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Beans ? both fresh & dried green beans are rich in the B vitamins & potassium. They may have even more antioxidants than blueberries & as much cholesterol-lowering fibre as oats (another super-food). They also are an excellent source of lean protein.

Climbing beans originate from the warm / temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. There is more. There’re 36 species, some being annual & some perennial.
Most grow on twining climbing plants, with bright green trifoliate leaves. There’re many bush varieties available now that do not require staking. Flowers can be purple, red, white or yellow, followed by round, long or flat seed pods.
Some plants are grown for the beans inside the pods, & others are eaten pods & all.

Beans will do best with a long, warm to hot growing season. They should be grown in full sun & need ample amounts of water to grow vigorously. Beans will thrive in a light, well-drained soil that is rich in humus (well rotted compost).
Wait until the last frost & the ground has warmed before planting seed in it is permanent position, sowing from mid-spring to early summer.
Watch for snails & slugs in the early growing period.

Beans are heavy feeders, so make certain to add compost at the time of planting & give additional feeds of organic fertilizer every three to four weeks. They will take between sixty & ninety days to mature ? depending on what variety you’re growing.

Select the healthiest looking plant & let the beans mature & dry on the vine to save the seed for next spring.

*My own personal tip is to keep picking your beans just a tiny bit before mature. That way you will enjoy tender baby beans & your plants will keep producing more beans so you will end up with a higher yield. *

Beans are such easy plants to grow. They are a great plant to encourage your kids or grandkids into the garden. They taste great fresh off the vine too.

To make certain you have a long supply of fresh, health promoting beans, plant a succession of plants & varieties to last you well into autumn (fall).

Beans also enrich the soil with nitrogen. They will grow quite happily with companions of cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, squash, strawberries (with Bush Beans), & tomatoes, but should not actually be grown with any of the onion family or fennel.

Hi, I’m an avid organic gardener & am known by my friends as the recycling queen. I live on a small country property in South Australia. It’s my mission to encourage as many people as possible to start organic gardening. Do you follow? This will improve both our individual lives & the wellbeing of our personal & global environments. Please visit my website & get your free 3 part Composting Guide. For Companion Planting info click here.

Happy gardening, healthy living?
Julie Williams
http://www.1stoporganicgardening.com

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