French bean

1. 1

   Choose bush or climbing

   Bush varieties (Tendergreen, Cosse Violette, The Prince): 45–60 cm tall, no support needed, crop in flushes. Best for small gardens and containers. Climbing varieties (Cobra, Blue Lake, Hunter): 2 m+, need a wigwam of canes, crop continuously for 6+ weeks. Better yield per square metre.

2. 2

   Sow indoors or direct

   Indoors in modules from late April for an earlier crop. Direct outdoors from late May once soil is warm (above 12°C). 5 cm deep, 2 seeds per station (thin to strongest). Don't sow before mid-May outdoors — cold wet soil rots the seed.

3. 3

   Build the support (climbers only)

   Wigwam of bamboo canes 2.5 m tall, 5–6 canes around a 1 m diameter circle. Sink each cane 30 cm into the ground for stability. Erect the support before planting.

4. 4

   Plant out after last frost

   Mid-May south, early June north. Indoor-raised plants harden off for 7–10 days first. Bush forms: 15 cm apart in rows 45 cm apart. Climbers: one plant at the base of each cane.

5. 5

   Water and mulch

   Water deeply once a week from flowering onwards. Mulch with grass clippings or straw to hold moisture. French beans are reasonably drought-tolerant before flowering but pod set drops sharply in dry weather.

6. 6

   Pick young and often

   From late July. Pick pods when 15–18 cm long and pencil-thin, before the beans inside swell. Pods left to bulge shut down further flowering. Pick every 2–3 days at the peak; climbing varieties give 6+ weeks of continuous cropping with this regime.

7. 7

   Watch for pollination problems

   French beans are self-pollinating (unlike runner beans, which need bumblebees) so they set in cool weather where runners fail. But hot dry weather above 27°C can drop flowers — water deeply and mist plants in the cool of the morning.

Blackfly, slugs, and bean seed fly can be problematic; generally manageable.