how to grow french/snap beans
Planting Green Beans (French/Snap) - Without the Pitfalls
This is a no-failure way of planting green beans with ease - for a crop of healthy, delicious vegetables. Remember when planting green beans of the French variety, they are half hardy annuals and do not cope at all well with frosts.
This variety of green bean - the French bean - is also called a snap or string bean and a native of South America. It found its way to mainland Europe in the sixteenth century and soon after crossed the English Channel to England. Some say by the French Huguenot refugees during the reign of Elizabeth I.
The beans are eaten along with their pods before the seed begins to bulge. Once the seed has matured and the pod has dried out these beans are called Haricots… so all-in-all a very handy vegetable to grow.
Planting Green Beans (French) - Soil Details
A light but rich soil is best when planting green beans of the French variety. Cold, wet heavy soil, or soil that is acid is deadly to them. Grow your French beans in a sunny, sheltered part of your garden.
Prepare the bed in the autumn and dig in well rotted compost or manure. Like all peas and beans lime should be added at this point if the soil is too acid. Aim for a pH of 6.5 to 7.0 if you test your soil, otherwise… just have fun experimenting. You will learn far more about your garden that way.
Planting green beans in the same spot as last year is to be avoided.
In the spring fork over the bed in preparation for planting your French beans, breaking it down to a finer tilth - raking in a general fertiliser two weeks before you start growing your vegetables.
Planting Green Beans (French)
French beans like getting into a warm bed!… and who does`nt - don`t you just feel its need. In cold soils the seeds will rot.
To sow your French bean seed make a groove or drill… as it is called - in your prepared bean bed, 5cm deep. The modern recommendation is to plant the seeds much closer than the old text books would indicate so plant the seeds 10cm apart in the drills. Ensure rows are 45cm apart. Sow a few extra seeds at the end of your rows to fill in gaps where beans have failed to germinate. Expect the seed to germinate in 7-14 days.
If you want to pick some of these vegetables before the end of June you will have to grow the plants under protection. Choose a variety that is quick to mature. Place cloches or fleece over part of the bed at the begining of March. Sow seed under them in early/mid April. Protection can be removed towards the end of May.
Your maincrop should be sown during May when all danger of frost has gone. Make a second sowing three weeks later. Planting green beans (French) at the end of June will give a crop in September/October but be prepared to add protection.
Planting Green Beans (French) - Caring for Your Plants
Protect new shoots from slugs as they begin to germinate.
Hoe to keep down the weeds when seedlings are small - mulching with wet newspaper under straw or strips of black polythene will supress weeds and keep soil moist - do this as the plants get taller. Compost the paper and straw when the growing season ends.
Support your French bean plants with short twigy branches or pea sticks to prevent them falling over or being beaten down by heavy rain.
Use poles or plastic netting for climbing varieties.
Moisture at the roots is essential to get the best pod formation over a long period. Ensure you water your French beans liberally and often… especially if the weather becomes dry.
Pest Control
Black bean aphids adore beans - keep a dilligent watch for their appearance. A serious infestation will badly stunt plant growth. Check over the leaves and stems of your vegetables, especially the tender growing tips… gently squish any colonies you find.
When watering your French beans with a hose try knocking the aphids off with the spray - this can be effective. Also try growing flowers like Tagetes or Marigolds in between rows to attract beneficial insects like h overflies and lady birds which love to eat blackfly
A chemical spray may be required if the infestation becomes too serious. Pop into your local garden centre or nursery and ask their advice what to use.
Slugs can also be a problem and can be dealt with using a combination of different methods.
Go into your vegetable garden at night with a torch and collect the slugs by hand - they can be disposed of by placing in a box containing salt.
Place barriers around the plants… something rough that makes it difficult for them to slither on - like egg shells or sand. Or cover your seedlings with plastic bottles with both ends cut off and pressed into the soil over them.
Nematodes are a very effective way to kill slugs without harming people or wildlife and is becoming a popular method of control. Nematodes are naturally occuring organisms which can`t be seen by the human eye. Sold in packets - purchase them at garden centre or nursery, place the the contents as directed into a watering can, add water then apply to your vegetable garden.These little darlings then enter the slugs and kill them. They go on being effective in the soil for about six weeks.
Slug pellets are effective but need to be used sparingly as they can be a danger to wildlife because the chemicals metaldehyde or methiocarb they contain.
Harvesting
Begin harvesting your French beans from July onwards (maincrop). Pick when they are about 10cm long - when picked the pods should `snap` easily when bent. This is why they are sometimes called snap beans.
Pick often so none of the French bean pods mature… this will ensure 5 to 7 weeks of harvesting this delicious vegetable.
Take care when removing the French beans from the plant… don`t loosen it at the roots, instead use scissors or secateurs to cut the beans off the stem.
If you want some dried beans (Haricot) then try leaving some pods on one or two of the plants and let them turn the colour of straw. Hang the plants somewhere dry… preferably indoors. When the pod dries out and splits, remove the beans and lay them out to dry and when ready store them in something air-tight.
French beans are ideal for freezing if you have a glut.
Tags: beans, growing, how to grow french-snap beans, How to store, organic
