Growing beans for drying in the UK: Allotment gardening UK

Growing beans for drying is a great way to build up your food stores. We grow a range of beans for drying which are used to produce meals to last all year round. Beans are an easy crop to grow and many varieties yield well in the UK.
#allotment #allotmentgardeningUK #growingbeans
At Don't Crop Me Now we grow on 2 full allotment plots which is 500 sq.m of allotment garden in Manchester, UK. Welcome to all our new subscribers - visit our website: dontcropmenow.....
Growing beans for drying: a comparison of yields: dontcropmenow....
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[@davehilton8570]

Great video, thanks. I’ve grown the Greek Gigantes beans for many years. Absolutely delicious and they produce so much food. I’ve had an accidental cross-pollination where the beans came out just as big as the Gigantes but were the colour of a Borlotto. They have been reproducing true now for several years, probably now an established new and unique variety.

[@DontCropMeNow]

That is brilliant!

[@filougreendog]

have a look at real seeds of wales they do loads of heritage types

[@georgemartin9618]

I'm a bit of a beanaholic myself and I found your channel whilst searching for yin yang beans . Searching for seed shops and scrounging around vegetable markets is a major pastime for me when on holiday. I got some delicious unnamed white beans in Athens at a market . They're probably Greek Gigantes or a similar type growing to about ten feet tall like runners . Last year I got a bag of mixed beans at the market in Santa Cruz,Tenerife . Some of them grew very well and I'll be increasing my stock this year. The others failed but may have just been the weather wasn't suitable. Just subscribed to your channel and started binge watching.

[@DontCropMeNow]

Welcome!

[@rogermikardo]

There are several older Caribbean plotholders at my allotment site and they grow a lot of beans for shelling, but the method of cultivation is - I think - unusual. They buy dried beans from a supermarket rather than a seed supplier and plant several beans together at about 15cm spacing in the rows, with rows about 30 cm apart. That's a lot of plants close together! They hoe between the rows once after germination and before the canopy closes over the whole area, preventing most weeds from then on. Apart from occasional watering, that's it until Autumn when the whole lot are pulled up and stripped of the pods. Apparently it works, but it's not a practice I've seen described elsewhere.

[@DontCropMeNow]

Interesting thank you! I guess it depends on the bean because some of the smaller plants could support each other well

[@patrick_laslett_allotment]

Excellent bean information! I must grow more varieties than just my pea beans, runner beans, and Blue Lake. I must grow some of those large Greek beans - love the look of those. I do keep my own seed so I find that I only need half a dozen seed of a variety to start with - so seed and plant swap can be good even if a bit limited for choice.

[@DontCropMeNow]

Yes swops are great! I have nearly harvested for 2022 now so the dining room is full of trays of beans 😂

[@1megalin]

Thank you both for this video!! I am very interested in growing beans for drying but there's not much information on it in the uk, the chart on your site showing amounts was extremely useful too, I'm going to give it a go next year! Thanks!

[@DontCropMeNow]

Brilliant let us know how you get on!

[@jacquelinewhittaker4651]

Lovely beans. We have an allotment not too far from yours, in Marple Stockport. We are desperate for rain. We haven't had a drop since rotivating then planting potatoes and gladioli, a month ago.🙁

[@DontCropMeNow]

Same here!

[@karenwright2444]

Fantastic! Bean (soz) looking for ideas on dried bean growing, fed up of tinned stuff!

[@DontCropMeNow]

There are so many beans that grow great in the UK!

[@coneyworks8791]

Super informative video. I struggled to get any info on dried beans in the uk! Great stuff!

[@DontCropMeNow]

Glad it was helpful!

[@filougreendog]

have a look at real seeds, they are based in wales and sell loads of bean varieties, all heritage and unavailable sorts

[@rebeccazody1278]

Those beans are so beautiful.

[@DontCropMeNow]

Thank you I think so too! So interesting to look at like little jewels hehe

[@livingthegoodlifeinwales]

Hello Rachel, and Anthony! Thanks for this video, very interesting. Have you ever grown dwarf borlotti beans? I did manage to grow a few last year, variety was Lingua Fuocca Nano. I put them in my poly tunnel and I may have put them too close together, I don't think it was too warm for them. I'm a bit short on space for growing them inside or out but may see if I can squeeze some in somewhere! Happy that you reminded me it isn't too late to sow if I decide to give it a go. Thanks again.

[@DontCropMeNow]

Hi Louise, we have grown dwarf borlotti in the past. IMHO the yield is so much better with the climbers it is easier to put a wigwam in. What about an arch over a path to use that space?

[@livingthegoodlifeinwales]

@@DontCropMeNow thanks for that, Rachel, a great idea!

[@myrustygarden]

Hello Rachel and Anthony 👋👋 I love beans I think it’s the colour that attracts me 😂😂. I grow Borlotti, Red Swan, Purple Peacock, Purple Queen, Dragon Tongue, Black Turtle, Autumn Zebra and the standard Blue Lake I did have some of the Black and white called Ying Yang but don’t have any 😭. I did grow kidney in pots but the edeme were crap 🤬 crop so won’t try them again. I love making a bean medley for dinner steamed with garlic 😋. Thank you for sharing both of you 🐝 safe

[@DontCropMeNow]

I love the colours too! The downside is all the podding 😂😂😂

[@backtonature433]

That's a lot of beans 😄😄😄

[@DontCropMeNow]

love beans!

[@backtonature433]

@@DontCropMeNow 🤗🤗🤗

[@bristolveggiebeds5310]

Lots of lovely colours!

[@Kkffoo]

I have trouble digesting beans so this limits how many I can eat, but I do like them. Seeing this wonderful variety makes me wonder if I could grow a very limited number of a selection of types. It would be a bean pick n' mix! Thank you for another interesting and informative video.

[@DontCropMeNow]

Brilliant idea!

[@1megalin]

Kate try soaking and cooking them with Kombu seaweed! It contains the enzymes to break down what we can't in beans, it works!

[@Kkffoo]

@@1megalin Thank you, I will look into that!