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BEANS
Beans with the exception of Broad Beans are warm
season crops and frost tender. Seeds germinate best
at 18 - 25°C; seed will rot in cold, wet soil and
even if they do germinate the plants will lack
vigour and be overtaken by a later sowing into a
warmer soil. In temperate areas sow beans through
spring and early summer. In cold temperate areas you
may need to wait until late October, early November.
In frost-free,
subtropical areas beans can be sown all year but
will suffer from pest (bean fly) and disease (rust)
problems at the height of summer so avoid sowing in
December and January. In tropical areas sow during
the dry season April to August. In the tropics snake
beans can be a better choice as they are more
disease resistant.
Other tropical beans include Madagascar
Bean (not available 2010) and Winged Bean. These tropical beans can
be grown as far south as Brisbane but require a very
warm soil to germinate so should not be sown before
early summer.
Soil Type: Fertile, well drained, garden loam
with a pH of 6.2 - 7
Germination period: 4 - 10 days Planting depth: 5 cm deep Position: Full sun Sow Where: Direct into garden bed Row Spacing: Double rows 60 cm apart Plant Spacing after thinning: 10 - 15 cm
between plants Details: Hill plants, up to 10 cm deep, to
protect from wind damage. Water well once after
sowing and then do not water again until seedlings
appear. Harvest: Pick daily, early in the morning for
the best flavour
Bush Bean 'Blue Lake'
Phaseolus vulgaris
This is considered one of the best tasting bush beans; round green stringless pods
are tender and sweet.
Heavy bearing with pods
17cm; it does well in warm areas. Suited to freezing. Sow
spring and summer.
SB106 45
seeds $3.50
SB107 250g $10.00
Bush
Bean 'Strike' is available as a 1kg
pack and the closest alternative we
can offer to
Bush Bean Blue Lake.
Bush Bean‘Cherokee Wax’
Phaseolus vulgaris
Heritage butter bean, believed to
have been in cultivation for many centuries; heavy
bearing, rust resistant. Pods are stringless,
yellow, 13-15 cm long with a rich flavour.
SB147
45
seeds $3.50
SB148 250g $9.00
SB182
1kg
$22.00 untreated
Bush Bean ‘Gourmet Delight’
Phaseolus vulgaris
Gourmet Delight syn. Idelight is one of the best
stringless varieties; producing glossy, dark green
beans 15 cm long, with a superb flavour. It is a
continuous heavy cropper. It is disease resistant to
rust. They are also suitable to use as a dried bean.
Days to harvest: 53 - 60.
SB185 45 seeds $3.50
SB186 250g $9.00
SB187 1kg $22.00 untreated
Bush Bean ‘Italian Romano’
A stringless bean with flat, medium-green pods 15 cm
long with a meaty texture and excellent flavour.
Beans hold well on the plant without becoming tough.
Very disease resistant and productive.
SB230 45 seeds $3.50
SB231 250g $10.00
SB232 1kg $30.00
Bush Bean ‘Provider’
Phaseolus vulgaris
Provider
is a bush bean, disease resistant
and very productive. It has an
upright growth habit; producing
straight, tender, stringless, round
pods, 17 cm long. This variety has
the ability to germinate in cool
soil so is a good choice for early
spring sowing.
SB202 45 seeds $3.50
SB203 250g $7.50
SB204 1kg $22.00
Bean Climbing 'Purple King'
Phaseolus vulgaris
Purple King produces dark purple pods, 18 cm long,
which turn a deep, rich green when cooked. It has a
long picking period and is heavy bearing with a
great flavour. It copes well with summer heat. Sow
all year round in tropical and frost-free areas.
Elsewhere sow from spring to early summer.
SB151 45 seeds
$3.50
SB152 250g $10.00
SB153 1kg $33.00
Bean ‘Rattle
Snake' Climbing
Phaseolus vulgaris
Rattle Snake is an
excellent climber, producing for up to 4 months.
Pods are green, streaked with purple, stringless
when young, with a rich, full flavour. It copes well
with heat and humidity.
