"Tongues of fire" is an Italian climbing French bean, with attractive red-purple and green speckled pods. This versatile bean can be cropped young and the pods eaten as flageolets or allowed to mature when the ripe beans can be eaten as haricots.

Sowing advice:
Sow outdoors after last frost and use a cane structure trellis or wigwam to support beans. Sow in rows 1-2 inches deep 1 seed per cane. Plant a few extra to fill in gaps. Keep well watered and feed weekly.

This is a dual (or triple even if you count the ornamental pods) purpose bean for use as your normal, green pod bean or as a dry bean. In either case, it produces spectacular, large, roundish pods splashed and striped decoratively with bright red. And the beans have an excellent flavour fresh or frozen.

• Height: 6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m)
• Spacing: 6-9 in. (15-22 cm)
• Growth Habit: Climbing
• Sun Exposure: Full Sun
• Days to Maturity: 51 to 60 days

A multi-purpose Italian speciality, either for fresh young pods as flageolets (semi-mature pods with succulent seeds) or more usually as haricots (full mature pods with ripe seeds). Spectacular, flattish, pale green pods are heavily splashed with reddish streaks which disappear on cooking.

Sowing instructions:
Sow seed 4cm (1Ѕ in) deep in 7.5cm (3 in) pots or trays of good seed compost. Place in a propagator or sealed container inside a polythene bag and place at 18-21C (65-70F) until after germination which takes 7-10 days. Can also be sown direct outdoors once the soil has warmed sufficiently. Sow in 15cm (6in) apart, 4cm (1Ѕ in) deep.

Growing instructions:
Gradually acclimatise to outdoor conditions for a few days before planting out after all risk of frost has passed. Grow as for Runner Beans and support with canes or netting.

Aftercare:
Hoe regularly and keep well watered, especially when flowering. Mulch during dry periods.

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