Fortex

Season Overview

Description

This stringless runner bean produces exceptionally long, medium-green pods that grow to over 27 cm. Fortex can also be harvested at 15-20 cm to produce particularly slender fillet beans. The delicate, sweet taste is delicious fresh or frozen. The seeds of the Fortex fillet bean variety produce vigorous climbing plants that require a trellis or stake for support. Freshly harvested, these beans are sweet, crunchy and have a succulent texture and flavor that will secure them a place in the garden every season.

Growing tips

Direct sow from late spring to early summer. Try to sow during a warm, dry period. The soil must be warm - if it is not warm enough, the seeds may rot, especially our untreated seeds. Optimum soil temperature: 21-32°C (70-90°F). Plant the seeds 10 cm apart and 3.5 cm deep at the base of a support. The plants climb by twining around almost anything. Try rough stakes, wood, trellises or build a strong trellis 2-2.5 m high. Seeds germinate in 8-16 days depending on soil conditions. well-drained, warm soil in full sun is best. Use 1 cup of a balanced organic fertilizer per 3 m row. Too much nitrogen in the fertilizer or manure is often the cause of poor pod set and delayed maturity. If beans flower but do not form pods, the cause may be a zinc deficiency. Try spraying the plants with a seaweed-based fertilizer. Damp leaves on densely packed plants are susceptible to disease. Thin out the plants to improve air circulation and avoid touching the leaves while they are wet. As runner beans are always climbing, there are always beans at different stages of maturity. It is important to pick regularly so that the seeds do not fully mature and the plant no longer produces new pods. When the pods are full of seeds, the plant stops flowering. The smaller the bean, the more tender it is.

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Very humid

Soil

Medium (loamy)

Nutrient requirement

High

Seeding distance

10 cm

Row spacing

10 cm

Seeding depth

3.5 cm