'How I grow climbing beans'

Soil

The best type of soil for growing beans is a good free-draining soil to which manure has been added over the winter. This can either be dug in or left on the surface as a mulch for the earthworms to dig in for you. The ideal spot for planting should be sunny and partly sheltered.

Planting

I usually sow my beans indoors in April or May and I use organic, biodegradable grow-tubes, which you can buy from any good garden shop (or try making your own out of loo-roll tubes or by rolling a piece of card up and stapling it together), or small, deep pots - even plastic yoghurt pots will do the job, but you need to remember to prick a few holes in the bottom of them first. Fill almost to the top with good organic sowing compost and press gently to firm it down. Add a little more if needed and press down again. Make a hole about 3 to 5cm deep in the soil and drop in two seeds per pot and fill the holes back up with a little more compost. Water thoroughly and place on a sunny windowsill or in a warm, light, frost-free place for three to four weeks.

null

When your plants are 15 to 20cm high, you can plant them outside in your garden. All climbing types of bean need some structural support (over a wire arch, for instance), using little twigs or thin canes to help them start climbing. My favourite way is to build a trellis shaped like a tepee, using bamboo canes. To do this, push eight long canes into the ground so that they form a circle. Bring them in together at the top and secure them with string or wire.

Make a hole big enough to take one bean plant near the base of each cane. If you're using biodegradable grow-tubes, you can put the whole tube containing the plant into the soil. Otherwise, lift the plants out of their pots and plant one next to each stick. Wind the first few bean-shoot tendrils around the bottom of each bamboo cane - this will help to guide the plants as they grow (there's no need to secure them). From this point on, the plants will grip the canes for themselves. Don't forget to water them well.

My growing tips

Don't worry if you think your beans look a bit boring in the garden - they're not the most exciting plant in terms of how they look, but, like strawberries, they will give you a lovely surprise when you go along one day to check on their progress. Under the leaves you will come across a little treasure trove of beans all growing away, and the best thing is that they're hidden from the birds pecking away at them. Nature is a clever thing.

null

Most plants in the bean family are called 'feeder crops'. This means they grab nitrogen from the air and concentrate it in their roots. They use what they need for their own growth, then release the rest of it into the soil, improving its fertility for future crops. As nitrogen is a major nutrient for plants, growing beans is a good organically friendly way of enriching the soil without using chemical fertilizers.

Beans absolutely hate drought, and you'll notice their growth rate slowing down and the pods drying up if they go for a while without any rain. Make sure you give them a good soaking of water every few days if you haven't had many showers.

Text taken from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver (£25, Michael Joseph). Copyright © Jamie Oliver 2007. Photographs copyright © David Loftus 2007. Jamieoliver.com; penguin.co.uk

This article has 0 comments