(P. vulgaris) The climate of Brittany on France’s Atlantic coast is not so dissimilar from our Pacific Northwest with its wet shoulder seasons and cool summers, so when we heard there was a regionally famous white bean, (with its own AOC protection of origin status) we thought it was worth seeking out. The autumnal harvests of Coco di Paimpol, from the seaside village of the same name, are celebrated from Brittany to Paris in both homes and on seasonal bistro menus. Almost exclusively sold as shelly beans (fully mature but not yet dried down), the season is extremely short, and the price is often high. Why all the fuss? These plump, round, creamy white beauties are some of the most melt-in-your-mouth beans you will have ever tasted. I’ve even read them described as “beany ganache”. Because they generally aren’t sold dry, they were one of the more difficult beans to track down, but in our first grow-out, they proved fantastically prolific in what was a pretty mediocre season. Bushy in habit, the strong plants hang heavy with large lightly streaked pods. Like all white beans, they are more susceptible to rot in cool soils than more pigmented cultivars (perhaps even more so, being such a fleshy bean), so be patient and wait for warmer soil temps and drier stretches of weather at planting. The variety name, Cocaigne, was a place of medieval myth, an imaginary land of extreme luxury, comfort, and plenty that stood in stark contrast to harsh peasant reality. 90 days. UO
Direct seed after the last frost date when the soil has warmed.
Note: Beans prefer well-drained, warm soil.
PLANTING DEPTH:
1"
SPACING:
3-5" between plants with 12-24" between rows*
*Pole beans require 5+' between rows.
EMERGENCE:
5-10 days @ soil temp 65-90F
LIGHT:
Full sun to part shade
FERTILITY:
Light to Moderate. Beans can produce their own usable nitrogen from atmospheric nitrogen through a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that colonize specialized nodules in their roots. Too much soil fertility can cause excessive vegetative growth at the expense of pod set and maturity. Beans prefer well-drained warm soil with a pH between 6.0-7.0.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Beans prefer warm soils and may rot at lower temperatures. This is particularly true for white-seeded varieties. You love beans. Patience.
It can be quite beneficial to mix bean seeds with commercially available bacterial "inoculants" to encourage the beneficial symbiotic relationship in the growing plant's root nodules, especially if growing on ground that hasn't been planted with beans before. This can increase yields and improve plant health.
Avoid picking/weeding beans when the plants are wet. This will help prevent the spread of disease.
Provide a trellis for pole beans.
White-seeded varieties are more susceptible to rot when seeded in cool, wet, early-season conditions.
Sow Snap Beans every few weeks for continued harvests.
Harvest dry beans when the pods are brown and dry.
