Beans

Field beans are a legume crop grown for protein animal feed. They are particularly popular for organic livestock farmers who are looking for home-produced protein. Beans are easier to harvest than combining peas, but only early varieties of spring beans should be grown in Scotland.

Beans should be sown as soon as soil conditions allow in February or March, although later sowings, up to early April, have given acceptable yields. In a normal year, spring beans mature in mid to late September, before winter beans. Unlike combining peas, field beans generally remain standing until harvest, they are less affected by wet weather and less likely to shed than peas if the harvest is delayed.