French beans are fairly easy to grow. They don’t suffer much from pests or diseases and they are also a good choice for growing in pots.
Sow from late April to mid May under glass at a temperature above 12C, or outdoors mid-May to early July . You can sow batches of seed every 3 weeks to give successive crops throughout the season.
Plant outside after the last of the frost in a sheltered, sunny position.
For the best crops, enrich the soil with plenty of compost or well rotted manure in the autumn/winter before planting.
You can plant climbing varieties in rows supported by netting, canes or other suitable supports that are tall enough for your variety. You can also plant inside a wigwam of canes.
There are green, yellow, red and purple varieties. You can also choose climbing or dwarf bush cultivars. Kingston Gold is a good yellow podded climbing variety and Safari is a good dwarf bush variety that crops well.