Fastest Bean competition

Entries

We are presenting the participants and monitoring the competition advancement on this page. Check regular updates on our Instagram channel.

The “Spaghettibohne”, or Cowpea is a climbing bean from the Old World, from Southeast Asia (China). We have chosen this one because all other beans have already been sown! It does not grow as high as others, but is sown in late May and early June. On the other hand, garden beans are sown earlier, in early and mid-May. Beans do not like cold weather, so in Germany they are sown after the “Eisheiligen”(Ice Saints): 5 days in May, where each day is dedicated to a Saint. Only this way can the weather stabilize and become warmer., even if this year, it was already particularly warm!

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In Catalonia, climbing beans are usually sown at the end of June, in order to avoid the drought-sensitive stages of flowering, pod set and pod filling to coincide with the warmest and driest summer months. However, in order to participate in the contest at the same time as the other european regions, I found one variety which is usually sown at the end of April: “mongeta de Cornet”. I sowed it in a pot on the 3.05, I’m going to transplant it in the garden soon. It is said to be less sensitive to drought, but it may not climb as high as the other ones, so let’s see how fast it is!

Update June 25th:

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This bean can grow up to 4 meters high! I chose the Croatian pole because it has a very nice core, tastes very good, is productive and also grows quite high. Other varieties this year, however, already further.

Update:🎉Hit 1 meter on July 3rd!🎉

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“I am starting the bean germination by a paper towel method, for extra speed, and it is currently sitting indoors, in a warm cupboard.  The soil is too cold here in England at the moment, to sow directly and even in the greenhouse it is not warm enough for germination. It is a Gigantes bean – from this bag of beans that I purchased just recently in an organic food shop in Chania, Crete.  The beans are very big and the plants grow vigorously, so this variety will grow tall very quickly.”

Update:🎉Hit 1 meter on June 8th!🎉

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We are cultivating 88 varieties this year. The fire bean at the corner of the house had already gained 2.5 metres in height on 17.06.2022. The Purple Prince had reached the 1 metre mark on 11.06.2022.

Update:🎉The Purple Prince(left) bean hit 1 meter on June 11th! The Scarlet Runner bean (right)hit 2.5 meters on June 17th!🎉

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“My mom plants several types of beans. She has a small cottage in the North of Portugal where everybody practices subsistence farming. The products are very tasty and fresh! We eat beans dry of fresh ( when they are collected before they mature)- We use it for salad, soup, rice or pasta, to do a typical feijoada portuguesa ( I do the vegan versión. The traditional takes meat), also in puree. Beans have multiple options and they are very tasty!!”

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“I have sown two varieties. Candidate for the fastest bean is a white cowpea, which I grow together with 20 other varieties in a greenhouse in Neukölln for seed preservation. As for the longest bean, I will try a bean from the seed packet, which I got from Albania via Global Bean Seed Exchange. Hopefully they will grow over the whole house ;).”

Update:

Unfortunately, the competition bean is not doing so well. it has been overgrown by hops, but I have another beautiful one that is very tall, which I sowed on the same day. The cowpeas look good too, but they haven’t grown taller than 1 m.

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“In the US, beans are generally sown when the threat of frost has passed. Here in Vermont, on the Northeastern side of the US, that time begins in mid-May.”

The Cherokee Trail of Tears bean memorializes the forced relocation of the Cherokee Indians in the mid-nineteenth century. They carried this bean throughout this infamous walk, which became the death march for thousands of Cherokees; hence the ‘Trail of Tears.’ In the face of its poignantly dismal history, the shiny, jet-black seeds are used with pride in many traditional American Indian dishes. The seeds are encased in six-inch, greenish-purple pods. These small attractive beans are dried before consumed, and have a delicious rich flavor. Source: www.fondazioneslowfood.com

Update June 16th:

Update: 🎉reached 1 meter on June 30th!🎉

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The “Chair” in the bean’s name means “flesh”, as when dried, it takes on the color of human skin. It has been cultivated for centuries in Chéu, a small village in the north-eastern part of France. The most suitable area for this bean to grow is an area with sandy soil. However too much humidity is bad for this bean, as insects destroy the seeds! It is very savory and soft, and many traditional recipes use this bean: fricassée, spiced beef stew… Source: fondazioneslowfood

I’ve also added a photo of the seeds (it says Normandy on it, but that’s the place where the beans were harvested, not the name of the bean…). May is a good time to sow in the ground where I live.

Update:

Update: 🎉reached 1 meter on June 29th!🎉

Much to Annigje’s surprise, the beans turned out to be climbing and have reached one meter! They’re well above 1m now):

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How to participate?

STEP 0. Become a contestant! Sow your favourite bean variety, save the sowing date and send us an email at . That’s all we need! If you have already sown it, don’t worry. You can still take part in the competition, as long as you have the sowing date!

NEXT STEPS

1. We will give you a participant number! Take a first picture with your seed or young plant, your participant number (and yourself, if you like!) and send it to or tag the.global.bean on Instagram. Mention your own name, your location, the name of the bean, and why you like and chose it, and why you have sown it at this time (tell us more about the climatic conditions of your regions! Perhaps you want to share with us at what time you expect to harvest) You are welcome to send us further pictures, including of your plot!
2. As soon as it reaches 1 meter, take a photo with a benchmark and save the date. Send your second photo to and/or post it and tag the.global.bean on Instagram. 
3. As soon as the plant has reached its final height, take a photo with a benchmark to show how high it grew and send your photo to and/or post it and tag the.global.bean on Instagram

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