I much prefer Frenchies to Runners - I eat a few fresh, but mostly save them for drying. As a veggie I get through a lotta beans!
My favourites for looks (dried) are: tiger, yin yang, barlotta, cherokee and ruth bible.
My favourites for eating fresh: black croatian, barlotta, blue lake.
The easiest to grow: yin yang, canadian wonder, black croatian, cherokee.
Wouldn't bother again with: sungold - though the slugs love them!
Barlotta and Tiger take a slightly longer growing season than most to get to the dried stage.
I am plagued by slugs, so have given up sowing direct. Even with a plastic cloche, because the beggars climb right inside it.
I have trialled various support systems for the climbers, and find a 4 pole wigwam is by far the strongest design. Bean netting is too flappy and just gets pulled down by the weight of the plants.
I always plant an upturned coke bottle by the bean, to water directly into the roots, and I mulch with well-rotted compost. Oh, and I put a little shredded paper in the planting hole to act as a sponge too, to hang onto water. They're thirsty plants!

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