Bean: 'Yin Yang Bean'

Find harmony in your garden with the most zen of all beans. The 'Yin Yang Bean', also known as the Orca or Calypso bean, produces compact bushes that produce heavy harvests of young, delightfully tender, 15 to 17cm (6 to 7in) green beans that have a mild delicious flavour.
The distinctive black and white pattern emblazoned on the dried bean is a remarkable, three-dimensional depiction of the familiar Chinese symbol.

The plants grow to a height of around 45cm (18in) and a spread of 30cm (12in), producing loads of beans with a mild delicious flavour. Allow the pods to mature and dry for the dramatic two-toned bean.
They can be sown indoors from mid April for transplanting later on, or can be sown directly where they are to grow once the soil as warmed from late May to July. They are ideal for growing in patio containers or the vegetable plot. Harvest in 60 days, June to October.
A great soup or baked bean, it adapts well to diverse environments. When young, beans can be harvested as a green bean and later as a dry bean.

For a small amount of space, it is an excellent variety to grow in containers and performs well even in less favourable conditions. It has an excellent plant habit; the pods are carried high on the plants clear of the soil which makes picking very easy.
One of the most popular garden vegetables, flavoursome and versatile in cookery, they are very easy to grow. They need no thinning, transplanting or training as other vegetables do. Growing to just 45 cm (18in) they do not get blown over by wind and should not need staking, but you may wish to put a few sticks by their side for support if it is very windy.
The plants are quick to give results, they are very prolific, and freeze very well. To enjoy at their best, pick when young and tender, they require only a brief cooking time and are best steamed and served whole. If the pods are left to mature on the plant they can be dried and shelled as haricot beans for winter use.

Where to grow:
Beans prefer to grow in moist, fertile soil in a sunny, sheltered spot away from strong winds. Prepare the soil for planting by digging over and adding plenty of organic material, this will help to improve the soil's moisture-retaining ability and fertility.
Beans can also be grown in pots. Choose pots at least 45cm (18in) in diameter and make sure there are plenty of drainage holes. Fill with a mixture of equal parts loam-based compost and loam-free compost.

Supporting plants:
If you wish to train the plant vertically, create a support before planting. Either make a wigwam with canes, lashed together with string at the top, or create a parallel row of canes, which have their tops tightly secured to a horizontal cane. Add to the ornamental appeal of wigwams by planting a few fragrant sweetpeas alongside them. These will twine together as they climb, attracting pollinating insects to the beans, and providing flowers to pick at the same time as the crop

Sowing: Sow indoors late April and May, outdoors in late May to July.
Even when temperatures are not below freezing, cold air can damage bean plants, so don't plant too early. Plant outdoors only after the last frosts, May onwards
Sowing seeds early indoors gives a faster and more reliable germination rate. Beans sown directly outside often germinate poorly or get attacked by slugs.
Avoid problems by sowing seeds in late April and May in pots or root trainers in the greenhouse. Robust young plants will be ready to plant outside within about 5 weeks, growing away far quicker than outdoor sowings.
Sow a single bean seed, 4cm (1.5in) deep, in root trainers or into a 7.5cm (3in) pot filled with multipurpose compost. Water well, label and place on a sunny windowsill to germinate. Seedlings will be ready to plant out after about three weeks. Before planting, put in a cold frame to acclimatise.
Alternatively, beans can be sown directly in the soil between the second half of May and the middle of July. Plant two seeds next to your support about 5cm (2in) deep. Water well. After germination remove the smaller and less robust of the two young plants. As they grow, ensure the plants continue to twine around their canes.

Cultivation:
Having shallow roots regular and plentiful watering is vital. Beans should be watered particularly heavily, twice a week in dry weather, both when the flower buds appear and once they're open. Mulch when conditions are dry.
Don’t hoe around bean plants too deeply or you may damage the roots.
Beans capture nitrogen from the air, so make sure the soil contains the other essential ingredients, phosphorus and potassium. So for the fertiliser use something like 10-20-10. They leave the soil nitrogen-enriched even after harvest

Harvesting:
Ready to pick in just 60 days. The more you pick, the more they produce. Most should bear pods from late July and cropping of all types can continue until the first frosts, or longer if plants are protected. When boiled, don’t be too disappointed if the pods lose some of that beautiful purple colour, as they tend to turn to a deep green.

Beans are a must for anyone growing their own vegetables. For a start they are very easy to grow, and secondly, they are packed with goodness, particularly protein and vitamins A and C. This goes some way to explaining their enduring popularity, they have been a food crop that has been grown for over 8000 years.