Bush beans Saxa – bean seeds

Phaseolus vulgaris - Saxa

An annual plant originally from tropical regions of America. It has a climbing stem that can reach a height of 1.5 - 2 meters. The fruit is a pod containing varying numbers of kidney-shaped seeds. Color and size differ according to variety. Bean seeds are poisonous. They contain a substance called phaseolin. This is lost through cooking. Therefore, we do not consume uncooked seeds. Flowers are white, pink, yellow or purple in color and form sparse clusters. It flowers from June to August.

Beans contain a source of amino acids and ascorbic acid.

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 ranging between 20-25 degrees Celsius. Beans are demanding in terms of 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 place for tying them up with 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 cold frame is suitable. At the final location, we sow beans after May 15th, when there is no risk of frost.

  We sow bush varieties in groups of 3-4 seeds in prepared holes about 5 cm deep. Spaced approximately 20 cm apart.

  We sow climbing varieties in groups of 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 sufficient 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 add 3 kg of nitrogen per m2, 3-4 kg P2O5/m2 and 11 kg K2O/m2 to the bean location in a single application. If beans are grown in fertile soil, fertilizers may not need to be applied at all.

• The most serious disease of beans is anthracnose. Brown, enlarging spots appear on young pods, the mycelium penetrates inside the pod and attacks the seeds, forming yellow-brown to red-brown spots on them. Treatment is carried out with chemical preparations - fungicides and elimination of 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 the 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 kitchen use, we harvest immature pods which, when bent slightly, will snap.