DWARF and CLIMBING BEANS

Beans are a warm-season vegetable that with regular picking will crop over a long period. Sow bean seed from spring through to summer. Dwarf and climbing beans can be sown all year round in Queensland.
Choose a sunny, well drained position and sow in a depth of 25mm. Add a complete fertilizer for best results. Hill up soil around growing plants for support.
Sow beans into moist, well prepared soil after the frost is over and the ground has started to warm up. After sowing water the seed in and and do not water again until the seed shoots appear.
Sow dwarf beans in rows 50-60cm apart, spacing seeds 7-10cm along the row. A row 3-5 m long at each sowing is suitable for the average family.
Apply soluble fertilizer about 7-10 days when first flowers appear.
A good mulching with compost or peastraw is recommended to use in very hot weather. Keep the mulch 5cm away from the main stems to prevent them coming in contact with the micro-organisms which are composting down the mulch.
Beans are also susceptible to wind damage so protect them with windbreaks (fences, trellis, tall shrubs or buildings).
Protect from snails!
Dwarf beans are ready to pick in 8-10 weeks. Pick beans young for maximum yield every 4-5 days.
Normally climbing beans take longer to produce, but crop more heavily than dwarf beans over a longer duration. They should have support trellis put in place before sowing.

Surplus beans can be frozen for later use.

Enjoy your beans hot or cold!

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