🌿 S. Anna Climbing French Bean Seeds | Early Stringless Green Pods | Vigorous 1.8 m Plants

S. Anna is an early climbing French bean with tall, vigorous plants reaching about 180–190 cm, giving a generous crop on poles, teepees or netting. The pods are deep green, pencil‑shaped and very meaty, around 12–14 cm long, round in section and completely stringless when picked young.​
The beans have excellent flavour and a fine, tender texture, perfect for steaming, stir‑fries and blanching for the freezer. White seeds, good productivity and suitability for freezing make S. Anna a reliable choice for kitchen gardens and small growers who want quality and yield in the same variety.​

Growing information

🌱 Sowing

• Sow direct outdoors once the soil is warm and all danger of frost has passed, placing seeds at the base of canes or a mesh support.

• In Ireland and similar climates, sow from May to late July for harvests from mid‑summer into autumn.​

☀️ Light

• Prefers full sun for strong growth and maximum cropping.​

💧 Watering

• Water regularly, especially during flowering and pod filling, keeping soil evenly moist but not waterlogged.

• A mulch around plants helps hold moisture and keeps roots cool.​

🌡️ Germination

• Germinates best in warm soil, usually in 7–14 days under typical late spring and early summer conditions.​

📏 Spacing & support

• Sow 2 beans per cane or station, about 5 cm deep, thinning to the strongest seedling; space canes 15–20 cm apart with 50–60 cm between rows.​

• Provide sturdy supports around 1.8–2.0 m tall so the vines can climb freely and pods hang straight and clean.​

Bullet Technical Data

• 🌱 Sowing depth: about 5 cm

• 📅 Sow (Ireland): May–late July outdoors once frost risk is over and soil has warmed.​

• ☀️ Light: full sun​

• 🌡️ Germination: typically 7–14 days in warm conditions​

• 📏 Height: approx. 180–190 cm climbing plants​

• 🪴 Spacing: 15–20 cm between plants/supports; 50–60 cm between rows​

• ⏳ Harvest: early variety, usually cropping from around 60–70 days after sowing, then over a long period if picked regularly​

• 🔢 Seeds: approx. 35 g packet, around 100 seeds per pack​

Garden‑to‑Table Recipe

S. Anna Green Beans with Tomatoes and Basil (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 400 g fresh S. Anna beans, topped and tailed

• 2 tbsp extra‑virgin olive oil

• 1 small onion, finely sliced

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

• 250 g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

• Salt and black pepper

• A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

Method

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the beans and cook for about 4–5 minutes until just tender but still bright green, then drain.

2. In a wide pan, warm the olive oil and gently cook the onion until soft, then add the garlic and cherry tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to collapse.

3. Add the drained beans, season with salt and pepper and toss together for 1–2 minutes so the flavours combine.

4. Take off the heat, add the basil leaves and serve warm as a side dish or over couscous, rice or crusty bread for a light meal.