SOIL
French (or Dwarf) beans will grow alright in most soils, as long as they are not too heavy or too acid.
Do not sow where beans have been grown in the previous year.
Dig in the autumn and add compost or well rotted manure. Add lime in the winter if necessary.
Rake over and prepare the site about 2 weeks before planned sowing, and at this time add a general purpose fertiliser.
SOWING
Mark rows out as required at 18" spacings. (successional sowings from May to the end of June will provide beans until October.
Sow the seed 2" deep and 4" apart in each row.
If an earlier crop is required, cover the rows with cloches in March, and sow the seed under them in early to mid April, removing the cloches in late May.
For a later crop, sow the seed as above in July, and cover the plants with cloches in September.
The seed WILL rot if the soil is too damp and/or cold.
PLANT CARE
Seedling need to be protected from slugs (and pigeons?). Hoe to keep weeds down while the plants are young.
Some support may be needed to prevent the plants from flopping over. This can be something like twiggy sticks(or even 2 foot flower sticks (green canes)) pushed in alongside the plants, or provide netting for the climbing varieties.
It is not necessary to spray the flowers to set them, but water will be needed when the pods start developing. This will ensure a longer harvest, so if the weather is very dry, supply frequent, regular, and copious amounts of water.
It may be possible to get a second crop from your plants, if you mulch them in June, and apply a liquid fertiliser when the first crop has ended.
HARVESTING
Start picking the pods when they get to 4-5" long. Gently bend a pod, and if it snaps, they are ready for picking. Try to pick them before you see signs of the beans inside swelling, and pick regularly, as any pods left to mature will stop production. You should be able to harvest from each sowing for 5 to 7 weeks.
Be careful when pulling the pods from the plants, as you may break the main stem, or even uproot the plant. Maybe a pair of scissors would be useful here?
SOME FACTS
Seeds should germinate in around 7 to 14 days.
1 ounce of seed should be enough for a 20 foot row.
This is approximately 60 seeds.
From bush varieties expect to harvest about 14 pounds of pods from a 20 foot row.
From climbing varieties expect to harvest around 20 pounds of pods from a 20 foot row.
From sowing to harvest, expect about 10 to 12 weeks.
