Heat Today will be hot in the south of the Netherlands: up to 33 degrees! Check whether your reservoir is still full, whether the mix is still moist, shade vulnerable plants around midday, and wait with sowing until it cools down.
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Start indoors • Trellis
Bacon bean
Product information
Sowing in:
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
€4.69
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Free delivery from € 30 🇳🇱
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Additional
Seed-starting kit
€19.95
Description
Bacon bean is a climbing bean with long, fleshy pods that stay tender for a long time. The more you pick, the longer you keep harvesting.
Specifications
Sow: May and June
Height: 200 cm or more
Contents: approximately 55 seeds, enough for 5–6 squares
Height: 200 cm or more
Contents: approximately 55 seeds, enough for 5–6 squares
In the app
Sowing: 1 May - 30 June
Level 1
started indoors
Level 2
seedlings emerging
Level 3
seedlings planted
Level 4
small plants
Level 5
growing up the trellis
Level 6
first harvest
Level 7
first harvest
Level 8
harvesting continues
- Currently only shipping to the Netherlands and Belgium
- Choose your preferred delivery date
- Sent by PostNL or Transmission
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- The app helps you with almost everything you do in your vegetable garden: sowing, tending, and harvesting.
- If something goes wrong, the app tells you what steps to take.
- If that doesn’t work, you can ask us for advice.
- If that still doesn’t help, we’ll look for other solutions together. Until we get it right.
More about our Bacon bean
This variety grows over 2 metres tall and gives a huge harvest of long, fleshy bacon beans: the tastiest green beans I know. The more you pick, the longer you keep harvesting.
- Variety: Neckarkönigin
- Family: legumes
- Number of plants per square: 8 by the trellis
- Height: 200 cm and taller
- Sowing time: May and June
- Sowing depth: 2 to 3 cm
- Germination time: 7 to 10 days at 21°C
- Time to harvest: 9 to 10 weeks
- Sunlight: full sun
- Packet contents: approx. 55 seeds, for 5-6 squares
What's so special about our bacon beans?
These Bacon beans are a special variety of green bean with long, juicy pods. The pods can grow up to 25 cm long, become fairly thick and still stay deliciously crisp. Highly recommended.
They are very popular in Groningen, where people often leave them hanging until the beans inside the pods swell. Personally, I prefer them younger.
You can also find these Bacon beans in the Climbing veg seed bundle:
You can also find these Bacon beans in the Climbing veg seed bundle:
What do you need to grow Bacon beans yourself?
Besides the seeds, you need this for starting them indoors:
- MM seed-starting mix or MM coconut seed-starting mix
- MM-Airpot, large size (or another pot about 10 to 15 cm wide)
- clear cling film (not needed with coconut mix)
Once the seedlings are big enough to plant outside, you need:
- one 30 x 30 cm square
- MM-Mix or MM coconut mix
- a spot with at least 8 hours of sunlight per day
- MM trellis - or something else - for the Bacon beans to climb up
How do you sow and grow Bacon beans?
These Bacon beans are included in the free Makkelijke Moestuin app. The app explains step by step how to sow, grow and harvest them.
Every vegetable goes through a number of stages - we call them levels. The app tells you exactly what to do at each level and regularly asks you to check whether your plants are ready to move on.
So you do not need to know in advance how to grow Bacon beans successfully. But if you would like to read ahead, you can do that below.
Every vegetable goes through a number of stages - we call them levels. The app tells you exactly what to do at each level and regularly asks you to check whether your plants are ready to move on.
So you do not need to know in advance how to grow Bacon beans successfully. But if you would like to read ahead, you can do that below.
Levels 1 and 2: Pre-germinating Bacon beans
Beans need plenty of warmth to germinate. If it is even a little cold or rainy outside, they may fail to sprout or the seedlings will be very vulnerable. That is why you germinate them indoors first.
- Fill a large Airpot with moist MM seed-starting mix
- sow 10 beans in it, about 2-3 cm deep
- then cover the pot with cling film so the mix does not dry out
Put the pot somewhere warm in the living room.
As soon as you see the first seedlings - usually after 5 to 7 days - remove the film from the pot.
As soon as you see the first seedlings - usually after 5 to 7 days - remove the film from the pot.
Level 3: Planting Bacon beans in your garden box
As soon as most of the seedlings are clearly visible, move them to a square by the trellis in your garden box:
- make 2 grooves in the square, about 5 cm deep: one in front of and one behind the trellis net
- use a spoon to lift the seedlings out of the pot
- place the 4 strongest seedlings in each groove
- carefully close the grooves
Depending on the weather, you will see the plants come up nicely after a week or so.
If it is still very cold, cover them with an MM cover or a few plastic pots. That protects them from birds and slugs and helps them grow faster.
If it is still very cold, cover them with an MM cover or a few plastic pots. That protects them from birds and slugs and helps them grow faster.
Level 4: Climbing
During this level, your seedlings have become small plants and reach the trellis net.
At first, you may need to help them find it, but after that they wind themselves upwards along the net:
At first, you may need to help them find it, but after that they wind themselves upwards along the net:
Level 5: Flowering
During this level, you will see more and more flowers, followed by the first little beans.
They are still tiny at first, but soon grow into the beans you will harvest later.
They are still tiny at first, but soon grow into the beans you will harvest later.
Levels 6 and 7: Harvesting
In these levels, from about 9 to 10 weeks after sowing, you can harvest the first Bacon beans. Cut them from the plants when they are about 20 cm long. Cutting prevents damage to the plants.
Harvesting early encourages the plants to make more flowers, and therefore more Bacon beans.
From now on, it is quite normal for the leaves to become yellow and less attractive, especially near the bottom of the plants.
Harvesting early encourages the plants to make more flowers, and therefore more Bacon beans.
From now on, it is quite normal for the leaves to become yellow and less attractive, especially near the bottom of the plants.
The final levels
During the next levels, you keep harvesting. Picking often stretches the harvest period: the plants make more flowers, and therefore more Bacon beans. You can often keep harvesting into October.
The plants will grow well above the trellis. That is fine: guide them sideways or back down.
The plants will grow well above the trellis. That is fine: guide them sideways or back down.
Bean plants do not cope well with cold. The leaves turn brown and the plants stop making flowers.
By then, remove the plants and clean up the square.
By then, remove the plants and clean up the square.
What do you use Bacon beans for?
Use Bacon beans just like green beans: you can boil, blanch or stir-fry them.
We like them best while the pods are still fairly young, but here in Groningen people sometimes leave Bacon beans hanging longer, until the beans inside the pods swell. Then you need to cook them for longer.
In any case, never eat them raw: they do not taste good raw and they are hard to digest. They also contain lectins, natural proteins that can cause stomach and intestinal complaints in large amounts. Heating the beans breaks these down very quickly.
We like them best while the pods are still fairly young, but here in Groningen people sometimes leave Bacon beans hanging longer, until the beans inside the pods swell. Then you need to cook them for longer.
In any case, never eat them raw: they do not taste good raw and they are hard to digest. They also contain lectins, natural proteins that can cause stomach and intestinal complaints in large amounts. Heating the beans breaks these down very quickly.
Bacon beans provide fibre, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium and magnesium. They also contain carotenoids and flavonoids.
Always cook the beans before eating them.
Always cook the beans before eating them.
So, what is stopping you from sowing and growing Bacon beans yourself?
They are tasty and healthy vegetables with a huge yield per square. You can also keep harvesting from them for a long time.
Plus: with our materials and help from the app, it is almost impossible to fail.
Good luck!
Plus: with our materials and help from the app, it is almost impossible to fail.
Good luck!
