Should I grow beans?

Beans are an easy and satisfying crop to grow. They provide excellent nutrition, including protein and fibre. Beans provide a harvest over a number of weeks, rather than just once. They also fix nitrogen in the soil for other plants nearby or the crop that follows. They are relatively pest and disease free. 

How to Grow beans

Once the weather has warmed in Spring it is time to plant beans. They will not grow during cold weather. You can grow multiple successions over the warm season. We seed bush beans every 2 weeks to ensure a constant supply, although climbing beans can be sown less often as they produce over a longer period.

Prepare the soil with plenty of compost mixed in to create a microbe-rich environment that is free-draining. Soak your bean seed overnight and then plant in full sun. If you are growing climbing beans put a trellis in now before the beans establish roots which could be damaged later. Don't overwater the beans whilst they are germinating or the seeds can easily rot, but once shoots emerge keep the soil moist for even growth. You may need to protect young seedlings from snails or rabbits. We have a rabbit fence around our bean plants. 

Harvesting beans

Once the pods are ready beans need to be harvested twice a week. They grow quickly and will produce more if picked regularly. Pods left for too long on the vine become tough, overgrown and stringy. You can easily freeze any excess harvest. 

Still to come

Next time I will talk about how to grow zucchini. 

This week's recipe links

Crunchy Snap Peas & Carrots Salad from The First Mess. 

Aloo Gobi Matar from Cooking with Heart. 

Samosas from Recipe Tin Eats. 

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Ginger-Tahini Dressing from Rainbow Plant Life. 

More info

To read more about what's happening on our local organic farm this week as we grow and care for veggies for our box delivery, check out this week's newsletter here.