When To Plant Beans in South Africa
The growth of beans is quick and simple, and they are robust and productive. It is undoubtedly the best vegetable to cultivate in order to entice your children to learn about gardening and how to grow their own organic food.
African bean planting season
In order to grow beans well, it is advisable to start them from seed in the early spring (mid-September), when all danger of frost has passed. For a continual supply of beans, successive sowing should be done every three to five weeks, with the final sowing occurring in early February so that beans can be harvested prior to the first frosts.
Remove all weeds and stones from the beds, then prepare them for sowing by digging a thick layer of compost and a lot of bone meal into the soil. Beans prefer a soil that drains well into the earth. It must be in a position that receives full sun for at least six hours each day.
What to do following planting
Once the seeds have germination, water them every day, and once the seedlings and plants have emerged, keep them moist but not soggy.
From the beginning of flowering until harvest, this is particularly crucial.
Avoid watering beans from above and water them at the ground level to prevent foliar diseases and fungus from developing on the leaves.
To assist plants retain moisture and control weeds, mulch should be applied all around them.
Beans typically don’t require routine fertilization due to their capacity to fix nitrogen. When the seedlings reach a height of around 10 cm, an extremely light application of organic 6:3:4 or 8:1:5 can be made. . Following that, simply pay attention to the leaf color; it should be a healthy mid-green color. Apply another small application of fertilizer or compost, or soak the soil with a liquid fertilizer based on seaweed or fish, if the leaves start to turn pale or yellow. A low yield will be produced by overfertilizing, which will result in lanky growth and loads of healthy foliage.
Should beans be soaked before planting?
Don’t soak beans before planting, even though doing so will speed up the germination of many seeds. Bean seeds lack the hard outer shells that require preparation to hasten sprouting. Bean seeds that are soaked typically do not germinate well; for the greatest results in the garden, place them in warm, damp soil.
When should sugar beans be planted?
In the highveld, they are often planted in early January to late February, while in frost-free areas of the lowveld, they can be planted all the way up until mid-August. For best germination results, the soil temperature needs to be above 13°C.
