Climbing Bean Mamba

Climbing Bean Mamba. New varieties really have to hold their own before we champion them over longstanding customer favourites. When we saw the cropping potential of Climbing Bean Mamba we knew we were on to a future favourite! Our Mamba trial crops have consistently produced double the yield of Cobra, with no reduction in flavour or pod quality. Mamba’s mid-green, stringless pods are larger, more uniform and carried in clusters for easy picking. Plants are slightly less vigorous than Cobra, but this is a bonus – growth is more manageable, taking up less space, and the plants will perform better in large patio pots than most other varieties.

Height: 1.8m (6’).

Sow
April – July

Harvest
July – October

How to sow
Sow climbing bean seeds indoors from mid April for transplanting later on, or direct sow outdoors from late May to July.

Indoors, sow bean seeds at a depth of 2cm (1″) in 7.5cm (3″) pots or trays of free-draining, seed sowing compost. Place in a propagator or seal container inside a plastic bag at a temperature of 12-25C (54-77F) until germination, which takes 7-10 days. Do not exclude light as this helps germination. Once germinated, grow on in cooler conditions until all risk of frost has passed and the climbing bean plants are large enough to be transplanted. Gradually acclimatise them to outdoor conditions over 7 – 10 days before planting French beans outdoors in rich fertile, well drained soil in full sun with protection from strong winds.

Alternatively direct sow French beans outdoors when the soil as warmed. Sow 2 bean seeds per station at a depth of 5cm (2″) and a distance of 23cm (9″) apart. Plant Climbing beans in rows that are 60cm (24″) apart, or where space is limited, try growing climbing beans onto a wigwam structure. Climbing beans require support from garden canes, strings or netting which should be put in place at the time of planting.