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Bean seeds buying guide: the count, window and habit

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are on amazon.co.uk with a bean packet in the basket, and the title, the height field and a bullet do not say the same thing. A bean seeds buying guide settles species, variety, stated seed count, sow window and habit before you trust organic, stars or the packet price. Broad beans can take a mild autumn. French and runner beans cannot. A mung packet is for sprouts, not pods. The twelve listings, from about £1.48 to £4.00 on 19 October 2026, sit on the [bean seeds comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/bean-seeds). Peter F. checked them against UK labelling rules, not in a germination trial. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are on amazon.co.uk with a bean packet in the basket, and the title, the height field and a bullet do not say the same thing.

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
Just Seed Just Seed Yard Long

Alternative

Just Seed Just Seed Yard Long
7.8/10about £3.25
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What to read before you buy bean seeds
  2. 2.What a UK packet still has to say
  3. 3.Organic line, seed count and stars
  4. 4.Clashes in this set

What to read before you buy bean seeds

Read species first, then variety, then the stated count, then the sow window, then habit. A broad bean (Vicia faba) is hardy. A French bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and a runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) are frost-tender. The Unwins mung packet at about £1.48 is for sprouts. Aquadulce and Aguadulce are the same name. The RHS cites Aquadulce for a November sowing. Here you only need that name on the listing. Claudia and the mung packet have no usable count.

What a UK packet still has to say

A gardener sowing one packet does not need a seed-marketing licence. The Seed Marketing Regulations 2011 licence seed marketing, and small packages sit outside that licence. The exemption is for the seller. A supplier's label on standard vegetable seed should still show GB rules and standards, plus species, variety and category. A missing amazon.co.uk count is still a buying problem. The exception for small packages up to 500 grams does not invent a count. Unwins Aquadulce Claudia at about £2.48 prints 550 g and no seed count. The mung packet is 15 g and also has no count. None of these twelve packets is a red kidney bean.
Unwins Unwins Aquadulce Claudia

Testsieger

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

Organic line, seed count and stars

Organic on a Material Features line is not a GB-ORG code. GOV.UK requires an approved control body, and a GB label uses a code in the form GB-ORG-XX. Several Just Seed rows show Organic, and a bullet names Defra 7291 and AP23164. This pass did not check a public register. On the 19 October 2026 snapshot the 80-seed Aquadulce at about £1.75 is about 2.2p per stated seed. Polestar and Mergoles, about £3.99 for 40 seeds, are about 10p. Claudia cannot be priced per seed. Stars need the text beside them: model 22397 is 4.5 from 216 reviews, and Hunter is 3.0 from one review.

Clashes in this set

Mr Fothergill's Aguadulce at about £3.49 states 45 seeds and an autumn and winter variety, and the title also says flower seeds. Yard Long is a climbing French title with a height of 45 cm and a plant type of Asparagus. That is not an asparagus packet, and 45 cm is not a cane. The Sutton says dwarf and the height field says 65 cm. Model 22397 says autumn in the bullets and February to May in the period field. Both lines stay. Who should skip each job is on best bean seeds. Hardy versus frost-tender is on broad beans vs runner beans.

Common questions

How do you tell a broad bean from a French bean, a runner bean and a mung packet?
A broad bean is Vicia faba, the hardy species, and the Aquadulce and Sutton packets in this set are that crop. French beans and runner beans are frost-tender Phaseolus species, so they are not a November sowing. The Unwins mung listing is a sprouting packet at about £1.48. Its bestseller line says sprout seeds. Do not file it with a 100 cm broad bean.
Does organic on the Amazon material line mean the seed is certified?
No. GOV.UK requires an approved control body before seed is labelled organic, and a GB label uses a GB-ORG-XX code. A Material Features value of Organic is not that code. Just Seed bullets that name Defra 7291 and AP23164 were not checked against a public register in this pass. Treat them as unverified seller text.
Why does seed count matter more than the packet price?
The packet price is what you pay once. The count is how many seeds that price buys. On this snapshot the 80-seed Aquadulce at about £1.75 is about 2.2p per stated seed, and Polestar at about £3.99 for 40 seeds is about 10p. That is arithmetic, not a trial. Claudia at about £2.48 and the mung packet have no usable count, so their prices cannot be compared that way.
What if the title says climbing and the height field says 45 cm or 60 cm?
Keep both figures. Yard Long is titled climbing and the height field says 45 cm. Hunter is titled climbing and the height field says 60 cm. Neither page prints a cane length. Do not import a 2.5 m runner frame onto those rows. If you need the title and the height to describe the same plant, those two packets do not.
Does a home gardener need a licence to sow one packet?
No. The Seed Marketing Regulations 2011 licence seed marketing, and small packages are outside that licence. Sowing one packet at home is not marketing seed. The label words GB rules and standards, plus species, variety and category, are a supplier's duty on standard vegetable seed. They are still the fields worth reading when you buy.
Can you use the star rating alone when reviews mention germination?
No. Yard Long is 3.9 from 74 reviews, and the UK texts include both strong germination and very poor stands. Hunter is 3.0 from one review that had not reached a harvest. Model 22397 is 4.5 from 216 reviews, which is a different weight of evidence. None of those lines is a lab germination rate.

Related pages

How to sow bean seeds

Sowing broad beans in autumn

Bean seeds

Best bean seeds: autumn, climber, dwarf or sprouts

Broad beans vs runner beans: hardy or frost-tender

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)