Description

Bean October
Phaseolus vulgaris

Dry bean. Climbing plant. Requires 2-meter support. At the fresh shelled stage, the pods are red and easy to shell. Berries are cream-colored with pink flecks. Also known as Speckled Cranberry, Fall beans or Borlotti.

Full sun, well drained soil. Direct sowing after the last frost or indoor sowing 10 days before. 2 cm deep. 15 cm between plants.

Germination: 98% in December 2025
Ecological seeds produced at Catherine’s Ornamental Garden.

Note
Dried beans and dried legumes in general are rich in lectin. Health Canada recommends cooking them on high heat for at least 10 minutes, and advises against slow-cooker cooking as the temperature is not high enough. The cooking recommendations in theHealth Canada article refer to kidney beans, so adjust the boiling time on high to the size of your legume.

A little trick I got from my mother to avoid bloating (I think she invented it, because I’ve never found a reference that mentions it): discard the water after boiling on high heat and finish cooking on medium-low heat with new water (or in the slow cooker, now that the lectins have been eliminated). It makes all the difference in terms of digestibility, and Isaac the ogre can have as many refills as he likes.