An essential on the allotment plot, there are so many different types, flavours and colours of beans, there is the perfect variety for everyone, and here are our favourites!
Beans are one of those crops that really make an allotment feel like an allotment – images of bamboo tepees, tall sturdy frames and rambling vines really create a growing idyll. More than that, though, they are generous plants and considering a lot of beans can be preserved, they are great for setting up your stores once the peak season is over, too. There’s a lot to love! Here are five of our favourite types of beans – do you agree with our choices? What would yours be? Do let us know over on our social media platforms.
1 ‘Yin Yang’
If you’re looking for a real workhorse on the plot, as well as a proper talking point with your growing neighbours, this could be the bean for you! Either use the green pods fresh, as you would any French bean, or harvest later in the season for dried beans, at which point you can enjoy the gorgeous seeds which, as the name suggest, look like the yin yang sign, and are an eye-catching black and white.
2 ‘Borlotto Firetongue’
Another attractive bean, this type can be used fresh earlier in the season, or if left to full maturity can be dried. You can sow your beans successionally throughout the season for continuous harvests until winter, really giving you a bang for your buck. A straightforward variety to grow, this is a hugely popular bean, with good reason. The mottled colour makes a vibrant addition to your growing space and your larder.
3 ‘Velour’
A gourmet addition to the plot, these vibrant beans are a stunning purple colour, making a real focal point. The pods are stringless and tend
