French Bean Top Crop: Choose top crop for masses of long, straight, stringless beans of strong healthy plants. The juicy beans have a beautiful flavour and an elegant but uniform appearance. This variety shows excellent resistance to Common Mosaic virus and Pod Mottle virus, so it’s a great choice for organic gardeners.

Sowing time:

Indoors: April- May

Outdoors: May- June

Sowing Indoors: Sow individual seeds in 8cm (3in) pots of seed and potting compost, keep the pots in a frost free greenhouse. Ensure the compost remains moist at all times, but not saturated. Gradually accustom the young plants to outside conditions for 2- 3 weeks before planting them out to their cropping positions from late May onwards, when the danger of frost has passed. Allow 30cm (12in) between plants in the row.

Sowing Outdoors: Sow individual seeds 5cm deep (2in) deep and 8cm (3in) apart. Dwarf beans are usually sown in double rows with 30cm (12in) between each row. Each row then supports the other. They will require no further support. Dwarf bean seed is so sensitive to cold, wet soils and will not germinate in unfavourable conditions. We therefore recommend you do not sow outdoors before May.

Aftercare: Dwarf beans require plenty of water to produce a good crop. Water generously in dry spells. They are generally disease and trouble free.

Harvest: August- September.

Pick the beans when they are young and tender. This encourages plants to remain productive for longer. Freezing: Dwarf beans will freeze well, Simply blanch them in boiling water for a minute or two, drain, allow them to cool, them bag them for the freezer.