District Nurse Climbing French Bean (organic)

£2.90

7 in stock

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

This Welsh variety of the Italian borlotti bean is well suited to our cool, wet climate. They’re tall and bushy with pretty lilac flowers and pods splashed with dark purple. Dry them at the end of the season, to make velvety soft winter soups and casseroles.

Approx. 70 seeds per pack.

Additional Information: Drying beans are great, as they’re a fantastic source of protein, especially if you’re following a plant based diet. They’re tasty, healthy and can be stored for a long time without the need for complicated, high energy processing. You can dry pretty much any bean, but borlottis are my personal favourite as they’re not too big and have thin skins which means a velvety smooth texture when you cook with them later on. They’re great in soups, casseroles and chillies, and in my opinion, make the ultimate home made baked beans. They look fantastic in your garden, with their mottled coloured pods; and the speckled beans themselves are beautiful. A friend of mine once said they look like tiny dragons’ eggs!

This particular Welsh variety of the Italian borlotti is suited to our cool, wet climate here in the south west. Back in the late 1900s an old lady in Cardiff gave some seeds to her district nurse, and the variety has been kept alive by local gardeners ever since, gradually adapting to the climate. It is now only available in seed libraries and from a handful of small seed companies.

The plants themselves are tall and bushy with lime green leaves, pretty lilac flowers and pods splashed with dark purple.

Originally stewarded by Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library.

Botanical name: Phaseolus vulgaris

Grown by: Carolyn Moody

Dwarf French Beans
Sow undercover in late spring in deep modules or small pots. Harden off and plant out after last frost. Sow 4 cm deep with spacing 15cm between plants and 40 cm between rows or 20 – 25 cm apart if in raised beds. French beans like warmth, sun and rich soil. Sometimes dwarf beans still need support, so try using twiggy prunings between the plants. Keep plants well-watered and pick frequently to promote more flowers and beans. Dwarf French Beans have a fairly short productive season so sow in succession to provide harvest for longer periods. Can be sown direct later in the season.

Climbing French beans
Sow them in deep modules or small pots in late spring (April) with some seed compost and if there are mice around, cover them up before they germinate, as rodents love the seeds. Harden off the young seedlings, then plant them out about 6-8” apart once all risk of frost has passed and the soil is warming up. Can be sown direct in warmer soil in May. Dig in plenty of organic matter initially and water regularly throughout the season. The beans will need a structure with canes or string to wind themselves around as they climb. Most will find their own way up, but if any get a bit ‘lost’ you can simply wind them up yourself to begin with. Make sure you wind them anticlockwise though, otherwise they’ll just unwind themselves!

Drying Beans
Because drying beans take longer to fully mature on the plant, they’re best started off early, indoors in April. Drying beans are great, as they’re a fantastic source of protein, especially if you’re following a plant-based diet. They’re tasty, healthy and can be stored for a long time without the need for complicated, high-energy processing. You can dry pretty much any bean, but borlottis are my personal favourite as they’re not too big and have thin skins which means a velvety smooth texture when you cook with them later on. They’re great in soups, casseroles and chillies, and in my opinion, make the ultimate home made baked beans. They look fantastic in your garden, with their mottled coloured pods; and the speckled beans themselves are beautiful. A friend of mine once said they look like tiny dragons’ eggs!