French beans are fairly easy to grow. They don’t suffer much from pests or diseases and they are also a good choice for growing in pots.

Sow from late April to mid May under glass at a temperature above 12C, or outdoors mid-May to early July . You can sow batches of seed every 3 weeks to give successive crops throughout the season.

Plant outside after the last of the frost in a sheltered, sunny position. For the best crops, enrich the soil with plenty of compost or well rotted manure. You can plant climbing varieties  in rows supported by netting, canes or other suitable supports that are tall enough for your variety. You can also plant inside a  wigwam of canes.

There are green, yellow, red and purple varieties. You can also choose climbing or dwarf bush cultivars. Kingston Gold is a good yellow podded climbing variety and Safari is a good dwarf bush variety that crops well.