The flowers of the bean plants stand out for their ship-like appearance: two sails on either side of a hull and a keel. The nice thing about growing beans is not only that it is a beautiful plant but also an environmentally friendly one. Like its cousin the pea, the bean has roots with bacteria that can fix nitrogen from the air instead of taking it up through the soil. That makes beans more environmentally friendly than many other plants because you don’t need to fertilise them as much. And it is food that can be stored for a long time and eaten after several years once the beans have been dried.

Growing beans also gives creative satisfaction. The plant climbs, so tie up strings in a railing or in the neighbour’s balcony above for it to cling to. With a little ingenuity you can form these climbing routes into beautiful patterns.

Remember that beans must be watered several times a day. If you cover the soil with leftover grass clippings you won’t need to water as often.

Do this:
Use a large pot that holds 35–40 litres. There you have room for five to seven seeds and as many plants. When sowing, the soil should be about 15°C and it must be moist when the seeds are planted. On a garden forum online I have seen an expression that says “when you can sit bare-bottomed on the soil you can sow beans”, which can give an indication of when it is time. Soak the beans in water for two hours until they begin to swell. Then poke them a few centimetres down into the soil with plenty of room so they don’t lie too close together. A warm south-west-facing balcony is the very best for your beans. The evening sun keeps the balcony warm for a long time and speeds up the growing process.