May: French Bean

Warriston variety of the month

A monthly selection of fruit, veg or flowers that flourish on the Warriston site. Find more in our variety archive

May 2019 - Cupidon Dwarf French Bean

Thanks to Fiona for this prolific variety for summer.

This variety produces lots of tender pods all summer, starting early, and continuing after others have finished

It has a fine, long, stringless pod, and a good flavour. It is great lightly steamed, but can also be used raw in salads.
It is disease resistant and does not require support.

Sowing indoors

For an early crop, sow in late April to early May. Use small pots, sowing one bean per pot, 5cm deep. After hardening off, plant them outside at the end of May/beginning of June, after risk of frost has passed.
Benefits – you don’t have to worry so much about slugs and pigeons!

Sowing outdoors

Sowing time: Late May to mid July.
Harvest time: 10 weeks after sowing.
They like a warm, sunny spot in well-drained soil and are best planted out after the last frost. Fork in some well-rotted manure before you sow your beans.
Sowing directly into the ground:
Sow seeds into 5cm deep furrows that are 50cm apart with a seed every 8 to 10cm. Cover them lightly with soil and water copiously. Care: If there is an unexpected cold snap, cover the plants with fleece or newspaper until it is warmer.
Water well during periods of dry weather.
Placing a mulch of well-rotted manure or mushroom compost around the plants in July can help conserve soil moisture.

Can be purchased from: http://www.realseeds.co.uk