Climbing Bean Neckargold – bean seeds

Phaseolus vulgaris - Neckargold

Annual plant originally from tropical regions of America. It has a climbing stem that can reach a height of 1.5 - 2 metres. The fruit is a pod containing varying amounts of kidney-shaped seeds. Colour and size differ according to variety. Bean seeds are poisonous. They contain a substance called phaseolin. This is lost during cooking. Therefore, we do not consume uncooked seeds. The flowers are white, pink, yellow or purple 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 look attractive on pergolas, fences or in containers with climbing structures. Edible varieties are planted next to poles, or we create a support system using string for training them. 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. We plant seeds in permeable, nutritious substrate and place them in a bright location. Beans require warmth for germination, so a greenhouse or hotbed is suitable. We sow beans at their final location after 15th May, when there is no risk of freezing.

  Bush varieties are sown 3-4 seeds into prepared holes about 5 cm deep. Spaced approximately 20 cm apart.

  Climbing varieties are sown about 5 seeds into holes 5 cm deep and depending on the type of support, up to a metre apart.

• Light sandy-loam soils with sufficient soil microorganisms and nutrients are suitable. Ideal pH around 6.5.

• We use NPK fertilisers with a low nitrogen ratio. In spring, it is recommended to provide beans at the location with 3 kg of nitrogen per m2, 3-4 kg P2O5/m2 and 11 kg K2O/m2 as a single application. If beans are grown in nutrient-rich soil, we may not need to apply fertiliser 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 red-brown spots on them. Treatment is carried out with chemical preparations - fungicides and destruction of post-harvest residues.

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

  The seedcorn maggot is a fly whose larvae attack germinating cotyledons and the growing tip of the plant 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 leads to crop degradation. Suitable protection is to place shelled seeds in the freezer (at a temperature of -10°C, beetles die in 10-14 days, at -17°C in just 8 hours).

• Harvest for seeds is carried out when the pods are drying and the seeds are firm, well-ripened and fully coloured.

  For culinary use, we harvest still immature pods that crack when gently bent.