Asparagus beans, also called sugar or French, have long been loved by many gardeners. And it is not surprising, because it is not difficult to grow it, but the result of labor is always pleasing. Even in the cold regions of Our Country, this culture feels great. The fruiting period is very long, until the very cold weather, young pods can be harvested.
The seeds of asparagus beans are usually planted immediately in the ground. However, you can do this with the help of seedlings. It gets along well with other vegetables and is often planted between rows of potatoes or other crops. But, climbing varieties are best planted on separate beds, so that it is convenient to place the supports, and the plants do not interfere with the access of sunlight to their neighbors.
Climbing varieties are often used for decorative purposes. If you put supports in an interesting way or plant beans near the fence, you can get a great decoration for your site. Due to the fact that the pods are high, the beans will always remain clean and will be easier to collect.
Asparagus beans “Snegurochka” includes all of the above benefits. It will also be interesting to know the main characteristics of this variety and agriculture.
Characteristics and description of the variety
Variety “Snegurochka” is a curly asparagus bean. According to the speed of ripening, it belongs to the early ripe ones (about 50 days pass from the first shoots to the beginning of fruiting). The bush is compact, the maximum height is 40 cm. There are not very many leaves, but the bush is generously sprinkled with pods.
The beans are light yellow in color, slightly curved, do not have a parchment layer and fiber. Pods can grow up to 17 cm long, 1,2 cm wide. From 1 m2 you can collect up to 3 kg of beans.
Beans “Snegurochka” contains:
- protein in large quantities;
- mineral salts;
- vitamins of group B, as well as C, E, A.
All this and other minerals make it a useful dietary product. Suitable for various cooking methods. You can freeze raw and boiled, make conservation.
Cultivation and care
You can start sowing asparagus beans from the second half of May. It is important that the soil warms up well, as beans grow and develop best at temperatures between +15 °C and +20 °C.
To prepare the seeds, you need to soak them in water for several hours in advance. The soil begins to be prepared in the fall, adding humus or manure. Seeds are planted to a depth of about 5 cm. You can pour ashes into the hole, this will enrich the soil with potassium. Seeds should be planted at a distance of 10 cm from each other. And between the rows should be left about 50 cm.
After a week, the first shoots should appear. When the sprouts get a little stronger, you can build a support for them. It is better to do this before the plant begins to curl, then it will itself direct the stems to the support and it will be easier to tie it up.
At first, you will need to water the sprouts more often and loosen the ground so that the plant grows well. After each watering, try to break through the weeds, otherwise the beans will have to share moisture with them. And when the length of the sprout reaches 10 cm, mulching can be done. The straw will trap moisture in the soil, making maintenance even easier.
When flowers appear on the bushes, it would be good to fertilize with special mineral fertilizers. During this period, the plant especially needs strength so that the ovaries that appear are strong and do not fall off.
Harvesting
You need to collect the “Snegurochka” often. And the more often you do this, the more pods you can collect per season. String beans bear fruit for a very long time, so even when there is almost nothing left in your garden, young beans will still grow.
If you did not have time to collect the beans in time, and they have already hardened, it is better to leave them for full ripening. Then such pods will need to be dried, and the extracted seeds should be left for sowing next year.
Reviews
