Beans
Green Beans and Flat Beans
Both these grow on low bushes and don’t require help to climb. Their biggest advantage is that these varieties are pretty fast growers so you can harvest them fairly quickly. Their one disadvantage could be that as they grow so low down, they take more effort to pick. However, it’s always worth growing your own beans as they taste so delightfully crunchy and are of course pesticide free. Green beans and flat beans grow to approx. 16 cm and 26 cm respectively.
Growing beans on canes
These varieties need more support climbing as they really aren’t climbers on their own, they just tend to wind around things. But with a little help they can reach a height of 2.5 metres. Beans grown up canes can give you a bigger crop and as they are growing higher up they dry better after rain, which helps to extend the harvest season too as compared to those low growing varieties. The size of the beans is roughly the same though.
Broad beans and dried beans
Also called fava bean or field bean, the broad bean (as with other dried beans) has to be shelled before consumption. The pods are not eaten, just the beans. Broad beans are regarded as a real delicacy when freshly shelled – try them in various recipes. The dried beans you can buy from Bakker.com have very striking colours and flavours and are delicious to eat in the winter months.
For more tips on planting and caring for bean plants, check our gardening advice pages online.
Both these grow on low bushes and don’t require help to climb. Their biggest advantage is that these varieties are pretty fast growers so you can harvest them fairly quickly. Their one disadvantage could be that as they grow so low down, they take more effort to pick. However, it’s always worth growing your own beans as they taste so delightfully crunchy and are of course pesticide free. Green beans and flat beans grow to approx. 16 cm and 26 cm respectively.
Growing beans on canes
These varieties need more support climbing as they really aren’t climbers on their own, they just tend to wind around things. But with a little help they can reach a height of 2.5 metres. Beans grown up canes can give you a bigger crop and as they are growing higher up they dry better after rain, which helps to extend the harvest season too as compared to those low growing varieties. The size of the beans is roughly the same though.
Broad beans and dried beans
Also called fava bean or field bean, the broad bean (as with other dried beans) has to be shelled before consumption. The pods are not eaten, just the beans. Broad beans are regarded as a real delicacy when freshly shelled – try them in various recipes. The dried beans you can buy from Bakker.com have very striking colours and flavours and are delicious to eat in the winter months.
For more tips on planting and caring for bean plants, check our gardening advice pages online.