I planted my borlotti beans outside on my lottie along with my runners and french beans back at the end of May but they all died bar two. I then planted out the replacements last Wednesday with fleece protection but most of them have succumbed to the cold too. My question is, is it possible to grow borlotti beans outside in our climate and if so when is the best time to plant out?
On the plus side the runners and french are happily romping away, no slug damage at all (yet) ;)
Hello Little Bean
I grew borlottis in North Yorkshire last year. They were fine in that nice warm growing season. Those were the days...this year who knows? Mine are going out tomorrow...
I think borlotti plants are things of beauty. The only problem this far north is getting two crops for the price of one: in theory you should be able to eat shelled beans from the first pods and leave the rest to dry on the plant so you can have borlottis all winter!
They do NOT like cool damp autumns, however, and I lost some of my drying crop to mould. In this messed up season I'd be inclined to go for a drying crop only...Â
Loads more info about beans here:
http://www.veganorganic.net/info2.html
Why go to the bother of drying them and risk the mould?  Do they not freeze well? Oh, and I didn't know you could grow borlotti beans over here. Are they readily available?
I hope the freezer will be jammed full with other good stuff. It's kind of empty at the moment...
HDRA/Chase Organics have them and many more drying beans besides.
Hi terrace max
Thanks for the info.
I assume that the cold killed them. I know that it's not slugs as that the runners and french beans are still growing happily.
I have a few seeds left, I will try and grow these in the veg plot in the back garden as it is more sheltered and see what happens.
Good Luck!
May Little Bean's be big beans...
I Lost mine to the cold too....... But thankfully i had an extra pack that i sowed at the end of May.... They are coming up nicely.
Update - The replacement beans that I sowed in the back garden are doing well but the lower leaves have died off, I think they are either showing signs of damage from the cold (unlikely since I planted them out on 2 July) or that they don't like being transplanted (the most likely explanation)(?). I have watered them well and protected with fleece every night since they were planted.
Fleece in July? you ought to move to Bedfordshire, it's summer here, We've been melting for the last 2 weeks
As for the beans ,I just treat 'em like runners. Mine went out mid May, they're now at the top of the poles & flowering like mad.
Are you sure you're not killing them with kindness?
I got plenty of borlotti last year but didn't keep any to resow. Imagine my surprise to find crabeye peas for £1.99 a kilo in a West Indian shop and discovering they're borlotti by another name. Growing well from a late June sowing and only watered once. The same West Indian friend also put me on to growing red kidney beans which thrive on neglect.
Quote from: Merry Tiller on July 17, 2005, 21:34:47
Fleece in July? you ought to move to Bedfordshire, it's summer here, We've been melting for the last 2 weeks
As for the beans ,I just treat 'em like runners. Mine went out mid May, they're now at the top of the poles & flowering like mad.
Are you sure you're not killing them with kindness?
I didn't think borlotti beans were climbers. I'm sure I remember growing them a couple of years ago and they were dwarf?? Or do you grow a climbing type and what is it please?
Yes, I seem to think I have been picking Borlottis as small pods to eat like french beans and they are only teeny short plants. The pods are speckled red......or is my labelling once again letting me down?
Emma jane - exactly how I would describe the ones I grew.
borlotti comes in dwarf OR climber
Hi all, :D
I have grown borlotti beans for the first time this year, I am very pleased with them, they were sown in modules on a windowsill in early May, planted out on the lottie in the first week of June & we started picking the beans (same colour as EJ said ) last week. Down here in the south east it is obviously no problem to grow them ;D I hope to get some dried beans from the plants at the end of the season.
Adrian.
Try these
http://www.seedsofitaly.sagenet.co.uk/peasandbeans2.htm
I've got some borlotti beans growing, no beans yet but the plants are looking healthy. I read that if you want to keep the beans for drying you should not pick any for fresh eating from the plant otherwise it delays the drying crop, rather keep some plants for fresh picking and some for drying, don't mix the two on one plant, if that makes sense. :)
HI,
I planted Borlotti beans for the first time this year as an experiment - wasn't sure they would grow in Scotland.
I sowed them direct at end of May - some came up and survived - many failed so I sowed some more seeds. So far they are climbing well ( just like runner beans) No sign of flowers yet so fingers crossed...
I was hoping to have some dried for the winter as freezer will hopefully be full of other things but after reading other posts maybe I'd be better off not trying to dry them for keeping ?
Good Luck ,Little Bean