Growing borlotti beans in pots
Today, we learn about growing borlotti beans in pots or containers at home. Borlotti beans which are also called as French horticultural beans or cranberry beans are the beans which are off-white and have red markings over them. When you see them fresh, they will be in red pods and come in large beige with the colors which look similar to dried beans. In the shell, the pods which have bright colors will make an accent which is festive. The shell cannot be consumed, but the internal part of the borlotti beans is a treat. The flavor will be nitty and has a texture which is creamy. These Borlotti are well-known in the recipes of Italian and Portuguese. Most of the Borlotti which are being sold in the country of Italy are the ones which are being imported from the United States.
The Borlotti beans which are dried are the ones which are available readily than the ones which are fresh. These dried borlotti beans will have a longer shelf life. The fresh borlotti beans have to be used within 7 days, but the dried ones can be kept for a long time. The borlotti which is a dried one can be soaked for a complete night and should be boiled in water or stock with meats or vegetables. When the beans are cooked, few of the markings which are bright will be lost and they will turn to a color of light brown. The flavor of dried Borlotti beans which is meaty will make it an excellent main dish as well as a wonderful side dish. When you want to make an adventurous thing, but do not want to take too much risk, you can try borlotti beans. These borlotti beans can be substituted by tongues of fire beans or you can even go for Great Northern, Pintos or cannellini beans. With borlotti, you can prepare a wonderful cold bean salad. You can soak them and cook as you would so with any other beans which are dried. The cooking of these beans will take 30 minutes approximately. After cooking, you will need to toss them making use of olive oil and a small amount of Italian salad dressing or herbs or lemon.
Growing Borlotti beans in pots:
The Borlotti beans, in order to grow well, will need a soil which is well-drained and also average. These should be kept in full sun as they love to be in it.
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You can start growing borlotti beans in pots but make sure that you are mixing an organic fertilizer in the soil before you begin the plantation of borlotti beans by making use of the instructions which are present on the label. The fertilizer has to be supplemented rarely whenever required.
You can keep these pots either in the window or in a greenhouse starting from March to the ending of June. For growing borlotti, you will need to start sowing the seeds at a depth of 4 cms in the pots which are having a depth of 8 cms. These pots should be filled with the compost of seed and water. These pots should be kept in an outdoor location after six to seven weeks when the plants have reached a height of at least 7 cms. The varieties of borlotti beans which are dry like lemon are the best when grown in a raised bed in rows or up to a cane. These have to be kept at a distance of 16 cm from each other with a distance of almost 50 cms in between the rows which are being supported by the canes. The varieties of borlotti beans which are dwarf such as Saluggia are the ones which can be grown with a distance of 10 cms from each other when grown in large pots. These have to be supported by sticks for the purpose of their straight growth.
Harvesting of borlotti beans:
The pods have to be gathered when they get dried to tan. The beans which are harvested have to be allowed to get dried in the indoor locations for about 7 to 14 days before you move them to a cool and dry place for the purpose of storage. Most of the borlotti varieties will produce all at a time.
The borlotti beans have to be picked at the time of the end of the summer when you see that the beans are swellings and there are cracks in the pods.
Pest management in Borlotti beans:
Bean seed beetle which is also called as bruchid beetle are the ones which affect the Borlotti beans. The adult ones will come from the seed by leaving behind a hole which is circular in shape. The adult beetles will fly on to the beans at the stage of flowering and will lay the eggs on the pods which are just developing. The larvae will bore across the pod and next into the seed where they will feed themselves till they get matured. An insecticide which is pyrethroid is considered to be an approved one to use at the time of flowering. This has to be applied by making use of a nozzle which is angled at an early pod following two days when the daily temperature has reached to 20ºC and this has to be repeated for almost a week.
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If you do not want to make use of any chemicals, you can intersperse the borlotti bean plants with the companion plants. This will allow you to take the advantages of all the components which are available naturally in plants to attract the insects which are beneficial to the garden which helps them to destroy the pests. Or, they will also keep the pests away from the plants which are prone to pests. Marigold and rosemary are the ones which help in repelling the bean beetles. Also, you can choose the flowering plants which are rich in nectar like daisies, yarrow, sweet alyssum top attract them.
As a part of organic pest control measures, you can also start treating the plants by making use of neem oil which is considered to be a substance which is non-toxic and also natural. This comes from the neem tree seeds. Neem oil is the one which does not cause any harm to the insects which are beneficial, pets or humans and it will not need any equipment which is protected for the purpose of the application. Any gardening center or association will suggest the application of neem oil to stop feeding the bean beetle adults. Any insecticidal soap which is an organic one may help the gardeners to control and destroy the larvae of this beetle.
That’s all folks about growing borlotti beans in pots at home.
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