Phaseolus vulgaris 'Monte Gusto'

The Mangetout Climbing Bean 'Monte Gusto' is an early and highly productive variety over a long period. The plant, which can reach a height of 3m (10ft), produces long, thin yellow pods measuring 25cm (10in) long and 9mm (0in) in diameter, containing evenly distributed brown beans throughout the plant. The pods are stringless, tasty, and of excellent quality. The top quality climbing butter bean! Provide support or trellis as soon as possible. This variety is sown from April to July, with harvesting taking place from June to October.

Whether consumed for its pod or its bean, the bean is a highly appreciated vegetable in gardens as it is very easy to cultivate. It is so punctual that the gardener knows the exact date of its first harvest, which is 60 days after sowing.

Discovered in the New World and acclimatized in Europe from the 16th century onwards, the bean has now become an essential legume in diets worldwide. Native Americans cultivated it for its dried beans, but it was the Italians who, in the 18th century, introduced the consumption of the whole immature pod.

The bean is a vine plant with indeterminate growth. Primitive varieties are all climbing and require staking. Later, for practical reasons, dwarf varieties were selected, but they all have tendrils that can wrap around a support. The pods are generally green, sometimes yellow (butter beans), striped with red, or even amethyst. Among the varieties that are eaten when thin or extra thin, there are string beans that have strings when ripe. Then, the pod becomes parchment-like and loses its taste quality.

The mangetout bean is generally fleshy and can be consumed entirely, both beans and pods, even when fully ripe. The more recently created stringless - mangetout beans can be consumed when young and extra thin, or when more fleshy like a mangetout, as they do not form strings.

Among the shelling beans (those where only the beans are consumed), there is a distinction between harvesting fresh beans and dry beans, which takes place 90 days after sowing.

The Haricot beans are rich in vitamins A, B9, and C, as well as trace elements and minerals. Dry beans are also rich in vitamin C, trace elements, and plant proteins.

Harvesting: The harvest of fresh beans or young pods begins 60 days after sowing. For fresh beans, it must be done before the pods start to dehydrate and show wrinkles. The beans should barely take on their colour. For consuming the pods, the harvest should take place every 2 or 3 days, at the thin and extra thin stages for string beans. The harvest of dry beans is done by cutting the entire plant, which is then suspended in a dry and well-ventilated place. They can be shelled as needed.

Storage: Freezing the pods is the most common method of preservation today. To do this, remove the stems, wash the pods, blanch them for 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water, then plunge them into cold water before drying them with a clean towel. Once placed in a bag, the beans can be stored in the freezer at -18°C (-0.4°F). However, canning is regaining popularity among a growing number of consumers due to the taste qualities inherent in this preservation method. Like freezing, remove the stems, wash and blanch the beans, then immerse them in cold water. Put them in jars, fill them with salted boiling water, and seal them. Sterilize in a pressure cooker or with a sterilizer for 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium heat. To do this, completely cover the jars with water after securing them well.

Dry beans: When completely dry, bean seeds can be stored for up to a year if kept in good conditions, such as in airtight jars.

Gardener's tip: Beans, like all members of the Fabaceae family, have the ability to fix nitrogen from the air in the soil through a plant-bacteria symbiosis. They have the ability to regenerate soils. Beans can be incorporated into crop rotation after burying green manure. Beans are low-nutrient-demanding plants. Traditionally, bean cultivation in Central and South America is associated with squash and maize, forming a positive triad. This association is locally known as Milpa. Beans also associate well with eggplants, carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and radishes, as they protect each other. Avoid planting them near alliums or fennel, as their growth will be inhibited.

Spraying with nettle manure effectively helps control aphid attacks and strengthens the plants that benefit from it.