How many Borlotti bean plants?

**ginger ninger** · 13-04-2010, 09:33 PM

I've grown them before to dry, but I also like to eat then like a runner bean before they start to swell with beans, I normally sow about 20 seeds, there not the most prolific of beans, so you do need sow more than if you were sowing just runner beans.

**Paulottie** · 13-04-2010, 09:43 PM

I found I needed quite a few plants to get any reasonable amount to dry..probably two dozen at least....and it is only Mrs P who eats them (apart from a few handfuls in the contents of the garden soup we eat at that time of year.) They also take quite a long time to ripen. I found you need a good Autumn if they are to ripen enough for saving without loads going mouldy.

**janeyo** · 13-04-2010, 10:19 PM

I had 6 pants last year and they yielded me about 200g of dried beans.

**PAULW** · 14-04-2010, 05:09 AM

JANEYO where they your big pants?

**Two_Sheds** · 14-04-2010, 06:55 AM

I did weigh my yield once: if I remember right, it was about 2oz of dry bean per plant. I grow dozens of plants to get a jarful

**janeyo** · 14-04-2010, 10:17 AM

Originally posted by PAULW View Post

JANEYO where they your big pants?

PMSL, that will teach me to read before I post!

**jacob** · 14-04-2010, 10:37 AM

I was planning on eating my borlottis straight from the plant, a bit like broad beans. Is this madness?

**Patchninja** · 14-04-2010, 11:03 AM

Nope it's not.

**northepaul** · 14-04-2010, 11:05 AM

Hmm thanks for that,everyone, its really useful, I may have to re-think them as I dont have room for dozens of plants.
Can anyone suggest a bean that is a bit more prolific? Thank you

**Alison** · 14-04-2010, 11:08 AM

I'm dedicating a 6' by 4' bed to them this year in the hope of getting a reasonable crop as in the past all I've had space for is to shove in a few here and there. I've not had any problems getting them to dry though, even last year I was OK but did leave them on the side in the open for a good while before putting in jars just to make sure.

**Mrs Jackson** · 14-04-2010, 11:15 AM

Cherokee Trail of Tears are very prolific, I think I got about 3/4 of a litre jar from about 6 plants last year. They were definitely far more prolific than the Borlottis and ready much earlier too.

Mrs J

**jacob** · 14-04-2010, 11:25 AM

Originally posted by Patchninja View Post

Nope it's not.

Good! Thanks, one of only a couple of new things I'm trying this year.

**LolaLou** · 14-04-2010, 11:54 AM

Great, I've got some Borlotti seedlings just poking through now (in root trainers in garden at the moment) so can't wait to get them in the ground. My question is......with runner beans, if you pick them, more grow....so, if I want a big crop of beans to dry, how do I achieve that, or is it simply a case of keeping the plants well fed and just letting any pod that grows get to full size and dry on the plant and what you get is what you get??

Second part of my question is (and hopefully still related) - has anyone grown Cornetti Meraviglia di Venezia (a yellow french bean) and dried those seeds out for keeping overwinter? I'm not very good at 'preserving' foods (except squashes....hmmm...) for the hungry gap so am trying with some bean seeds to get me started and build from there.

**northepaul** · 14-04-2010, 11:59 AM

Originally posted by Mrs Jackson View Post

Cherokee Trail of Tears are very prolific, I think I got about 3/4 of a litre jar from about 6 plants last year. They were definitely far more prolific than the Borlottis and ready much earlier too.

Mrs J

Thanks Mrs Jackson for the info, I'll look into them

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