APPEARANCE, TASTE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF PURLE TEEPEE FRENCH BEAN
The Purple Teepee French Bean
Purple TeePee French beans are a very deep purple colour when they are growing on the plant, this colour turns to deep green when cooked. The overall plant is attractive not only because of the purple pods but also the magenta coloured flowers which appear from late July. Not only are the beans a “fun” colour but they taste good as well. The plants are of the dwarf type so require only minimal support reaching a height of 45cm (18in) and spread of 30cm (12in).
Purple varieties of French beans often bear their pods low down to the ground but Purple Teepee manage to produce their pods almost exclusively at the top. This makes picking easy and also reduces significantly the chances of slug and other pest damage. The beans should be harvested when they reach about 15cm / 6in in length. In common with other varieties of French beans they suffer from few problems and should be sown and looked after as described in our main article here.
Purple Teepee French Beans are self-fertile and grow a good crop of beans even from a single plant. This variety is open-pollinated which means saved bean seeds will grow true to type when planted in subsequent years. Different varieties of French Beans can cross-pollinate each other so keep them well apart if you want to produce beans of exactly the same variety. Beans of this variety will keep for 3 years when stored in cool, dark and dry conditions.
POSITIVE POINTS FOR PURPLE TEEPEE
Deep purple pods which are produced at the top of the plant.
NEGATIVE POINTS FOR PURPLE TEEPEE
No significant negative points The planting and harvest dates used below are correct for the UK average. If you want them to be even more accurate and adjusted for your area of the UK click here. It only takes a minute and the adjustment affects every date in this site and lasts for six months.
WHEN TO SOW PURPLE TEEPEE FRENCH BEANS
Purple Teepee are an early variety of French Bean. The key factor governing the time for sowing all French Beans is the date of the last frost in your area. Even a touch of frost can damage these plants if their foliage is above ground, an unexpected severe frost can kill them completely.
The date for sowing Purple Teepee seed can be calculated on the basis that plants will take ten days before they appear above ground. Given also that you want them to appear above ground only when the danger of frost has fully passed and the ground has warmed up the third week of May 2015 (UK average) is about right time to plant them.
WHEN TO HARVEST PURPLE TEEPEE FRENCH BEANS
The harvest date for all French Beans is not only dependent on when you sow the seeds, it also depends on the weather conditions throughout the growing season. But on average you can expect your beans to begin to be ready for harvest some time around the fourth week of July in average UK areas This date can be considerably earlier if you sow seed indoors or sow the seeds under cloche protection. Click here for more details.
BUYING PURPLE TEEPEE SEEDS IN THE UK
This is a common variety which is frequently available for garden centres and online seed merchants. There are significant differences in the prices of seeds between reputable suppliers. The cheapest source online we could find this year was from Dobies who sell a pack of 150 of these bean seeds for only £2.49. Now that’s a real bargain when you compare the price to T & M who are selling a miserly 40 bean seeds for a massive £3.49. The difference in prices is not down to delivery charges, both companies charge £1.95 for a single pack of seeds.
We recommend buying your seeds from certified suppliers. We would avoid buying them from online general retailers such as as Amazon or E-bay unless you know exactly who is supplying the seed.
SUMMARY CHARACTERISTICS OF PURPLE TEEPEE
USE: Lightly boiled in salads or as a vegetable
TYPE: Early maturing variety
SKIN COLOUR / TEXTURE: Dark purple which turns deep green on cooking. Good texture and taste, stringless.
STORAGE: Keeps in the fridge for five days or so, but tastes best if eaten fresh or within 24 hours. Freezes well
POD SIZE: Medium sized, 15cm / 6in
REGULARITY OF CROPPING: Regularly produces a good yield
AWARDS: None
SPECIAL FEATURES: Excellent purple colour on the plant, pods produced at the top of the plant.
PURPLE TEEPEE FRENCH BEAN
When, Where and How to Sow French Beans
Ongoing French Bean Care
French Beans in Containers / Raised Beds
French Bean Pest and Disease
French Bean Recipes
Recommended French Bean Varieties
French Beans are normally reliable vegetables for the amateur gardener to grow and there is not a huge amount of difference in the taste and texture between varieties.So why not inject an element of fun into growing them and give the Purple Teepee variety a try. You will end up with a reliable crop of tasty beans which are easy to harvest and whilst they are growing they will almost certainly be different form those of your neighbour.