The great Sex without Strings beans experiment

In Kitchen Garden, September 24, we offered "a few seeds of Sex without Strings beans to spare" and expected half a dozen responses. More than 45 readers requested seeds.

With 15 recipients we created Team Bean, recording the date of planting, germination, soil used, fertilisers, disasters including late frost/possums/absence of gardener, dates of first beans showing and first day of harvest.

Kitchen Gardening can rot your socks off. Barry Telford of Deakin was the first to sow his seeds and they germinated, in a pot, in 12 days, with one quickly five centimetres high that he called a "Jack in the Beanstalk" throwback. However by October 15 he emailed about "murder in Deakin worse than the latest Chris Uhlmann or Paul Daley thrillers". The Rain Gods decapitated two of his dwarf beans and he said, "Are the Gnomes against me?"

Because of Jenny Andrews of Aranda's fanatical interest in vegetable growing, and her tall, thin frame, her children call her Bean. On November 21 she said, "the Aranda chapter of Team Bean has had setbacks". She had accidentally dug up half the row of germinating bean seeds. The remaining four plants came up but were attacked by slugs and she was left with a "precious only child", then living in a cage of wire netting and 15 centimetres high. It succumbed to blight and she now suspects an underground invader like a scarab beetle ate her other plants.

Outdoorsman and author Klaus Hueneke of Palmerston, or "Lady Patricia's gardener", had three Sex without Strings dwarf bean plants flowering on December 20 and was harvesting climbing beans and "zikinis", a word we plan to adopt for kitchen gardeners.

Peter Stanley of Deakin was also a late starter with his planting but the beans germinated in 10 days. Then his Jack Russell attacked – the first time he has ventured into the raised garden beds (a bit like the dog eating the homework).

Stanley did pick beans from his one remaining plant, so at least had a taste.

A grower from Campbell planted two seeds in his glasshouse on October 2 and three seeds on October 8. The glasshouse has two temperature-controlled louvre vents to cool it on days of full sun. By October 27 the first planting was 30 centimetres high and the second 15 centimetres high. That evening he put blood and bone into planting holes in the garden and watered the bean seedlings in with seaweed solution. They were on a dripper system. By November 17 he only had two plants remaining, one 60 centimetres tall, but he had better results from Lazy Housewife and Stringless Pioneer beans.

Clara Jellie of Weston said she and her kids tend to pick all beans and peas and eat them directly from the plants and that they had a few handfuls of Sex without Strings beans.

Jean Willoughby was appointed monitor of the Sex without Strings beans in an organic community garden in Kingston. Of nine seeds planted on October 21 only four plants survived so they were given a garlic spray. The first beans were harvested on December 15.

Peter Harris of Latham sent us photos of his first harvest of five beans beside a ruler (all 8 inches long) and weighing 50 grams and a photo of the garden bed in which the plants were growing among other vegies.

My five seeds were planted on September 24 in potting mix with seed-raising mix on top. Garden lore in the Nimmitabel Garden Book said plant before rain ("watch the barometer") and the beans received four millilitres the next day. After three weeks they were 15 centimetres high and fertilised with Seasol liquid. The first pale mauve and white flowers appeared on November 11 during a hot week of 30C temperatures. My first harvest was 10 beans weighing 50 grams on November 24 and there have been two improved harvests since then.

Despite a fortnight's trip to Vietnam and Cambodia during the growing period, Barry Telford's first harvest of 12 beans weighed 75 grams and his second harvest of 20 beans on November 29 weighed 135 grams. Seasol fertilised, the golden curves of these dwarf wax butter beans can be seen in his photo, taken on December 9.

Telford's wife, Sue, steamed one lot and served them with butter, fresh mint and peas as part of a barbecue dinner. Here is her version of a Donna Hay recipe that was used with the larger harvest.

Haloumi, pomegranate, bean and rocket salad

Dressing:

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses (health food shop)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Salad:

180g packet Lemnos haloumi, cut in half lengthways and thinly sliced

1 bunch rocket or lettuce, leaves coarsely torn

50g baby spinach leaves

handful of beans, quickly steamed

1 pomegranate, seeded (she uses half a large one from Fyshwick markets)

optional additions: avocado, chickpeas, tomatoes, nuts for garnish

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over medium/high heat. Add the haloumi and cook, turning, for two minutes or until golden brown and heated through.

Combine rocket and spinach in a large bowl. Add optional salad items, Drizzle with dressing and gently toss to combine. Top with haloumi and some nuts and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.