Climbing beans are a thermophilic plant. The optimal sowing period is from mid-May to the end of June. Latecomers can count on a fairly good harvest if they throw the seeds into the ground by mid-July at the latest.Fortunately, the substrate in the bed is already very warm and the seeds can germinate within a few days.Sowing depth in average garden soil is 2 cm, while in sandy soil is 3 cm.
The substrate should be evenly moist, it should not be allowed to dry out. Young, delicate plants are the delicacy of snails, so you should react quickly when there are signs of feeding these voracious mollusks.Flabby shoots of climbing varieties of beans need supports.The poles of a maximum diameter of 4-5 cm should be stiff and stable, able to bear quite a large mass of shoots and leaves.
Long spruce poles or strong bamboo poles are good. Twisting shoots cannot stay on the flat surfaces of angular battens and slats and constantly require manual guidance. We push the poles as deep as possible into the ground, even before sowing the seeds, so that fast-growing shoots have support immediately after germination.
Traditional varieties easily reach a height of three meters.This feature is quite troublesome, because the highest tied pods can only be reached from a ladder.Some new varieties have shorter shoots, reaching a height of two meters.
It takes 8-10 weeks from sowing the climbing beans to the first harvest, which is about 2 weeks more than for bush beans. Then the firm pods mature gradually until the end of September.The flowers and fruit are set by watering the plants regularly and peeling the ripening pods.
Beans for the entire growing season, a dose of compost during sowing is enough.Nitrogen is absorbed by the plant from the soil thanks to coexistence with bacteria forming nodules on the roots.The necessary minerals can be provided by the forecrop, such as early potatoes. In the kitchen, we use tasteful asparagus varieties, which provide, above all, tasty pods, incl. 'Atlas', 'Goldmarie', 'Neckargold', 'Blauhilde'. The second group consists of varieties for dry grains, the pods of which are mostly fibrous, such as 'Beautiful Jaś' with unusually large seeds.
Decorative and tasty varieties
'Neckargold' has narrow, round pods 25 cm long. The golden yellow fruits are considered the tastiest of the yellow varieties. 'Borlotto' or 'Borlotti' beans, like 'Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco 2', need a lot of heat and mature late. Flourish seeds are most often used in soups and stews.'Blauhilde' amazes with purple pods that turn green when cooked.
Seeds to be sown
Plants grown in the garden may provide seeds for sowing in the following year. At the beginning of the harvest, we select the pods that contain the most seeds. We allow it to mature on the shoots. Peel the pods only when their shells are dry and become parchment-like.We spread the fruit for two or three weeks in a warm and airy place.Hard seeds should be peeled out when the shells crack and start to open. To be sure, the seeds themselves should be dried a little more.
