Dior, a dwarf French Bean, is an AGM winner with easy to spot and easy to pick lemony-yellow straight pods. Add in a crisp crunchy texture and lovely flavour along with high yields growing on compact plants and this is clearly a winner in every way.
Price for 50 seeds
SOW: push seeds 40-50mm deep (about the second joint on your index finger), you can sow 2 seeds per pot if you are tight for space. Start them from late March through to May, or you can sow direct where they are to grow in May or June
GROW: plant out after hardening off when 10-15cm tall after all frost danger has passed. This dwarf variety should not need any support. They are suitable for growing in containers, planted around the edge with something tall in the middle. You can also use Dwarf French beans for shading salad crops such as lettuces in the summer by interplanting or growing in alternating rows. French Beans are self-pollinating. They cope well with warmer and drier summers whilst withstanding dips in the weather.
EAT: pick these lemony-yellow pods when young and cook whole or sliced, they are delicious with a slight crunch for added texture. You can allow them to swell & shell for fresh beans. Leave the pods on the plants at the end of the season for drying to use in winter stews. All French beans freeze well too.