Days to harvest: 73.
SB188 45 seeds $3.50
Bean Climbing ‘Scarlet Runner’
Phaseolus coccineus
Scarlet Runner syn. Seven Year bean is an
heirloom variety with long, flat dark green pods
with good eating qualities. An added attraction is
the scarlet flowers. It can be treated as a
perennial, shooting back from the rootstock every
year. Best for cooler areas, it may fail to flower
and bear well in warmer areas. Sow in temperate
areas from spring to early summer.
SB192 12
seeds $3.50
SB229 250g $7.50
untreated
SB194 1kg $22.00
untreated
Bush Bean 'Simba' untreated
Phaseolus vulgaris
Simba
is an open-pollinated, smooth,
round, stringless variety;
producing very dark green,
fleshy beans 13-14 cm long with a great flavour. It
is a heavy cropper and disease resistant to rust,
summer death and halo blight. A major commercial
variety, very suitable for farmer's markets. Days to
harvest:45 - 52
SB205 45
seeds $3.50
SB206 250g $7.50
SB207 1kg $22.00
Bush Bean 'Strike' untreated
Phaseolus vulgaris
Strike
is an open-pollinated, very smooth,
round, stringless variety; producing
glossy, green beans 14 cm long with
white seeds and a great flavour. It
is a heavy cropper and disease
resistant to common mosaic.
Days to
harvest:45 - 52
SB208 45
seeds $3.50
SB209 250g $7.50
SB210 1kg $22.00
What's in a name?
The
beans commonly grown and sold in
Australia can also be called French
beans, green beans, snap beans,
shell beans or runner beans.
Botanically they can be divided into
2 groups:
1. Phaseolus vulgaris
This group includes snap beans,
string beans, French beans, kidney
beans, flageolets, haricot vert,
filet beans and romano beans. This
is a very diverse group, with seeds
in an amazing range of colours.
There are both fresh and dried types
and climbing and bush types.
2. Phaseolus coccineus
This group is commonly called Runner
Beans syn.
Case
Knife Bean,
the bean seeds are
large and the flowers are pink or
red. Most runner beans are climbing
which is where the name 'runner'
comes from and they are often
perennial . It includes
the
cultivars Painted Lady,
Sunset, Scarlet Runner syn. Seven
Year Bean. They are best in cooler
areas.
These
beans can be further divided into
bush (also called dwarf beans) or
climbing beans (also called pole
beans).
TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL BEANS
Bean ‘Rice’ Organically
certified OGA
Vigna umbellata
A prolific annual climbing bean which self sows
readily, with yellow pea flowers and round pods 10
cm long. It is edible green, dried and sprouted. The
seeds are often mixed with rice and have the highest
calcium content of any dried bean. Young pods and
leaves can be used as a vegetable. It can also be
used as a green manure, stems can be cut and used as
mulch and stock feed, including for poultry. It is
drought-tolerant, prefers a well-drained soil with a
pH range 6.8 - 7.5, with a temperature range 18°C -
30° C, it does not tolerate frost.
Sow seed
at the beginning of the wet season in tropical
areas, soil temperature should be at least 25°C for
good germination.
H
SB159
150+ seeds $3.50
Bean 'Snake Climbing' untreated
Vigna unguiculata var. sesquipedalis
syn. Yard Long Bean
Fast growing climber with stringless long pods to
35cm and black seeds. Resistant to Bean Fly and Rust
that can make French or runner beans difficult to
grow over summer.
Sow all year round in tropical and frost-free areas.
Elsewhere sow from spring to early summer.
H
SB142 20 seeds $3.50
Bean
' Winged'untreated
Psophocarpus
tetragonolobus
syn. Goa Bean
Winged bean is a vigorous, tropical climber with
mauve-blue flowers and four-angled pods with wavy
margins. The pods, leaves, flowers and tubers are
all edible. It is high in protein: the seeds contain
34% protein and 17% oil; the root contains 20%
protein. If you are growing it for pods, leaves or
flowers, grow it on a trellis; a trellis is not
needed if you are growing it for the tuberous roots
– let it sprawl. Of course, you will need to replant
annually if you are harvesting the roots. The young
leaves (top three sets of leaflets on a shoot) are
cooked and eaten. The flowers taste like sweetish
mushrooms. It is among the world’s most effective
nitrogen-fixers.
