Beans are so easy to grow, just plonk them in the ground and make sure they get enough water. This variety is prolific producer and does not require a trellis as it grows in a bush close to the ground. You just need to gently fossick around to find the green beans once it starts to produce! Let some bean pods dry on the bush towards the end of the season and save for seed for next year. These special seeds were provided to us as koha by the amazing Sethas Seeds who also shared the beautiful history behind them:
"We have a long history with this bean as it is one of the first beans we grew for seed commercially, back in the Wairarapa many years ago. I had lost track of it over the years and was delighted to be given it by Jenny Freemantle, our friend and seed grower, whom we met while living in the Wairarapa. This bean is known by several names, Kaiapoi Pink Seeded Bush and Kaiapoi Red Seed Bush also feature. A beautiful red bean and indeed a bush or dwarf type we have settled on the above, as Richard Watson from Sentinel Seeds, a formidable South Island seed grower, was one of the original growers of this line when it was first gifted to Koanga and he recalls that as its true name. One can only assume with Kaiapoi in its name, that this bean has been grown in this Canterbury town before being distributed out around the country. Regardless of what this bean is called, it is one worth trying as it is a prolific producer and does not require a trellis! Win win in our book. The beans are flattish, long and delicious at the snap/green bean stage when picked young or leave for a great dried bean at the end of season. It is worth noting that it has been likened to other varieties “The Prince” and “Canadian Wonder.” Perhaps it arrived to these shores by one of these names originally. It has been in NZ since 1873, so it is well adapted to our climate and a NZ heirloom in its own right."
