production guideline for pole beans: seychelles
P
ole beans can be grown both indoor and outdoor. Due to its high quality however, most Seychelles plantings are indoor.
You will find that the wider your spacing between the rows is the higher you can trellis the beans. If the between row spacing is too low then you might pick up slight problems with the bottom fruit with regards to set (flower drop). Too set fruit, beans need to have enough light on the flower trusses. Seychelles is a variety that supplies a truss of 6 flowers all of the same size and shape, if it gets enough light. This is essential for higher yield and uniform picking size.
Climate Pole beans can be grown under protection in tunnels or green houses. They can also be grown successfully in open fields during the warmer months or all year round in the tropics. The optimum temperatures are 22 - 27°C air temperature. The soil temperature should be high for the seed to germinate well. Between 18 - 20°C is optimum for the soil.
Planting The bean seed can be either planted directly by hand or by machine or in seed trays that can be transplanted as soon as the first two leaves are formed. Sow the seed in rows from North to South if possible. The spacing in the row should be 20cm. Plant the seed about 2 - 2.5cm deep, cover with soil and compact properly for good germination. Seed should emerge at about 7 days after planting if the soil is warm enough. What is important is that they are all planted at the same depth in damp soil and only watered once before they germinate. They should not be watered while they are germinating.
Trellising All pole beans are indeterminate and need something to attach to, to grow into a mature fruit bearing plant. Therefore, it is essential to trellis them. To trellis them you can either hang a plastic net down from a wire and let them vine up along the net or let them climb up 1 - 2 strings per plant. You can use the plastic netting that is sometimes used to wrap goods on pallets. Try to go up to at least 3.5 meters. Depending on the structure you are planting in.
