Topic: I'm chuffed - got French beans

[Hot_Potato]

picked my very first French beans today - never grown them before and these are in a 3ft trough on my patio (which hardly get any sunshine under normal conditions, let alone this year) ???.....loads and loads coming on but these seemed just about right to pick.....love the creamy/pale lemon coloured flowers - dunno why, was expecting red flowers like the runner beans I grew in same trough last year....these are French climbing beans 'sultana' variety - pencil shaped as you can see.....plan to eat them tomorrow :P hope they taste as good as they look

[debster]

look yummy

[Tinkie_Bear]

Well done, they look great.

[carolinej]

Mmmm, I LOVE French Beans, so much nicer than runners in my opinion. Hope you enjoy them ;D

cj :)

[kitten]

Yum they look great  ;D

Ours have gone weird, a bit furry with purple stripes on - never mind there's always next year  ;)

[cornykev]

Straight in the steamer with new spuds, baby carrots and a few sprigs of mint.  :P :P :P ;D ;D ;D

[saddad]

Many varieites have some purple in them Kitten and the skin texture can be a bit furry sound fine to me... do you know your variety?
 :)

[kitten]

I think they're dwarf tendergreen saddad, but not 100% sure without looking  ::)

Sounds yum kev  ;D

[Hot_Potato]

well I ate the 'sultana' climbing French beans today - absolutely yummy, lovely flavour....did as Cornykev suggested, steamed them  (6 minutes)  perfect.....added courgettes & baby sweetcorn to the mix and had it with cold meats :P

can't wait for more to grow :)

[Georgie]

They look very good indeed.  I didn't get around to sowing my French beans this year but I do have a large pot of runner bean Hestia which is a dwarf variety.   I planted them on 9 June and they are covered in flowers with about 8 baby beans already forming.  The flowers are very attractive too - scarlet and white - so you might want to give them a try next year?

G x

[Hot_Potato]

they sound interesting Georgie and how quickly they've produced!!

roughly how big is the pot (round, square or otherwise) and are they growing up some sort of framework? (wigwam maybe)

btw picked another good handful of beans this evening...guess what I shall be eating tomorrow ;)

[real food]

I was amazed to find that I have some dwarf french beans ready now outside in Glasgow. It is usually september when I get to pick the first ones.

[Georgie]

HP the pot is a round one, 15" across and about the same deep.  I have four plants in it.

G x

[Hot_Potato]

thanks Georgie....silly of me to ask if growing up a framework - they're dwarf beans and don't need one  ::)  ;)

maybe try them another year - too late now I guess

another lovely feed of my beans tonight :P

[Georgie]

<thanks Georgie....silly of me to ask if growing up a framework - they're dwarf beans and don't need one >

Well I just stick a cane in the middle of the pot to tie in anyway wayward branches.  I could spare you a few if you want to try some next year.  Send me a PM if interested.

G x
   

[Hot_Potato]

thanks Georgie...will pm you - would be nice to try a few - I'm picking a really good handful of the french climbing beans everyday, it's wonderful :) and they're gorgeous :P......will definitely grow them again.....got lots of seed over still in packet, will they keep ok for next year do you think?.......oh! just read back of packet and it says best before 2009 so guess they will be (or does that mean if the packet is unopened?)....I could spare some of these if you'd like to try them!

HP