How to grow beans
Earlier this year I was given a packet of bean seeds. Laying my cards on the table here, I have never liked beans but I read that home grown ones taste quite different to shop bought ones, so like Jack and the Beanstalk, I decided to plant the seeds to see what happened. (Note if you are now expecting a story about an enormous beanstalk reaching up into the clouds and an unfriendly giant, bellowing “Fee, fie, fo, fum”, that didn't happen.)
All photos by Toni Abram.
Beans.
On planting my seeds I was very happy to find they were a good size, so easy to plant. I planted several seeds, one seed per pot to give myself the best chance of growing a plant. Starting them off on my kitchen windowsill, they germinated quickly and warm weather meant I was able to transfer them outside in early summer. Soon afterwards I could see my beans beginning to grow and after that I did very little other than water them.
Green beans beginning to grow.
Beans (left) with cucumber and pepper plants.
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For a time, something was attacking the bean plant, the leaves went through a very sorry messy looking stage and I didn't think the plant was going to make it. Beans it seems are prone to attacks by pests, namely:
- Slugs and snails
You will be able to see the tell tale slime trail on the soil and the leaves. - Birds
Birds, especially pigeons, will eat seedlings, buds, leaves, fruit and vegetables. - Black bean aphid
These will disfigure plants and cause stunting to leaves and stems.
However, to my surprise, in August, hiding underneath the leaves, I found long green beans growing happily.
So having successfully grown some beans, I decided it was only right and proper to eat them. Long and curvy, they were not going to win any vegetable beauty contests but there was a good number of them and they looked healthy.
I googled 'how to cook beans' and found a short film on the Good Housekeeping website. I topped and tailed my beans and cooked them for three to four minutes as instructed, chopping them into small pieces before eating.
The verdict ... much better than any beans I have eaten before. Still not keen on the rough texture or the smell and I think they would be more palatable to me in something or dressed with something but hugely satisfying to have grown my own food.
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