Beans, beans, beans… How many beans can there be in the world?
There is, quite frankly, a bewildering cornucopia of colours, textures, flavours and growth habits to be had: in fact, a bean for all tastes, preferences, growing abilities, and gardens no matter how big, small or in between. But choosing which one to grow this year can be overwhelming. Do you go runner, or French? Dwarf, or climbing? And what about those fancy ones from south Asia, then?
Well: that’s what I’m here for! Regular Greenery readers will know we’re planning a big beany growalong, starting this spring and spanning two whole years. This season we’re sticking with your standard green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris and coccineus, mostly), moving on to broad, or fava beans (Vicia faba) and their relatives, plus soya beans and the like next year. If you’re a bit confused about the difference between one bean and another, I had a quick gallop through all the various types of bean in last month’s post:
So I’ve been squirrelling away bean seeds this spring ready for planting from April. Some are old favourites of mine which I’m really excited to introduce to you. Others I’m revisiting after growing them in the past; and then there are a few heritage varieties – always interesting to explore. Plus I’m including some interesting experiments: dwarf runner beans for growing in a container, some interesting new shelling beans, yard-long beans in the greenhouse and another go at lablab beans (I tried them once, years back, and they didn’t do well – but I think with the warming climate they may do better now).
So…. *drumroll*…. Here are the varieties we’ll be growing together in this year’s growalong!
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