A
short day length (11-13 hours of daylight) during
hot weather is required to flower, so it is not
suitable for temperate areas; it is also very frost
sensitive. It grows to 3 - 4m. Wait for warm, humid
weather before sowing; in the subtropics sow
November - December; in the tropics sow October
until January. It will grow on a wide range of soils
but requires moisture to do well; it tolerates
acidity. Plant rows 1m apart; with 30 - 60 cm
between plants. To improve germination either rub
seeds with sandpaper or soak in hot water until the
seeds swell. Harvest the pods when 10 - 20 cm long;
use like green beans. Days to harvest: 60.
H
SB113 45 seeds $3.50
SB214 100g $18.00
BROAD BEANS
syn. Fava Bean,
Faba Bean
Vicia faba
Broad beans are eaten either as a
young pod or a mature bean, fresh or
dried. Also useful as a
winter green
manure. Sow late summer, autumn,
winter.Best in temperate
areas;
it may fail to flower
and bear well in warmer areas.
'Aquadulce'
'Aquadulce' is an
heirloom broad bean variety with a great flavour.
It
produces an early, prolific crop on
tall plants, pods 15-18 cm.
SB170 40 seeds $3.50
SB110 250g $6.00 untreated
SB233 1kg $15.00 untreated
‘Big Ben’
'Big Ben' is a prolific cropping
broad bean variety
on a mid-sized plant
with large dark green pods & seeds.
SB160 40 seeds $3.50
SB161 250g $8.50
SB162 1kg $25.00
NEW GUINEA
BEAN Lagenaria siceraria
Syn. Italian Edible Gourd, Gourd
Cucuzzi, Indian Squash.
Not of course a bean at all, instead
this is a type of squash.
A traditional Italian vegetable, the
light green fruits are cylindrical
60 -100 cm long and can weigh up to
2.5 kg. The creamy white flesh is
said to have a flavour and texture
similar to green beans, which is
probably where it gets its common
name. The white
flowers are large and scented. Sow
next to a trellis, after all danger
of frost has passed, with a minimum
soil temperature of 22ºC, 2.5 cm
deep, 30 cm apart. Early plants can
be sown in seedling pots for later
transplanting. Prepare well-drained
soil with compost and well-rotted
manure. Pick the green fruit when
young, 15-60 cm long. Prepare it in
a similar way to squash.
H
SN101 10 seeds $3.50
Photo courtesy of the
Long Island Seed Project
www.liseed.org
ASIAN
and TROPICAL VEGETABLES FOR HOT WET SUMMERS
If you are challenged by pest and disease problems in your vegetable garden during hot, humid summers, dont give up!
Green Harvest offers a range of vegetables, grown around the world in subtropical and tropical areas, that we have found to be hardy and reliable to the weather extremes of high temperature and humidity experienced in the wet season. As a general rule sow these vegetables from October through to March, to replace more temperate varieties.
Seeds suitable for these conditions
are marked
H
for hot and humid!
More
info.....
Part of the problem is gardening books written by authors from cooler areas neglecting to give good advice on plant selection for northern areas of Australia. We recommend
the books
The Seed Savers Handbook
or
Organic Vegetable Gardening
for the best information on subtropical vegetables.
We
guarantee our seeds to the value of the purchase
price. We are happy to replace the seeds, give
you a credit or refund, whichever you prefer.
Other than our guarantee to the extent of the
purchase price Green Harvest gives no other
warranty expressed or implied. No
liability will be accepted by Green Harvest, its
owners or employees as to the accuracy of any
information. No responsibility will be taken for
damage to property or persons due to information
given about a product or technique. No
responsibility will be taken for the loss of a
crop or income due to information given about a
product or technique.