If your veg plot is anything like mine, it has been a sluggy season so far. After that relatively mild and horribly wet winter, the molluscs have been busily proliferating and leaving trails of slime and destruction in their wake. I’m not the kind of grower who faces down this type of challenge with a chemical arsenal, so I’ve been doing a lot of resowing and potting on so the plants that I put in the ground are large enough to withstand some munching.
There have been hefty losses, including a purple kale for which I only had a few seeds, a squash plant that was given to me, and my first round of beans. So this week, I’ll be grumpily sowing more climbing, dwarf and runner beans in the hope that, this time, the slugs and snails will leave them alone. Fortunately, there’s still time to get beans started from seed and, all being well, enjoy a harvest well before the turn towards autumn slows their growth.
Slugs aside, beans are a relatively straightforward crop, so growing them is a great way to get children into edible gardening. Their large seeds are easy to handle and will grow quickly given the right conditions, which include warmth and brightness (both often plentiful in June), sufficient water and starting off in the right size seed tray.
Like most of their leguminous cousins, beans’ root systems don’t appreciate being disturbed. Sow beans into root trainers – or even toilet roll tubes or homemade paper pots (pictured) – to give their emerging roots room to grow straight down without becoming root bound. This means that when they’re planted out, they are less likely to experience root damage and transplant shock.
You could sow direct into the ground now, but I won’t be trying that again this year.
Once your climbing or runner bean plants are a decent size, with a few sets of leaves and a strong growing tip that’s searching for something to grab on to, plant them out next to a structure they can climb. Water generously to support your bean plants as they grow but try to do so in the morning: evening watering creates the kind of moist conditions that slugs need to slither around when they emerge at night to feast.
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Every year, I grow purple climbing beans and have great success with ‘Blauhilde’ and ‘Cosse Violette’, but if you prefer a traditional green bean, try ‘Cobra’. I also love to grow runner beans, and ‘Painted Lady’ did well here last year. I’m trying out a dwarf variety called ‘Hestia’ this season, alongside the compact ‘Merveille de Piemonte’ (which I bought by mistake last season but now adore) and the dwarf french bean ‘Faraday’. All are good choices for growing in small plots and containers.
