwide. Native Americans cultivated them for their dried seeds, but it was the Italians who, in the 18th century, initiated the consumption of the whole pod by harvesting it while still immature.
Beans are a climbing vine. Primitive varieties are all vining and require trellising. Later, for practical reasons, dwarf varieties were selected, but they all have tendrils that can wrap around a support.
Pods are generally green, sometimes yellow (butter beans), striped with red, or even amethyst. Among the varieties that are eaten at the thin or extra thin stage, there are fillet beans that develop strings when fully ripe. Then the pod becomes parchment-like and loses its taste quality.
The snap bean is generally more fleshy and can be consumed entirely, seeds and pods, even when fully ripe. More recently created fillet-snap beans can be consumed when young and extra thin, or at a more fleshy stage like a snap bean because they do not develop strings.

Among the shell beans (those whose seeds are consumed), we distinguish between harvesting fresh beans and dry beans, 90 days after sowing.

Immature green pods are rich in vitamins A, B9, and C, as well as trace elements and minerals. Dry beans are also rich in vitamin C, trace elements, and especially plant proteins.

Harvest: Harvest of fresh beans or young pods begins 60 days after sowing. For fresh beans, it must be done before the pods start to dehydrate and develop wrinkles. The beans should barely take on their color. For pod consumption, harvest should take place every 2 or 3 days at the thin and extra thin stages for fillet beans. Harvesting dry beans is done by completely cutting the plant, which is then hung in a dry and well-ventilated place. They can be shelled as needed.

Storage: Freezing pods is the most common method of preservation today. To do this, remove the ends, wash the pods, blanch them for 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water, then plunge them into cold water before drying them with a clean towel. Once placed in a bag, the beans can be stored in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is regaining popularity among an increasing number of consumers due to the inherent taste qualities of this preservation method. Like freezing, remove the ends, wash and blanch the beans, then immerse them in cold water. Place them in jars, filling them with salted boiling water. Close the jars and sterilize them in a pressure cooker or sterilizer for 1.5 hours over medium heat. To do this, completely cover the jars with water after securely sealing them.

Dry beans: when fully dry, bean seeds can be stored for up to a year if kept in good conditions, such as in airtight jars.

Gardener's tip: Beans, like all members of the Fabaceae family, have the ability to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil through plant-bacteria symbiosis. They therefore have the ability to regenerate soils. Beans can be included in crop rotation after burying green manure.
Beans are low-nutrient plants. Traditionally, bean cultivation in Central and South America is associated with squash and corn, forming a beneficial triad. This association is locally called Milpa. Beans also associate well with eggplants, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and radishes, as they protect each other. Avoid, however, the presence of alliums or fennel, as their growth inhibits each other.

A spray of nettle manure allows for effective control of aphid attacks and strengthens the plants that have benefited from it.