Sowing Beans

Sowing Beans

My First Attempt at Container Gardening

This past week we had our first signs of spring in Prague.  The windows have been open more in the past two days than they had been since we moved in in October.  Though I am housebound by another late-winter illness, I've been trying to make the most of the sunshine.  

The previous tenants left some dead or nearly dead plants in the gutters outside of our window where they weathered the winter.  I wanted to plant something in them that was easy and would provide a bit of greenery.  The only kinds of seeds that I had around were some dried beans in the cupboard.  

It seemed obvious enough that I could plant beans and get bean plants--after all, the beans are the seeds.  However, I did some checking around to make sure.  Here are some tips:

Do not try to plant chickpeas.  They are not a very productive plant with just one seed per pod.

Make sure you are using the nicest-looking beans.  No cracks or discoloration.

Try to use organic.  Traditionally-farmed beans may come from Monsanto which may breed them to grow better with specific chemical pesticides.  Also, Monsanto really hates you using their seeds for free.  You do not want to get on Monsanto's bad side.

Look up the needs of your specific beans on a gardening website, such as Weekend Gardener.  

For now, our beans are growing on the windowsill.  When there is no more chance of frost, they will be moved outside.  Hopefully, in the coming months, I will have good news to report on this experiment!