Growing French beans
We've chosen three varieties of beans for the "Grow for Reading Town Meal" campaign. These are:
- Climbing French bean Cobra from Moles Seeds
- Climbing French bean Eva from Moles Seeds
- Dwarf French bean Maxi from Moles Seeds
Download the RFGN Guide to Growing French Beans (PDF format)
Climbing French beans
These beans like to grow in a sunny, sheltered space and will need support. They can be grown outside or in a greenhouse. Sow under glass in April and then plant out in May after the last frost, or sow outside 5cm deep in the second half of May and June. Spacing should be 60cm x 30cm and the suggestions is to grow them in double rows 60cm apart and train them up canes or strings, or make a wigwam of canes and put 2 or 3 seeds by each cane. They can be harvested from July to October, and will crop for longer if picked regularly.
Climbing French bean Eva
This is described as early maturing with dark green oval pods which grow up to 26cm long.
Climbing French bean Cobra
This is described as a high yielding, easy to grow climbing French beans with round pods of excellent flavour.
Dwarf French beans
Like the climbing beans, these beans like to grow in a sunny, sheltered space. Sow under glass in April and then plant out in May after the last frost, or sow outside 2cm deep from the beginning of May when the soil has warmed up. Spacing should be 8 - 10cm apart in rows 40 - 60cm apart. They can be harvested from July to October, and will crop for longer if picked regularly.
Dwarf French bean Maxi
This is described as an early, heavy yielding variety with medium green, round-oval pods of approximately 18-20cm in length. The robust plants are suited to poor growing seasons.
Related resources
Grow Your Own Vegetables
Excellent book on growing vegetables with sections on techniques, a directory of vegetables, seasonal guide to jobs, and appendices on veg for the hungry gap, successional sowing and more.
How to create a New Vegetable Garden
Charles Dowding draws on his years of experience, to show how easy it is to start a new vegetable garden. Any plot -- whether a building site, overgrown with weeds or unwanted lawn -- can be turned into a beautiful and productive vegetable area. Charles's no-nonsense and straightforward advice is the perfect starting point for the beginner or experienced gardener. The book takes you step-by-step through: * Planning and early stages * Clearing the ground * Mulch - what, why, how? * Minimizing digging * Sowing and planting across the seasons * Growing in polytunnels and greenhouses It is filled with labour-saving ideas and the techniques that Charles uses to garden so successfully, and is illustrated throughout with photos and tales from Charles's first year in his new vegetable garden.
Organic Gardening The Natural No-Dig Way
A very helpful book about growing fruit and vegetables organically and without digging.
RFGN Guide to Growing Beetroot
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing beetroot.
RFGN Guide to Growing French Beans
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing French beans, both climbing and dwarf.
RFGN Guide to Growing Onions
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing onions.
RFGN Guide to Growing Radishes
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing radishes.
RFGN Guide to Growing Salad Leaves
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing salad leaves, including rocket.
RFGN Guide to Growing Squash
The Reading Food Growing Network guide to growing squash.
Seed sowing techniques
Advice from the Royal Horticultural Society about how to sow seeds
Seed Viability Chart
Temperate Climate Permaculture's chart of seed viability times for the most common seeds used in gardens and farms