Bush Bean Faraday

The pods have a dark green color and store well.

How to Grow Beans

• This is a heat-loving plant, so we plant it in a sunny location that is protected from wind. During flowering, beans need temperatures between 20–25 degrees Celsius. Beans require regular watering, the soil must not dry out, but at the same time it must not be waterlogged! All types of beans need support. Ornamental varieties will stand out on pergolas, fences or in containers with climbing structures. We plant edible varieties next to stakes, or create a space for tying them up using string. We loosen the soil around the plant and keep it weed-free. Regular harvesting of pods encourages the formation of more fruit.

• We sow seeds in March. Plant seeds in permeable, nutritious substrate and place in a bright location. Beans require warmth for germination, so a greenhouse or hotbed is suitable. We sow beans at the final location after May 15th, when there is no risk of frost.

  We sow bush varieties with 3-4 seeds in prepared holes about 5 cm deep, spaced approximately 20 cm apart.

  We sow climbing varieties with about 5 seeds in holes 5 cm deep and, depending on the type of support, up to a meter apart.

• Light sandy-loamy soils with plenty of soil microorganisms and nutrients are suitable. Ideal pH around 6.5.

• We use NPK fertilizers with a low nitrogen ratio. In spring, it is recommended to apply 3 kg of nitrogen per m2, 3–4 kg P2O5/m2 and 11 kg K2O/m2 as a single application to the bean growing site. If beans are grown in nutritious soil, fertilizers may not need to be applied at all.

• The most serious disease of beans is anthracnose. Browning, enlarging spots appear on young pods, the mycelium penetrates inside the pod and attacks the seeds, forming yellow-brown to reddish-brown spots on them. Treatment is carried out with chemical preparations - fungicides and by eliminating post-harvest residues.

  Beans are also attacked by other fungal or bacterial infections, such as gray mold, brown leaf spot, bacterial blight, bean rust and others.

  The seedcorn maggot is a fly whose larvae attack germinating cotyledons and the growing tip of the plant while still in the soil, especially in cooler, wet weather. Suitable protection is seed treatment with insecticides.

  A small, dark beetle - the bean weevil attacks seeds, in which it overwinters. This results in crop damage. Suitable protection is to place shelled seeds in the freezer (at a temperature of –10 °C beetles die within 10-14 days, at –17 °C frost within 8 hours).

• We harvest for grain when the pods are drying and the seeds are firm, well ripened and fully colored.

  For culinary use, we harvest immature pods that will snap when gently bent.