Beans
Beans are one of the quickest growing low maintenance high yielding crops. They come in a few different varieties
and styles so make sure you pick the right ones!
Broad beans are quite different to your standard runner beans and dwarf beans and are more a winter crop. Broad beans are especially tasty when small, and start to toughen up towards the end of the season. One of the more annoying things about broad beens is the time consuming podding that must occur before eating. They can be lightly boiled and served as a side to a meal. Adding a little honey will make them delicious.
You can grow runner beans which require staking as they send out feelers and climb up whatever they can attach themselves to. Using square poles will give you a better growth rate than round ones. I have tested this myself and it certainly is the case, go figure. If you don't have any stakes, why not grow your beans inside a crop of sweetcorn and let the corn be become the stakes.
By far my favourite crop as dwarf beans will produce fruit in just 8-9 weeks, require almost no maintenance and are high yielding. You can grow purple, yellow and green varieties, but they all taste great, especially when picked and cooked the same day.
Beans can be purchased in the packet which will give you a nice sized crop, although the more serious gardener
might want to let a few plants go to seed so that the collected beens can be replanted the following season.
Beans can be used in salads, but are often tasty as a side serve in a meal.
Beans are usually boiled or steamed, and a dash of honey after draining the water can add a little sweetness
to the serve. If you are looking for a crop that gives the most for the work put in, I would have to say dwarf
beans along with perhaps tomatoes are your best bet.
