Stop beating about the bush

Bush  beans

Or Dwarf French beans as we know them in the UK. Some are pencil shaped; others flat green, yellow or purple pods. These varieties are very forgiving, requiring little or no support and will fit into a small sunny spot or even a large container. With the right conditions, picking the pods regularly to encourage the formation of new flowers then you could pick 0.5 kg per plant over several weeks.

Kings Seeds - Amethyst

 

 

  JustSeed - Safari

 

French beans, whether climbing or dwarf dislike cold feet. Start them off indoors in individual modules or paper pots (loo rolls even!) filled with a good compost. Delay planting out until you’re sure the frost has gone. Protect from unexpected cold weather, cover with a cloche or even sheets of newspaper overnight. If sowing direct into the ground, sow in June, they will catch up in the warmed soil.

If like me you live on a windy hillside, then dwarfs can shelter behind a windbreak of their taller neighbours.

TIP: grow in blocks rather than rows, then each plant supports the others

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