Blue lake beans

[Julieju]

So I've bought some french beans for the first time to sow, look on t'internet for some advice and am confronted with half the people saying Blue Lake are climbers and need support (treat as runners) and the other half saying they're bush and grow no taller than 18".
Anyone got practical experience of this variety?

Thanks,

[ron]

They are definitely climbers and will need support. I have grown them for a few years and find them to be a very good cropper

[rustylady]

Definitely climbers, but don't sow yet. They are tender and can't be plantwed out until after your last frost date

[Zelenina]

There are actually bush and climbing versions of Blue Lake. But I think the climbing ones are more common in the UK. I grew the climbing ones in Lancashire long ago and they were very good. Which seed company do they come from? Maybe we can find out from that which type they are.

For several years in a row I saw seeds on sale here in Slovakia labelled Blue Lake, but with a picture on the packet showing purple pods, which Blue Lake don't have.

So eventually I wrote a message to the company on their website explaining that fact, and asking whether the picture or the name was wrong. I didn't see an answer there, but this year I ordered a packet of them and they are now labelled Purple Podded Climbing beans instead. So it looks like the name was wrong.

[Scarlet]

Dwarf Bean 'Blue Lake' - Heritage - Pea & Bean Seeds - Thompson & Morgan

French Bean 'Blue Lake' (Climbing)

You can get both, +&m sell the dwarf ones at the moment... You need to check your packet on growing height.

[Alison]

I grow the climbing ones and they're very good

[bearded bloke]

Another happy customer of the climbing variety

[marchogaeth]

So I've bought some french beans for the first time to sow, look on t'internet for some advice and am confronted with half the people saying Blue Lake are climbers and need support (treat as runners) and the other half saying they're bush and grow no taller than 18".

T Which seed company do they come from? Maybe we can find out from that which type they are.

Zelinina's suggestion is a good one. If you can't get an answer and it's really important for you to know, rather than take pot luck, sow the seeds in pots for transplanting. Once most French beans get to 5 or 6" it's really clear whether they are going to climb or not as they start to send out the climbing tendrils.

[Zelenina]

Zelinina's suggestion is a good one. If you can't get an answer and it's really important for you to know, rather than take pot luck, sow the seeds in pots for transplanting. Once most French beans get to 5 or 6" it's really clear whether they are going to climb or not as they start to send out the climbing tendrils.

marchogaeth's suggestion is a very good one too

[WendyC]

What does it say on the packet?