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French Beans - dwarfs or climbers?

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  • French Beans - dwarfs or climbers?

    Hello all.

    I've grown only dwarf french beans so far in my 3 year gardening career: Masterpiece, the Prince and (this year) Allegria with which I (and Mrs Loudbarker) am extremely pleased: good taste and excellent yield.

    I am tempted to try climbers as well/instead on the basis there should be a better yield, but can anyone recomend a variety like Allegria: very fine good tasting beans with a high yield and long bearing time?


    (So far as I know Allegria are only available from Edwin Tucker: ALLEGRIA EXTRA FINE DWARF FRENCH BEAN)
    Last edited by Loudbarker1; 18-08-2011, 07:11 AM.

  • #2
    I mainly grow Frenchies to eat as kidney beans, but I'd recommend Cosse Violette as a fresh-eating 'green' (it's actually purple) climbing bean. I like purple beans: they show up amongst the foliage and crop before the green ones too
    All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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    • #3
      Blue lake is a good old variety that you should be able to find in most seed shops.
      Whoever plants a garden believes in the future.

      www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated March 9th - Spring

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      • #4
        I grow Cobra ....a climber.
        http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...gs/jardiniere/

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        • #5
          I grew cobra under glass a couple of years ago, they were excellent, with a little looking after (not much) 12 plants took over the greenhouse, we picked every day or two for over a month, a real bumper crop!
          This year i grew Duel, a dwarf that throws the beans up for easy picking, it was probably me but they seemed to go stringy very early on, something i really am not keen on!
          <*}}}>< Jonathan ><{{{*>

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          • #6
            Fasold have done very well for me as climbers outside. - very long tender beans, and very prolific. Blue lake are also very reliable, but smaller pods.

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            • #7
              There you are - as many bean varieties as bean growers! Never ask more than one gardener a direct question.
              Whoever plants a garden believes in the future.

              www.vegheaven.blogspot.com Updated March 9th - Spring

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Flummery View Post
                Blue lake is a good old variety that you should be able to find in most seed shops.
                I always grow some of those and this year they're amazing, by far the biggest cropper from the three types I'm growing for fresh beans - also growing Blauhilde (purple ones) and Trail of Tears (which for some reason are doing really badly this time but are normally very good)

                Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

                Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

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                • #9
                  First time with climbing beans this year as we always grew dwarf french, Cobra was one recommended from the RHS site, this has done really well, prolific cropper and a great taste, and very little grubbing around as you do with dwarf french and climbing beans also take up less space. I use a darlek composter lid as a guide for the wigwam and plant a cane every 6-9 inches with 2 beans per cane.
                  PS they also taste quite nice raw

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                  • #10
                    I have grown cobra also this year, the leaves have taken a battering with the weather and the minute snails that have been climbing the poles are enjoying the plants as much as i have. Needless to say, a good cropper and a good taster in my honest opinion.
                    "He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart"

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                    • #11
                      Hello beanfans,
                      Loudbarker, I think climbers are great b/c yes, more yield and upwards, which can't be bad...
                      This year am growing Blue Lake (fine, but hard to spot among leaves), Meraviglia de Venise or summat like that (yellow with black seeds, recommended by Mrs Franchi herself when I met her on a Franchi stall, grew last year too and come up quite late but are fantastic) and my faves, with TwoSheds, Cosse Violette, which are yum and also easy to spot. Also have a few Red Zebra which are speckled and not wildly exciting, and waiting for my Borlotti to come up. Don't underrate how useful it is to have non-green ones if you're planting's a bit random, like mine, and you tend to misplace the labels.
                      Rest of you...sounds like I shd try Cobra anyway, and Trail of Tears (always mean to b/c of that sad story in the Real Seeds catalogue)...any other interesting kinds you recommend? As always, being cussed, I like the odd varieties...

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                      • #12
                        I've never got Cobra to grow well, and ToT is always stringy (for me) even when picked young
                        All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Flummery View Post
                          There you are - as many bean varieties as bean growers! Never ask more than one gardener a direct question.
                          Not as bad as economists: if you put two in a room together you get 3 opinions!

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                          • #14
                            Very many thanks all: this is fantastic, and just the kind of thread I was hoping for - but how do I chose between them? I think I will certainly try Blue Lake next year, and my mother grows cobra, so I should nick a few of those this year to taste!

                            I'm not going to giveup on Allegria unless I find a better substitute: Mrs Loudbarker wont forgive me.

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                            • #15
                              I've grown dwarf Maxi for the past two years, and as for yields they've been fantastic. One row of about 10 plants and I've not been able to keep up. I've had to freeze which is not something that normally happens to me!

                              Would definitely recommend them.
                              Real Men Sow - a cheery allotment blog.

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