MELISSA Stringless Purple Bean Seeds, Very Fine - 20 Metre Row

MELISSA stringless purple bean seeds, very fine, 20 metre row (Reference: 1111382) represent Vilmorin excellence in ornamental vegetable seeds. This exceptional variety turns your vegetable plot into a real ornamental garden thanks to its remarkable looks, while ensuring a generous crop of flavourful vegetables. Certified by Vilmorin, the French seed leader since 1743, these seeds benefit from unequalled expertise in plant breeding.

Benefits and use cases

The MELISSA purple bean suits amateur gardeners and professional market gardeners alike who are looking for a dual-purpose variety. In ornamental gardening, it makes a striking decorative feature with its brilliant mauve flowers, which attract pollinators, and its spectacular purple pods, contrasting beautifully with the green foliage.

This variety is ideally suited to family vegetable plots, school gardens and permaculture spaces, where the visual aspect counts as much as the crop. Restaurateurs and chefs particularly appreciate this variety for its originality and its exceptional presentation on the plate. The remarkable length of the pods, which can reach 30 centimetres, allows for creative, sophisticated culinary presentations.

Technical features and innovation

The MELISSA bean stands out for its determinate, stringless growth, which does away with the need for complex staking while keeping production high. This feature makes cultivation considerably easier and reduces set-up costs for professionals. The purple pods keep their distinctive colour even after cooking, a lasting visual advantage.

The variety has excellent resistance to the common diseases of beans, in particular anthracnose and rust. Its very fine texture and its remarkable firmness when cooked make it a vegetable of choice for every kind of dish, from slow-cooked recipes to gastronomic presentations. The optimised growing cycle allows harvesting to be spread over several weeks, making the most of the space under cultivation.

Sowing and practical use

Sowing the MELISSA purple bean is done from May to July, when the soil temperature reaches at least 12°C. Choose a sunny spot with light, well-drained soil, broken up beforehand to a depth of 20 centimetres. Sow the seeds 3-4 centimetres deep, allowing 8-10 centimetres between each seed and 40 centimetres between rows.

Regular but moderate watering is a key factor in success: avoid excess moisture, which favours fungal diseases. An organic mulch keeps the soil moist and limits the growth of weeds. Harvesting begins about 60-70 days after sowing, when the pods have reached their best size but are still tender. Pick regularly to keep production going.

Tips, combinations and expert advice

Pair the MELISSA purple bean with beneficial companion plants such as radishes, lettuces or French marigolds, which naturally repel certain pests. Avoid planting near onions and garlic, which can hold back its growth. To get the best crop, apply an organic fertiliser rich in phosphorus and potassium when preparing the soil.

Expert tip: the distinctive purple colour of the pods makes them considerably easier to spot at harvest, reducing the risk of missing pods that would then toughen. To extend the picking season, make successional sowings every 2-3 weeks from May to July. At the end of the season, leave a few pods to ripen fully so that you can collect your own seed and carry your crop on in the following years.

Technical specifications