How to grow beans

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How to grow beans in a garden

Before planting, take a little time to plan your garden. Ensure you have adequate space -certain bean varieties require staking or a trellis, while others grow into small bushes.
Dig Yates Thrive Natural Blood Bone with Seaweed into the soil, sow beans and water in well. Depending on the bean variety, beans should be planted around 7 to 10 cm apart and sown 25mm deep.
Apply a soluble plant food, such as Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food when flowering starts. This is a fast acting fertiliser that’s boosted with extra potassium to encourage lots of flowers and beans.

How to grow beans in a pot

Choose a pot or trough that’s at least 50cm and choose a dwarf variety to plant (don’t choose climbing or broad beans). Try ‘Hawkesbury Wonder’ or ‘Gourmet’s Delight’.
Fill pot with a quality mix, like Yates Premium Potting Mix. Sow beans and water in well.
Apply a soluble plant food, such as Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food when flowering starts. This is a fast acting fertiliser that’s boosted with extra potassium to encourage lots of flowers and beans.

Yates varieties

Climbing Beans 'Purple King'

A vigorous, easy-to-grow variety that produces heavy crops of medium-sized, flat, dark purple pods which turn a rich green colour when cooked.

Climbing Beans 'Scarlet Runner'

This classic runner bean adds a show of colour to the vegie patch. The extra long, fleshy pods are tender and delicious when cooked.

Dwarf Beans 'Tendergreen'

These fleshy, stringless and flavoursome beans have snap-fresh round, dark green pods (with occasional purple flecks) that can grow up to 16cm.

Dwarf Beans 'Long John'

A high yielding variety with long, round succulent pods, Tender, green and stringless.

Broad Beans 'Exhibition Long Pod'

Reliably produces a heavy crop of long, well-filled pods (up to 25cm), on tall vigorous plants, in a wide range of conditions.

Broad Beans 'Evergreen'

A compact, sturdy variety that produces a heavy crop of delicate nutty-flavoured beans. Broad beans make an amazing hearty addition to hot dishes.

Growing tips

Beans come in a number of varieties, but are largely categorised into two types: dwarf or climbing. Climbing beans need room to spread, so will need to be planted out in the garden. If you don’t have the space, look for dwarf varieties – they’re perfect for large pots.
The great thing about beans is that they are part of the legume family and can capture nitrogen from the atmosphere, so when your plants are done for the season, dig them out and add to the compost heap or dig them into the garden bed.