Which French Beans?

[veg4681]

I want to grow French beans next year but I'm inundated by too many choices that I don't know which one variety is for me.

What exactly is the difference between French Climbling and French Dwarf beans? Does dwarf means they're bush growing type and do climbing ones generally have fatter beans. I've tried to study the pictures closely but still clueless, some described as pencil podded but I think they're aren't For taste, I'd like much thinner beans, gourmet type that you see in posh French restaurant but it should be pretty reliable to grow too, nothing too challenging.

[kernowyon]

i shall be growing 'blue lake' again this year as my main climber, and 'purple queen' as a bush type. these varieties i have grown before and they have performed really well for me (i found the thickness the same for both, providing you pick 'em young enough). but it is not limited to just those two. i will probably try a couple of varieties of other climbers and bush ones to see which i like. i will keep doing this until i eventually find ones that i really like, i like experimenting, which is probably a good thing due to the large number of varieties

[pigletwillie]

I grow blue lake as a climber and safari as a bush. The safari gives pencil "Kenya" type beans and are very good indeed, as is blue lake.

Climbers tend to crop longer and give more yield than bush types.

[Snadger]

On piglets recommendation I am growing a Kenyan type of bean this year as I have a freezer full of 'Tendergreen' and 'The Prince' which I grew last year, both of which (to my pallete at least) are coarse and tasteless!

Try this link for interesting info:-

French Beans Information & Varieties

[kirsty b]

Good link Snadger.
I really liked Blue Lake this year and plan to grow them again, but want to try a different runner and grow a dwarf french too next year.

[veg4681]

On piglets recommendation I am growing a Kenyan type of bean this year as I have a freezer full of 'Tendergreen' and 'The Prince' which I grew last year, both of which (to my pallete at least) are coarse and tasteless!

Try this link for interesting info:-

French Beans Information & Varieties

Thanks for the link, I've studied the pictures and the Safari looks the thinnest ones. I'm inclined to agree with Piglet on Blue Lake for climber (come highly recommended by so many people) and Safari for the 'filet' type beans. Real Seeds also have a 'filet' type Cupidon, another possible contender.

[TonyF]

French beans in France - absolutely ruined for choice, far too many for any meaningful discussion.

I actually grow the HSL beans because I just prefer them.

If the beans taste/feel harder and stringy, you've left them on the plant too long. Pick early, pick often is the way to go.

Down here they're not a posh restaurant option, iof fact it's the cheaper nosh shops (11/12 euro menus at lunch time for 3/4 courses) that serve them.

[veg4681]

I actually grow the HSL beans because I just prefer them.

Down here they're not a posh restaurant option, iof fact it's the cheaper nosh shops (11/12 euro menus at lunch time for 3/4 courses) that serve them.

Sorry what's HSL beans?

Yeah I know what you mean, if I'm ever eating out, that's because it's more likely I'm in France . Crikey isn't that under £10 for a 3/4 course!

[valmarg]

Only grow climbing french beans, as the slugs snails get to many of the dwarf varieties/

The climbing varieties we grow are Cobra (Moles Seeds) Fasold (T&M). Diamant (DTB) and Rustico (MrF's)

Fasold is my favourite, but all the others do well. They are all round podded beans.

Two flatter (but not completely flat) climbing french beans we grow are Eva and Neckar Queen (both from Moles) are very good varieties.

I'm not dreaming of a white Christmas, rather a Salad Nicoise with home grown french beans, tomatoes and new potatoes!!

valmarg

[TonyF]

veg4681, that's about it. We use several restos where they have an 11/12 euro menu which, with coffee and wine, only comes to 12/13.50.

That's for soup, starter, main course and dessert with the option of cheese instead of the puddy. And the food is always good, our gang sort of search them out - ok, you get a crappy one now and again or somewhere with little or no choice so you don't go back there again.

Ok, the wine's in a carafe but round here, that's not an issue at all.

[seasprout]

Hsl

[QUOTE=veg4681;153607]Sorry what's HSL beans?
QUOTE]


Heritage Seed List.

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/hsl/...5dba9a50dcac97

[Two_Sheds]

I prefer to eat the dried seeds rather than the actual bean, and I grow lots of different varieties. The best performers last year were Tiger Bean, Cherokee and Yin Yang, all climbers, from Beans and Herbs
My site is windy, so anything dwarf (bush) is usually best, however the overall yield is lower (smaller plant, fewer pods) and slugs ate most of them.

[veg4681]

Only grow climbing french beans, as the slugs snails get to many of the dwarf varieties/

The climbing varieties we grow are Cobra (Moles Seeds) Fasold (T&M). Diamant (DTB) and Rustico (MrF's)

Two flatter (but not completely flat) climbing french beans we grow are Eva and Neckar Queen (both from Moles) are very good varieties.

Interesting points that dwarf/bush beans are more vulnerable to slug attack.
That's 6 beans variety! you're obviously a great bean fan. Good news is that most these beans are sold by MoreVegShop.

And the food is always good, our gang sort of search them out - ok, you get a crappy one now and again or somewhere with little or no choice so you don't go back there again.

I know where you're coming from, you do have to ask around for the decent eateries. Even in France it can be a hit & miss like anywhere in the world. We usually ask the hotel owner/staff for recommendations.

My site is windy, so anything dwarf (bush) is usually best, however the overall yield is lower (smaller plant, fewer pods) and slugs ate most of them.

It's something to think about between climbing and dwarf beans, my practical side says 'climbing'.

[smallblueplanet]

We grew dwarf french beans in containers last year - no slug problem. We also grew french beans up cane wigwams (no slug problem as they were started in rootrainers), we tried 'cobra', 'kew blue' & 'goldfield', all very tasty. We used to swear by 'blue lake' but they don't seem happy here so we tried others.

[Alison]

Grew Blauhide climbing beans (which were a really nice purple podded variety) and some runner beans also (but can't remember what type without rooting in my seed box) last year. Both were really nice although I had some problems with birds with the first sowing of runner beans so planted some more in root trainers. Would have got a better crop in a better year but as I don't like them much when they've been frozen we had plenty fresh. Have grown bush ones in the past but they seem to take up a lot of space for the yield and my garden isn't very big.