Growing Dwarf Borlotti Beans

Planting

• Dwarf borlotti beans do best in well-draining, fertile soil with full sun. They don’t like overly acidic soil and do well with a pH between 5.8 and 7.1. Since borlotti beans are susceptible to slugs, start the seeds inside. Plant the seeds about 2 inches deep. Beans prefer warm soil temperatures and the seedlings shouldn’t be transplanted until the soil temperature is at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Space transplants about 4 inches apart and provide support structures, such as poles, trellises or strings for the vines to climb.

Fertilization/Soil

• Beans are sensitive to fertilizer injury. They need a lot of potassium and potash, but not much nitrogen or they won’t produce pods as quickly. A 5-10-10 fertilizer is adequate. Apply the fertilizer to a depth of 6 inches before planting or transplanting. Adding tomato fertilizer once a month improve the yield.

Watering

• Provide your dwarf borlotti beans with an inch of water every week. This is especially important while the plants are flowering or developing pods. Avoid wetting the leaves because wet leaves encourage bacterial blight and fungal infections. Water the plants early in the day so they have time to dry off before sunset. After plants develop their second set of leaves, mulch them, which helps retain soil moisture. Underwatering the beans causes malformed pods.

Weeding

• Dwarf borlotti beans have shallow roots so hoe with shallow strokes avoiding injuring them. Not cultivating when the leaves are wet reduces the possibility of spreading disease. Using black plastic or adding organic mulch, such as shredded bark, weathered straw or untreated lawn clippings, reduces weed problems. The mulch layer should be between 2 and 3 inches deep. Only apply mulch after the soil warms. Black plastic has the added advantage of warming the soil.

Harvesting

• Harvest dwarf borlotti beans from the late summer to the middle of autumn. The pods are firm and crisp when ready picking. Harvesting the pods when the plants are dry avoids spreading bacterial blight. Harvesting encourages the formation of new flowers and additional pods if they're picked before the seeds mature. After harvest, cut vines down to the ground. Don’t remove the roots because they add nitrogen to the soil as they decompose.