Best French beans and Runner beans?

[muddled]

I do grow dwarf beans....but only between other stuff.
I like a really full plot so stick a bean in wherever I make a gap by harvesting something. I have a bag of 'odd dwarf beans' which are all different varieties and colours and also in there are different types of beetroot and I just bung a couple in here and there as I go round.
Keeps the place full, productive and pretty

[Vince G]

Grew Blauhilde this year and they were fairly good, produced plenty for me and Mrs Vince and we're still eating the frozens.

Runners: grew St George which were very productive, and also White Lady which didn't get as thick and leathery as St George towards the end of the season.

Also grew yard long beans for their very long pods - pick whilst still under 2 feet in length and they barely need any cooking, very tender. The shelled beans are I think what the Italians call fagioli . They were a bugger to get growing to begin with though !!

[Snow]

Just one question from me..... you have all climbing beans, I grow cobra up a frame with some runners and then have a variety or 2 of bush ones along the front. Just a thought in terms of maximising space, although I usually get frustrated with bush ones and said 2 years ago that was it, never again....

They must have been (bean) listening, best crop I ever got

I'll probably have something else closeby. I'd like to grow some bush beans too, but I need to avoid the temptation to grow too much in a small space. At the moment it's just 3x2.3M and there is other stuff I want to grow too. If I get the chance I may be able to create another smaller patch on the other side of the garden, though it would get shaded a bit by the fence.

[sparrow100]

I always have some bush beans going - they are so much faster than the climbing ones. Minidor and Amythest or Purple Teepee are my favourites so far.

[Loudbarker1]

For French beans I strongly recomend Allegria - if you can find them. Because I can't easily find them thsi year I am going to try Cupidon and Cherokee Trail of Tears', both available (stocks permitting) from Tghe Real Seed Company: Vegetable Seeds : Bean seeds

Cupidon is a bush fillet bean (like Allegria) and Cherokee Trail of Tears is tall.

[Loudbarker1]

I have had a lookon the web and you can get Allegria from PlantGenesis:Dwarf French Bean 'Allegria' - PlantGenesis

So it looks as if will get some after all to compare with the others. Luckly the whole family (including the babybarkers) loves french beans.

The blurb says harvest from August to September but I found you can pick earleir if you plant indoors in pots and transplan to under cloches. About 30 plants (in about a square metre) gave us as many as we could eat and I would do three plantings at 3 or 4 weeks apart to keep up the supply. Perhaps we will freeze some this year.

[sparrow100]

trail of tears is a lovely bean, but I found it was very popular with my slug collection and also a slow starter.

[Bren In Pots]

I've had a go at overwintering runners so if you do find some you like give it a go, especially if they're F1's.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ans_78430.html

[bravo2zero]

Climbing french beans Blue Lake and Sultan ive tried Cobra but have had poor results. Dwarf french try Delinel. Runners try Pole Star. For borlotti iD go for climbers or dwarf Lingua Fuoco if thats how you spell it. All do well on my light soil.

[Snow]

Can you grow bush beans in containers on a fence or wall?

[sparrow100]

You can definitely grow them in containers. I'd put about 4 in a 30cm pot.