Common bean Princess

The Princess Pearl Pole Bean or Pole Sugar Pea is a variety of snap pea with flat, green pods that are 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5in) long and have white grains. It is widely cultivated in Flanders and northern France. The pods grow in clusters and have a rather sweet flesh, as indicated by its name. When they turn yellow, it is a sign that the bean can be harvested. By arranging bamboo stalks in a teepee or Canadian tent shape, you can combine utility and aesthetics in the vegetable garden to create beautiful trellises. The Princess Pearl Pole Bean towers over the garden at a height of 2 meters (7 feet) and easily forms 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, followed by a bountiful harvest. This productive and early-maturing variety can be sown from April to July and harvested from June to October.

Discovered in the New World and then acclimated in Europe from the 16th century onwards, the bean has become an essential legume in diets around the world. Native Americans cultivated it for its dried seeds, but it was the Italians who, in the 18th century, introduced the consumption of the whole immature pod.

The bean is a climbing vine with indeterminate growth. Primitive varieties are all vine-plants and require support. Later, for practical reasons, dwarf varieties were selected, but they all have tendrils that can wrap around a support.

The pods are generally green, sometimes yellow (butter beans), striped with red, or even amethyst. Among the varieties that are eaten when tender or extra tender, there are string beans that develop threads when mature. Then the pod becomes parchment-like and loses its taste.

The snap pea is generally more fleshy and can be consumed entirely, including the seeds and pods, even when mature. More recently developed string - snap peas can be consumed young as extra tender until they become more fleshy like a snap pea, as they do not form threads.

Among the shell beans (those whose seeds are consumed), we distinguish between harvesting fresh beans and dry beans, which is done 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 very rich in vitamin C, trace elements, and especially vegetable proteins.

Harvesting: Harvesting of fresh beans or young pods begins 60 days after sowing. For fresh beans, it should be done before the pods start to dehydrate and wrinkle. The beans should barely take on their color. For pod consumption, harvest every 2 or 3 days when they are tender or extra tender for string beans. Harvesting of dry beans is done by cutting the whole plant, which is then hung in a dry and airy place. They can be shelled as needed.

Preservation: Freezing the pods is now the most widespread method of preservation. 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 cloth. Once packaged, the beans can be placed in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is regaining its popularity among an increasing number of consumers due to the taste qualities inherent in this preservation method. As with freezing, remove the ends, wash and blanch the beans, then plunge them into cold water. Place them in jars, then fill them with boiling salted water. Seal the jars and sterilize them in a pressure cooker or sterilizer for 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium heat. To do this, completely cover the jars with water after securing them properly.

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

Gardener's tip: Beans, like all members of the Fabaceae family, have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil through a plant-bacteria symbiosis. They have the ability to regenerate soil. Beans can be included in crop rotation after burying green manure.
Traditionally, in Central and South America, bean cultivation is associated with squash and maize, forming a triad with positive companionship. This association is locally called Milpa. Beans also associate well with eggplants, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and radishes, as they protect each other. However, avoid planting them near alliums or fennel, as their growth is inhibited.

A spray of nettle manure effectively fights aphid attacks and strengthens the plants that benefit from it.