Which French Beans?

[Two_Sheds]

I don't like them much when they've been frozen

I'm not the only one who doesn't like frozen Frenchies then? They taste manky to me, really horrible. I've given up freezing them, and dry them instead now.

[The Doctor]

Just another vote for Blue Lake climbers. Tried them for the first time this year, and will be growing loads next year!

[Flummery]

I always grew Blue Lake as a climber but last year tried Empress - nice round pods of purple beans. I also always grow Tin Yang climbing beans to use dried. they are great - I really love them.

[moggssue]

I grew dwarf Prince and got a really good yield from them - can't say whether they were the best tasting since I have nothing to compare them with, this being my first time. They were better than shop bought, but that's not difficult to achieve is it! For the same space though, I reckon I could have had 'real' climbers instead since they would have taken up the same amount of ground, but gone higher so producing an even larger yield. Saying that, I had hundreds of pencil slim beans so can't complain.

[veg4681]

Just made a discovery from this site

Bakker

that appears to have the type of french beans I'm looking for, it's called the Haricot Vert or filet beans as what the Safari is.

[smallblueplanet]

Most of the extra 'fine' type (extra fins sans fils) french beans we get are dwarf beans. There are some that are climbers but the ones I saw were in the French seed catalogue Graines Baumaux.

We grew some in containers last year - a new variety Andante, but there's lots of different dwarf types.

[veg4681]

I've gathered all my French beans for growing this year and they're

French Climbing Beans:
Cobra
Cosse Violette

French Dwarf/Bush Beans:
Purple Teepee
Minidor
Cupidon

Reading up, I gathered that French climbing beans are actually very similar to Runner beans in the way they grow and possibly vigorous cropping. Is this right?

As for bush bean, I gathered they're very vulnerable to slug attack so does it make sense to grow them in containers (copper wire round it) or would that restrict the crop yield. I can't seem to find out how much the bush beans spread but 2-4" spacing for seed sowing is recommended so they can't be that big .

[SarzWix]

As for bush bean, I gathered they're very vulnerable to slug attack so does it make sense to grow them in containers (copper wire round it) or would that restrict the crop yield. I can't seem to find out how much the bush beans spread but 2-4" spacing for seed sowing is recommended so they can't be that big .

The best crops I've had from dwarf (bush) beans was when they were grown in a container, planted about 2" apart. The ones in the ground were rubbish in comparison! The ones in container were easier to protect from slugs, but they did need feeding.

This year I've got;
DWARF BEAN
Valdor (yellow pods)
Purple TeePee (Purple pods)
Delinel
Navy bean (new for me)
Brightstone (new for me)

CLIMBING BEAN
Cobra
Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco

[ChocClare]

The dwarf ones really don't grow that big - I had about eight plants in a small bit of the garden last year, all only about a foot high and less than that wide, quite close together (mainly because I'd not really thought it through when I planted them!) and they cropped wonderfully, I was picking beans for dinner every couple of days - admittedly only enough for the four of us at one time - but they kept producing all through the summer. I've just looked on the packet(s) and they should be planted 40cm apart - and they do pretty much fill that space I guess.

If you want to try some "real" French beans, pm me your address and I'll put you a few in the post to try - I've got some nice Fingourmet (which is an extra thin one) and some Longio (also thin and long). Both delish, stringless and fine. French seed packets always contain enough to cover an area of about five square miles, so I'm happy to send you a few!

[Two_Sheds]

Dwarf/bush beans can be planted right tight together ... 2 inches apart. They will then support each other and hold each other upright.
I am only growing Canadian Wonder as a dwarf this year, as slugs devastated last year's crop. I am going to major on climbers, as you get more crop for the space (and the slugs don't climb!)

[Flummery]

I find the climbers brilliant, though I do get decent crops from the dwarf in the ground. Climbing French beans crop earlier (for me) than runners - mainly I think because they are less fussy about pollination and setting. I also find the flavour and texture less coarse than runners.

[valmarg]

I think the reason I prefer climbing to dwarf french beans is that the climbing varieties produce the long straight pods I prefer, whereas the dwarf tend to be curly harder to pick. I know they don't taste any better, but that's just me being finnicky.

Flummery, I think the french beans are self-fertile. We start some climbers off in a large tub, with a small wigwam of canes, in the greenhouse to get an early crop.

valmarg

[veg4681]

Flummery, I think the french beans are self-fertile. We start some climbers off in a large tub, with a small wigwam of canes, in the greenhouse to get an early crop.

valmarg

You may be right because Real Seeds website says that French beans don't usually cross with each other but Runner Beans do and Broad Beans even more so. Although I don't know 'usually' is enough to keep them true to type. Have you been able to keep yours true from saved seeds?

[Two_Sheds]

Have you been able to keep yours true from saved seeds?

in a word, yes. I have grown Purple Queen from my own seeds every year since 2000. They have remained good - I have not saved any of my other varieties before, because I've always eaten them all. This year I am sowing my own seed from Tiger, Barlotta, Cosse Violette, Blue Lake et al

[Flummery]

I've got some Empress (purple podded climbing) saved from last year which I'm going to sow in a couple of months time. Not tried this before but it's a learning curve this gardening - even after 37years!