Growing beans

• Beans enjoy warm weather and full sun.

• Space individual plants 4 to 5 inches apart.

• When planting, add some general purpose fertilizer and a bit of compost to the soil.

• Beans have shallow roots and may need water daily during hot weather. Avoid wetting the foliage to prevent disease.

• Pole and yard long beans require trellising.

  PLEASE NOTE: The plants on my farm table have NOT been hardened off. They are straight from the greenhouse.
  You can do one of the following:
  1. Expose them gradually to outdoor conditions over a week
  -OR (as I do)-
  2. Plant them immediately and give them protection from excess sun, wind, and rain for a week or two.

 2026

I don’t always offer bean plants, but if I am ambitious, below are the varieties that might be available this year.
Beans are easy to grow by directly planting the seed in the garden, but I have had so much trouble with birds and squirrels digging up the seeds that I now always start them in the greenhouse.
(Descriptions and photos are from the seed company websites unless otherwise noted.)

Beurre de Rocquencourt
Bush Snap Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris. Yellow Pods. 50 days.
This delicate yellow wax bean is often the first to mature. Delicious buttery flavor, uniform size and shape for easy processing, and high yields make this a standout bush wax variety. Yellow pods can be picked when small as filet beans for extra tender texture. Plants grow well in cold and wet growing conditions in the beginning of the season, so they are well adapted to northern climates. According to Mother Earth News, “The variety takes its name from Rocquencourt, a town near Versailles. In the 19th and early 20th centuries Rocquencourt was famous for its fine vegetables, so the name carried the connotation of high quality. The bean evolved locally through selection and became fully recognized as a commercial variety in the 1930s.” Thanks for the intel Mother Earth News! (Adaptive Seeds)

Cupidon
Bush Snap Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris. Green Pods. 55 days.

As vegetable growers we used to be less than excited about filet beans until we found Cupidon. Not only is it the best filet bean we’ve found, it is one of the best beans, period. Delicious, aromatic sweet flavor. High yielding, light green, stringless, long, slender, French filet type pods. Plants can grow to 2′ tall if irrigated and fertilized well, while yielding lots of pods over a long season. Our favorite trait of Cupidon is that the pods are tasty even when they are very large. A good variety for market growers and gardeners because the fruit are held high on the plant for easy harvest. Resistant to Bean Common Mosaic Virus 1. We received our original seed from the wonderful folks at Real Seeds in Wales. (Adaptive Seeds)

Here at WILLS FARM
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beyond the 18th century
(when USA currency was first produced)
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Thank you for your continued support in donating to help me purchase seeds and supplies.

— Sherry —