Beans and peas

[SueSteve]

Hi,
I am looking to grow beans and peas that are high in protein!!
Can you grow Chick peas, butter beans or soya beans in the UK??

We are veggie and most days we have our own veg with a'protein' bought item.
I would really like to be able to grow something that we could have instead of buying!!
Sue

[SueSteve]

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

good I was going to post about this. Several people seem to be growing the more unusual beans, soy certainly, those so-called "lima" beans from franchi, and maybe chickpeas and lentils this year. i hope they'll tell us how they're getting on, though they'll be growing them for the shelled beans and they won't be ready for ages yet

we're growing the pea bean Phaseolus aegypticus and they're doing fine. The bean  seed itself is the most beautiful thing

[artichoke]

I bought some "giant beans" in Greece and sowed 6 (γίγαντες/gigandes) and they are rapid and rampant growers (at least 8') with absolutely masses of white flowers. At the moment we are eating the short fat runner-bean-like green pods, but later I mean to allow them to dry out into hopefully large butter beans. I suppose you could call them lima beans - I am not sure.

[saddad]

Our own peas and beans have a protein content as well... best left longer rather than eaten as a fresh/green veg... Eating from the plant would have been considered insane 300 years ago!
::)

[artichoke]

Yes, that's very interesting, saddad. We are so lucky to have a choice. I often think, as I hoe, weed, sow, sweat, etc etc that we are playing at supporting ourselves compared to our forebears. If their crops failed, they starved. If ours fail, we drive off to Tesco (which I try very hard not to do).

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

Artichoke, i've seen the gigandes beans. i guess if they're growing so well, the reason we don't grow them is that the seaon here isn't long enough for them to reliably produce the shelled bean, but If you're lucky you could be having Succotash this winter

[SueSteve]

I had giant beans on the plane on the way back from Cyprus a few years ago.
I now buy them occasionally, but they are a bit pricey.
Could be nice to grow them!