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Best bean seeds: autumn, climber, dwarf or sprouts

Updated: 21 October 2026

You already know the job. You want an autumn broad bean, a climber, a dwarf or sprouts, and the packet in this set that fits, plus a reason to skip it. There is no single best bean seed for every garden. Species decides the job before any star line. Prices and counts are the 19 October 2026 snapshot on the [bean seeds comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/bean-seeds). A clashing title is explained in the [bean seeds buying guide](/hub/herb-seeds/bean-seeds/sub/bean-seeds-buying-guide). Peter F. matched the listings to RHS notes, not a taste test or a germination trial. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already know the job. You want an autumn broad bean, a climber, a dwarf or sprouts, and the packet in this set that fits, plus a reason to skip it. There is no single best bean seed for every garden.

Our top picks

Unwins Unwins Aquadulce Claudia

Best overall

Unwins Unwins Aquadulce Claudia
9.6/10about £2.48
View offer
Just Seed Just Seed Aquadulce (80)

Best value

Just Seed Just Seed Aquadulce (80)
9.4/10about £1.75
View offer
Mr Fothergill's Mr Fothergill's Mergoles

Alternative

Mr Fothergill's Mr Fothergill's Mergoles
8.6/10about £3.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Best depends on the job
  2. 2.Autumn broad bean packets
  3. 3.Climber, dwarf or sprouts
  4. 4.What not to use as the decider

Best depends on the job

Four questions hide inside one search. An autumn broad bean is a hardy Vicia faba, and the RHS names Aquadulce for November on a suitable site. A climber here is a runner, or a French bean whose title says climbing. A dwarf, in this set, is only The Sutton, and only in the title. Sprouts are the Unwins mung packet, not a pod crop. French and runner beans are frost-tender. An October sowing of either is the mistake to stop. That single choice is on broad beans vs runner beans. The 80-seed Aquadulce is about 2.2p per stated seed. Claudia and the mung packet have no count, so they cannot win that sum.

Autumn broad bean packets

Mr Fothergill's Aguadulce at about £3.49 states 45 seeds and an autumn and winter variety, with no height, and the title also says flower seeds. Model 22397 at about £4.00 states 45 pieces and 100 cm. The bullets say autumn and the period field says February to May. The 60-seed Just Seed packet at about £3.65 states autumn and 65 cm. Its organic line was not a confirmed GB-ORG code. The 80-seed packet at about £1.75 is the best value on pence per stated seed, if you do not need a printed sun line. Claudia at about £2.48 is the top pick on score, 4.8 from eight reviews. This listing does not print November.
Unwins Unwins Aquadulce Claudia

Testsieger

Unwins Unwins Aquadulce Claudia
9.6/10about £2.48
View offer

Climber, dwarf or sprouts

Mergoles at about £3.99 states 40 climbing runner seeds and indoor and outdoor months, with no height. Polestar, at the same price, states April to July, and one text describes a split pack that lost about 10 beans. Equator at about £2.48 states 65 cm. Skip it for a 2.5 m cane crop. Yard Long states a height of 45 cm and a plant type of Asparagus. Hunter states 60 cm and 3.0 from one review. The Sutton at about £2.95 is the only dwarf title, and the height field says 65 cm. Unwins mung at about £1.48 is the sprouts packet, and the count is not stated.

What not to use as the decider

Packet price without a count is not a ranking. Claudia at about £2.48 cannot be divided by a number of seeds. Stars without a sample are not a ranking either. Hunter's single review cannot outvote 22397's 216. No RHS Award of Garden Merit is claimed, and no taste order is implied. Inside this set the top pick is Claudia on the highest score, and the best value is the 80-seed Aquadulce. The other ten rows were not given a comparison award.

Common questions

Which packet in this set is for autumn broad beans, and who should skip it?
Aquadulce and Aguadulce packets are the autumn and winter names here: Mr Fothergill's Aguadulce, model 22397, and the two Just Seed counts. Skip 22397 if you need one sow window, because the bullets say autumn and the period field says February to May. Skip Claudia if you need a stated count or a printed month. The variety name alone is not a printed November date.
Is the cheapest Aquadulce the best value if you count seeds?
Yes, inside this snapshot, if you use stated seeds. Just Seed's 80-seed Aquadulce is about £1.75 for about 80 seeds, about 2.2p each, with 4.7 from 28 reviews. The 60-seed Just Seed packet is about £3.65. Model 22397 is about 8.9p. That sum is arithmetic, not a yield trial. The organic line on the Just Seed packets was not confirmed as a GB-ORG code.
Is there a dwarf broad bean in the set?
The Sutton at about £2.95 is the only title that says dwarf. It states 50 seeds and 4.0 from 21 reviews. The height field says 65 cm, and the sow window is empty. If you need a height nearer 45 cm printed on the listing, this packet does not give it. Other retailers' shorter figures are not this ASIN.
Which packet is for sprouts rather than pods?
Unwins mung at about £1.48, with 3.9 from 31 reviews. Seed count is not stated. Skip it if you want pods, a 100 cm plant or an autumn sowing. One review describes sprouts in a plastic bottle. Another found seeds still hard on day 6. It is a kitchen packet, not a plot packet.
Should you skip a packet with no seed count?
Skip it when you are comparing value. Claudia and the mung packet have no usable count, so a low packet price is not pence per seed. You can still buy Claudia if the variety name is enough and you accept a blank window. You should not invent a count from the 550 g weight field.
Do stars pick a winner when one listing has 216 reviews and another has one?
They pick evidence, not a universal winner. Model 22397 at 4.5 from 216 reviews is a different kind of sample from Hunter at 3.0 from one review. Claudia's 4.8 from eight reviews is the highest score in this set and still a small file. Read the text where germination or a torn packet is mentioned. We did not run a trial of our own.

Related pages

How to sow bean seeds

Sowing broad beans in autumn

Bean seeds

Broad beans vs runner beans: hardy or frost-tender

Bean seeds buying guide: the count, window and habit

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these twelve listings were read on 19 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. RHS, How to grow broad beans (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. RHS, Sowing broad beans in autumn or spring (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. RHS, How to grow French beans (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. RHS, How to grow runner beans (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Seed Marketing Regulations 2011 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK, Organic food: labelling and advertising rules (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. FSA, Home food fact checker (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. RHS, Blackfly on beans (retrieved 19 October 2026)