green beans are a tasty vegetable with excellent nutritional characteristics, a food rich in proteins, minerals and vitamins. We are used to thinking of them as a vegetable in their own right from a botanical point of view, they are beans in their own right, even if it is a particular variety of the “eat everything” type.
We have already talked about growing green beans in the open field, but it is not necessarily necessary to have a land available: you can easily grow this plant on your balcony directly in a jar. Now we are going to go into more detail on how to do it in the best way and staying within the perspective of organic farming.
Beans and beans are, as we said the same legume the phaseolus vulgaris , a very resistant culture, as long as it does not undergo great changes in temperature and does not freeze. What characterizes green beans is the fact that they have smaller seeds than classic beans and a tender pod, which is also edible and pleasant to eat. Therefore, the green bean is harvested and cooked whole instead of shelling the seeds.
Contents
Best green bean seeds.
Before continuing with the guide, we want to leave you with a list of the best sellers on Amazon, this way you have an orientation of prices and qualities that can be useful when choosing the variety of green beans you want to plant.
#1 bestseller
NASSAU Jewish
- Hardy plant, with medium green flat pods
- Bury 2-3 seeds to a depth of 3 cm in an 80 x 30 cm frame
- Sowing from February to November
- Harvest from 2-3 months
#2 bestseller
Slenderette Bean – ECO
- Mid-early variety about 55 cm high, vigorous, productive and very hardy. Pod cylindrical, straight, dark green, 18 cm long and 1 cm in diameter. Resistant to common bean mosaic virus
- White seed. Cultivation method: It can be sown from February to October depending on the area. It needs temperatures above 10ºC and humidity for its germination.
- Sow directly by striking 2 to 4 seeds at a depth of about 3 cm and in a frame of 60 x 30 cm.
- It can also be sown with a precision seeder at 8 cm and 50-60 cm between rows. It can be harvested 55 days after sowing depending on the area
Bestseller #3
Jewish CANDIDATE
- Mid-early variety (52 days) about 55 cm high, vigorous and very hardy. Pod cylindrical, straight, medium green, 17 cm long and 1.1 cm in diameter
- Widespread in Spain due to its adaptation to different growing conditions
- Resistant to common bean mosaic virus. Cream colored seed (2400 weeks/Kg)
- Cultivation method: Bury 2-3 seeds to a depth of 3 cm in an 80 x 30 cm frame
- Sowing: February to October
Bestseller No. 4
Jewish LIMKA
- Variety of medium earliness, rustic, vigorous and very adaptable. staggered production
- Pod flat, straight, dark green, 20-22 cm long and 2 cm wide. white seed
- Resistant to common bean mosaic virus. Recommended for three annual sowings
- Cultivation method: Bury 2-3 seeds to a depth of 3 cm in an 80 x 30 cm frame
- Sowing: February to October
Bestseller No. 5
Jewish Helda – ECO
- Semi-early variety, hardy, vigorous and adaptable
- Sow directly by striking 2 to 4 seeds at a depth of about 3 cm and in a frame of 60 x 30 cm.
- Sowing from February to October, depending on the zone
- Harvest from 2-3 months
Bestseller No. 6
Jew ROME Salt. PERONE
- Plant with 16-17 cm pods and white seeds
- Bury 2-3 seeds to a depth of 3 cm in an 80 x 30 cm frame
- Sowing from February to November
- Harvest from 2-3 months
Bestseller No. 7
Jewish TENSION
- Low bushy variety, yellow cylindrical pod about 15 cm long
- Bury 2-3 seeds to a depth of 3 cm in an 80 x 30 cm frame
- Sowing from February to October
- Harvest from 2-3 months
Bestseller No. 8
Red Bean Buenos Aires – ECO
- Rustic bean with a flat, straight, green and red-spotted pod
- Sowing from February to October
- With a length of up to 18 cm
- Harvest 60 to 90 days
Bestseller No. 9
Round pea (half branch) – ECO
- Peas with thick pods, dark green in color and wrinkled seed
- Maturation cycle of approximately 75 days
- They are sown from September to March depending on the area
- Drip cultivation in rows 50-60 cm apart and striking 2-3 seeds at a depth of 3-4 cm
Choose the type of plant
To put green beans on the balcony you must first choose the type of plant you want to plant, there are different varieties of this legume, characterized by different sizes and even colors of pods. The main difference, however, which concerns us mainly for choice purposes, is the dwarf and climbing bean.
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- dwarf green beans complete their growth cycle in less than 60 days and they do not need any type of support or reinforcement for their growth, which takes place mainly on the surface in the ground.
- The climbing bean Instead, you need 90 days from sowing to harvest and requires tutors, and is also characterized by its significantly higher productivity than the dwarf variety.
Therefore, if we have more time and more space (a little bigger pot, vertical space for the supports), we can lean towards the vines, while for a simpler and less demanding cultivation even physically on the balcony, we will opt for the dwarf variety. In any case, the green bean remains a good option for the balcony garden.
Suitable location and growing period
What we have seen for the cultivation of beans in pots also applies to green beans: they are plants that love balance, so in order not to compromise harvest and growth, we will avoid both frost and extreme heat. The best time to grow them in pots is from march to june we can also plant several plants a few weeks apart to have a harvest available in an evolutionary way.
the bean plant need sun , so we prefer a position that is well exposed and perhaps protected from the cold north winds. If the summer is particularly hot, it’s a good idea to shade the plant with leaves to protect it from the sun during peak hours.
The cultivation of the green bean is similar to that of the pot bean, which we have already discussed in Orto Da Coltivare.
Choosing the Right Potting Soil and Soil
The choice of pot will determine the success of our cultivation, we prefer a pot of at least 35-40 cm in diameter and sufficiently deep.
At the bottom of the pot we place pebbles, gravel or shards to facilitate the evacuation of water, then we fill it with ordinary universal soil, possibly enriched with a little domestic compost.
If you want to further enrich the soil, you can put a powder of wood ash, taking care to use the necessary, so as not to force the plant and have effects contrary to those intended.
Plant the green bean
The best way to grow green beans is directly on the ground by making a small hole of 2-3 cm in the center of the pot, next to which we will place our possible support on which to let the plant climb.
A good technique may be immersing the seed in hot water. for a whole day then we put it back in the ground, but without covering it too much: as the peasants remind us, the bean must hear the bells. Depending on our choice of the type of plant, we will have our harvest from 50 to 90 days from sowing, a good idea is climbers every 20 days.
plant tutors
Fantasy is the only limit in choosing the best medium for our bean plants we can use from bamboo canes to simple plastic or wooden poles or choose the networks .
As they are potted crops, ideal for our terraces or balconies, we can choose to place the legumes near the railings and not use external reinforcements.
relationships and adversity
the bean plant does not require excess water but it is very important for The constancy and verification that the soil is always kept moist . Standing water, on the other hand, can weaken the grains and must be avoided as much as frost, since environmental factors coupled with the quality of the soil could lead to certain problems and disturbances such as mold or rust.
For plants as for humans, the idea must prevail that prevention it’s the way to go, creating conditions for health instead of having to intervene with aftercare.