[Snoop]

I've just been reading the multi-coloured veg thread, on which Surbie says she (I think) grew six climbing French bean plants, which produced more than enough for her needs.

I've been pondering on the issue of how many beans is reasonable. I guess it makes a difference whether you're talking dwarf or climbers and what your needs are. I was thinking about 40 climbing French beans, 20 climbing borlotti and maybe 40 each of Sonesta and Nassau dwarf beans - grown successionally if I can manage it. There are just the two of us, though any surplus is gratefully received by friends and neighbours. Maybe I'm totally overdoing it. I should say I haven't grown climbing beans successfully before, but am more hopeful this year as they'll be going into a relatively sheltered site.

So how many bean plants do you grow?

[mumofstig]

I grow 20 purple French climbing beans,
20 runner beans,
20 climbing shelling beans Spagna Bianco
20 dwarf French sown later to fit into gaps wherever they appear 

That's enough fresh for 3 adults & 2 kids and enough to freeze for me for winter use.
The dried ones are just for me.

[carlrmj]

   

    Last year I grew 50 runner beans (from Growster ) 20 Blue Lake climbing french beans and 40 Tendergreen
    dwarf french beans .
    That was enough for our family ( 12 of us )and plenty for friends and neighbours .
    The year  before last I grew Cobra climbing beans , and will be growing again this year, as I thought the yield
    was greater than blue lake .

[Casey76]

I grew about 16 climbers (for both pods and dried beans) and 12 dwarf, and that was more than enough for me alone.  I had them coming out of my ears for weeks!

having said that I have even more planned for this year, though only because I have so many varieties i want to try 

I'm already clearing freezer space

[Goosegirl]

Because it's so windy here, I grow my French beans in the greenhouse. I found two climbing ones (Cobra) was plenty for the two of us as they grew like triffids! The last couple of years I have grown dwarf ones with my sweetcorn and had plenty from 2 batches of 5 plants (one early and one later on). Picking regularly helps in their production. This year I'm trying one purple climber and some Montano dwarf - maybe in 2 batches of 6 so there's more for the freezer.

[Snoop]

Looks like I was going to be totally overdoing it! This is great news, mind. More room for other things... Now where's that seed catalogue?

[surbie100]

I've just been reading the multi-coloured veg thread, on which Surbie says she (I think) grew six climbing French bean plants, which produced more than enough for her needs.

So how many bean plants do you grow?

Yes, I am a she. 

Also grew 8 yellow dwarf French beans and a few purple ones, they are ready before the climbers are I find. I eat a lot of beans...

[Snoop]

Thanks Surbie. I'm really glad I started this thread. I'll have lots of room for other things, maybe even some Spunta potatoes which our plot neighbours have bought locally and which my oh said looked quite impressive (good size and very healthy chits) and only a euro a kilo... More peppers and chillies... More fancy-coloured carrots...

You guys have really made my day!

[Jackypam]

Is there a chart somewhere with the average yields per plant for the more obvious veg? I'm in my third year and still getting it very wrong and running out of freezer too soon.  I know it varies plot to plot, area to area, and even year to year, but it would give us relative newbies a clue if there is such a thing out there.  I might try gurgle, but I kind of trust you guys...

[mumofstig]

This may help
http://www.organicgarden.org.uk/gardening/vegetables/how-much-veg-to-plant/

[Trillium]

I prefer the type called filet beans, a slimmer, smoother and slightly smaller pd variety that's a bush type. I grow between 30-40 plants per year but never have enough for fresh eating and bottling, so this year I plan to grow about 80 plants. Runner beans produce so heavily that I limit them to 4 now, my fave being White Lady. Lovely pods and a good producer.

[Snoop]

Hi Trillium, how many people do you feed?

And MoS, thanks for that link. Very useful.

[Sparkyrog]

looks like I may of over done it then  10 dwarf french and runner for poly to get earlies ! and 20 ft rows of french and runners outside (thats double rows) and only 4 of us 

[Christine]

You could well have overdone it there man unless you have a big freezer, lots of friends and are prepared to pickle a few .....

[Sparkyrog]

I do have freezer  space and I do like runner chutney but think I may cut back on the planned french .