Dwarf French Bean Serpedor mangetout - Flat Coco (sabre type)

Serpedor forms beautiful pale yellow, almost white, pods, 14 or 15 cm (6in) long with white beans. Wide (about 2 cm (1in)) and flat, they resemble swords and contrast nicely with the dark green foliage. If you have a balcony or a small patio, place Serpedor plants between the rosemary pot and the basil pot to attractively optimise a small space with its stout and compact appearance and lovely beans. This delicious variety of bean does not produce strings and does not become papery. It is consumed like a mangetout bean. There are many ways to enjoy French beans, in Italian, Indian, or Lebanese dishes that are best enjoyed fresh. These recipes are ideal during summer harvests. Serpedor is harvested from July to September.

Whether consumed for its pod or its seed, the bean is highly appreciated because it is very easy to grow. It is so reliable that the gardener knows the exact date when they will make their first harvest, 60 days after sowing.

Discovered in the New World and acclimatised in Europe from the 16th century onwards, the bean has now become an essential legume in all diets around the world. The Native Americans grew it for its dried seeds, but it was the Italians who first ate the whole pod in the 18th century.
The bean is a vine with indeterminate growth. Primitive varieties are all climbing and require support. 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, striped with red, or even purple. Among the varieties that are eaten when tender or extra tender, there are string beans which develop strings when ripe. Then the pod becomes parchment-like and loses its taste.
The mangetout bean is generally more fleshy and can be consumed entirely, both seeds and pods, even when fully ripe. The more recently created stringless - mangetout beans can be consumed when young and extra tender until they become more fleshy like a mangetout because they do not form strings.

Among the shelling varieties (i.e., those where only the seeds are consumed), we distinguish between harvesting fresh beans and harvesting dry seeds, 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 vegetable proteins.

Harvesting: Harvesting of fresh beans or young pods begins 60 days after sowing. For fresh beans, it must be done before the pods start to dry and develop wrinkles. The beans should barely take on their colour. For pod consumption, harvest should take place every 2 or 3 days, both at the tender and extra tender stage for string beans. Harvesting of dry beans is done by cutting the entire plant and hanging it in a dry and airy place. They can be shelled as needed.

Storage: Freezing pods is currently the most common method of preservation. To do this, trim, wash, blanch for 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water, then plunge into cold water before drying them with a clean towel. Once packaged, the beans can be placed in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is regaining popularity among a growing number of consumers due to the taste qualities inherent in this method of preservation. Like freezing, trim, wash, blanch, and then plunge the beans into cold water. Then put them in jars and fill them with salted boiling water. Close the jars and sterilise in a pressure cooker or with a steriliser for 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium heat. To do this, completely cover the jars with water after securing them well.

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

Gardener's tip: beans, like all members of the Fabaceae family, can fix nitrogen from the air in the soil thanks to a plant-bacteria symbiosis. They can regenerate soils. Beans can be included in crop rotations after green manure.
Beans are not very demanding in terms of nutrients. Traditionally, bean cultivation in Central and South America is associated with the cultivation of squash and corn, forming a beneficial triad. This association is called three sisters. Beans also grow well with aubergines, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and radishes because they protect each other. Avoid planting with alliums or fennel, as their growth is inhibited.

A spray of nettle manure allows effective control of aphid attacks and strengthens the plants.