borlotti bean (climbing French), haricot 'Borlotto Lamon'
climbing French or Phaseolus vulgaris 'Borlotto'
- Position: full sun
- Soil: humus-rich, moisture retentive soil
- Rate of growth: fast
- Hardiness: half-hardy annual
A wonderfully colourful bean with splashes of red all but covering the whitish pods. The beans are similarly ‘paint-splattered' with flecks of scarlet. High in iron and fibre and simply delicious, they are guaranteed to brighten up any meal and the key ingredient for the Venetian 'Pasta e Fagioli' dish. Borlotti beans freeze very well too. - Growing instructions: To have a regular supply of beans throughout the summer, sow successionally at fortnightly intervals into well-prepared soil that is rich in organic matter. Plant seed 2-5cm deep and 8cm apart, in rows that are spaced at 30cm intervals. Thin seedlings as they grow so plants are 15-20cm apart, and once in flower, feed regularly with a high-potash fertiliser.
- Sow: April to June
- Harvest: July to October