Climbing French Bean Goldfield

Goldfield is your go-to bean if you’ve ever struggled to spot pods hidden in the foliage. The bright yellow, flat pods are easy to see and even easier to love — they taste as good as they look: delicious. Reaching 1.5–1.6 metres (5–6 feet), this vibrant variety brings a splash of colour to the veg patch and fits beautifully in the flower border too.

SOW: start these off in pots or modules placed in an unheated greenhouse or even on a window during April or May.  You can sow directly into the soil but wait until mid-May as they really do not like cold soil.  You can sow as late as July for a later harvest.

GROW: plant out after hardening off when about 15cm tall after all frost danger has passed. Goldfield is happy climbing canes in a row or arranged as teepees, it can grow to 1.5m-1.6m (5 to 6ft).  French Beans are self-pollinating.  They also cope well with drier summers

ENJOY: pick young and cook whole or sliced.  Leave the pods for a little longer and shell them for flageolets.  At the end of the season leave the pods for drying; the dried beans are super in winter casseroles.  All of our French beans freeze well.