Dwarf Beans

Hello everyone, I was just wondering how everybody grows their dwarf beans? I've tried climbing frenchies in the garden in the past which failed miserably, but as this is one of our favourite vegetables we are very keen to grow it successfully in our new allotment. Our main problem is that the allotment site seems very exposed..

 

I grow climbing French, as I think they crop better - and are less back-breaking to pick! Reasonably sheltered here though ...

I doubt you'll have a problem, even on an exposed site, but if you could cover them with a plastic-tunnel-cloche thingie, early in the season, that might help them get established and start cropping well?

How about putting up scaffolder's debris netting as a wind break? Its pretty cheap to buy (way WAY cheaper than proprietary "wind break netting" )

 

I like French beans too - less coarse and more adaptable to different recipes than runners but harder to grow. Think of that lovely salade Nicoise!

I find that germination temperature is crucial for french beans. If the soil is remotely colder and damper than they like the seeds will rot off within hours, and you will have to resow.

You can sow in pots to help prevent this, keep them warm enough, then reduce temps once they have germinated. You could also germinate them on damp tissue and only pot up when you are sure you are going to get a result.

Cloches would be a great help as they have to be planted out in early June and we typically have a cold snap in June with night temps down to 10 degrees or even lower which French beans certainly don't enjoy.

I also find that as night temps start to cool towards the end of August they stop cropping (assuming I got them to start in the first place) and that is IT for the year!

I have the impression that dwarf French beans are slightly less nesh than the climbers. Anyone else found this?

 

The French climber we grow is a flat bean (Limka), so perhaps not what folk think of as we treat it as a replacement for a Runner (we just happen to prefer the taste of the French one, that's all). Exactly as you say "less coarse".

Is "Blue lake" the popular climbing French bean (i.e. a cylindrical variety)?

Our French often crops before the Runners (French bean being self pollinated Runners need Bees or somesuch). However, the French definitely don't crop for as long a season. I'm not sure whether that is temperature, in late season, or just that they are "done". I have sown a later crop and extended the season that way, hence I'm not sure its temperature dependent.

One way is to sow-a-bean when you plant-out-a-plant so that that comes on a month or so behind as a second-crop.

 

Ok, so the plan is - grow them in warm conditions (planting successionally), plant out under cloches and build a wind break with scaffolding net around, to protect them from the wind..now I know what I'm doing! Thanks guys.

I've picked a supposedly weather resistant variety with good vigour (laguna), so hopefully they should do well!

 

This only applies to climbers i.e. sow a bean in with the plant when you plant it out.

For succession of Dwarf you'll need a separate area so-to-speak.

 

Whenever I've grown them, I've always got the best results from sowing under cover, individually. I find that root-trainers are ideal. Like a lot of folks, space for me is at a premium, and can't afford 'blanks'. I've only ever grown the dwarf types, but have been impressed by the yield, and although they don't crop as long as say runners, they provide beans for quite some time

 

I keep intending to investigate these:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9226894/Runner-beans-that-are-well-worth-a-punt.html

 

For the last 4 years I've been growing the climbing french bean "Cobra" with good results, even last year!

I start them off undercover in the greenhouse same time as my runner beans, they've never failed to come into production before the runners!

 

I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and raise the plants in the greenhouse. he tip about planting a seed for each plant is a a good one, should be warm enough by then.