Climbing French Bean 'Borlotto Firetongue'

'Borlotto Firetongue' is a striking climbing French bean, grown for its beautiful streaked pods and delicious shelling beans. The pods are vibrant green dappled with bright red stripes, making them an attractive addition to the vegetable patch. The plants can reach 2-3m in height, requiring sturdy support, and spread about 30-45cm. This cultivar is H1C hardy, so it's best grown as an annual in the UK, sown after the last frost. It prefers a sunny, sheltered position with rich, well-drained soil. The beans are superb when shelled and used in warming dishes, retaining their creamy texture and distinctive flavour. Young pods can be eaten whole, but it's primarily grown for dried beans or fresh shelling beans. Flowers attract bees.

Sun: Full sun.

Soil: Rich, well-drained loam.

Hardiness: H1C.

Flowering: Jul, Aug, Sep.