Festival Bean — an early variety of snap bean, developed by the Dutch company Rijk Zwaan. This variety is characterized by a short growing period — from planting to harvest takes about 55–60 days. The plant is climbing, with abundant foliage, evenly covered with long, slender, straight pods measuring 22–26 cm. The pods have a rich green color, are exceptionally tender, and lack fibers, making them especially attractive for culinary use. Festival is resistant to diseases such as ascochytosis and is not susceptible to bean weevil, ensuring stable and high yields.
This variety is versatile in cultivation: it adapts well to both open ground and protected environments — plastic, glass, or polyethylene greenhouses and tunnels. For optimal growth, beans are grown on trellises or other supports, which promotes even development and ease of harvest. Seeds should be sown in warmed, moist soil at a depth of 3–4 cm, with plants spaced about 20 cm apart and rows spaced 30 cm apart. In greenhouses, sowing can begin as early as late February with supplemental lighting. During the growing period, regular watering, soil loosening, weed removal, and 2–3 feedings are required, including fertilization during bud formation with potassium-rich fertilizers.
Festival Bean is suitable for various uses: it is excellent for fresh market, freezing, and canning. Thanks to its flavor and nutritional value, the pods are easy and quick to prepare, making this variety popular among chefs and consumers. Uniform and early maturation of the crop simplifies harvesting and subsequent processing, and the variety’s high adaptability allows successful cultivation under different climatic conditions and varying soil moisture levels.
