Green Bean Seeds

These green bean seeds grow into compact bush plants that deliver slender, crisp pods with a clean, fresh, grassy flavour and a satisfying snap when you break them. Their bright green colour and tender, low-fibre texture make them a kitchen favourite — wonderful sauteed in olive oil and garlic, lightly steamed, tossed into salads, or simmered into a classic Egyptian fasoulia. As a self-supporting legume, this variety crops quickly without the need for trellising.

Planting

Direct-sow only after the last frost, once the soil has warmed to at least 16 C at 10 cm depth; cooler soil makes seed rot rather than germinate, while around 27 C gives the fastest sprouting. Plant about 2.5 cm deep (a practical 1.5-2.5 cm range), spacing seeds 5-10 cm apart in rows 60-90 cm apart. Seedlings usually emerge in 8-10 days. In Egypt, sow mid-February to mid-March or from late August through October; favour February-March and October in Upper Egypt and avoid peak summer heat. Beans dislike root disturbance, so sow in place — no transplanting or thinning needed.

Fertilizing

As nitrogen-fixing legumes, beans need little feeding, and excess nitrogen only delays flowering. Work in 5-10-10 before planting at about 1.5 kg per 9.3 m2, with an optional nitrogen side-dress just before first bloom. A Rhizobium seed inoculant at sowing is optional.

Care

Give full sun — at least 6 hours daily, ideally 8-10 — and about 2.5 cm of water weekly, soaking to 15 cm depth and increasing during flowering and pod set. Watch for bean beetles, aphids, thrips, spider mites and stink bugs, plus blight, mould, rust and mosaic virus. Harvest from around 50-60 days while pods are young, tender and snap cleanly, before the seeds swell.