Hi, I got a phone call from a friend today, not on this forum,who wanted to know about beans,she was confused at to varities etc.I thought there maybe some newbies who could also use some info.
RUNNER BEANS, usually grow tall( climbers or poles) but there are dwarf varieties,they are a different family to the other beans.They prefer cool weather and will drop their flowers if it gets too hot.They have a richer flavour than snap/french beans.They need pollination to set seed usuually from the bees so can be iffy in hot summers or years when bee population is low.They like more moisture than snap beans and cooler roots.
Varieties include:Painted Lady,Scarlet Emporer,( climbers) and Dwarf Bees.(bush)
FRENCH BEANS AKA SNAP BEANS. They too come as climbers and bush. They prefer the warmth, they come all differnt colours, they don't need the bees to pollinate them so grow well when the bees are scarce and the summers are hot,This is the exact opposite to runner beans.Can be round or flat.Whole bean is eaten
Varieties of climbers include Blue Lake Pole,Fortex,Romano plus many more , they are often called French Beans but many are Italian. The climbers are also often called runner beans which they are not. They come all colours.
Varieties of dwarfs are Blue Lake Bush,, Jade, plus many more.
Filet Beans they are very slender , have much the same needs as French Beans but do not climb and are always round. Kenyan Safari is an example.Whole bean is eaten
Broad Beans will take the cold, some types are planted in autumn, they have fuzzy lined pods and big beans, The pods can be eaten young but nore often they are shelled .
There are also numerous beans grown for the production of dry beans, some are eaten green but many have soft flesh that breaks down easily. They cab be dwarf or climbing.
Canneloni, Montcalm, Pinto etc
Best bit of advice, be sure you know which you are growing , wether they are climbing runners or climbing French as their needs are completely different. If you have trouble growing runners try the others.
Also be sure you know if they are dwarf or climbers.
This is just a taster of beans, hope it helps someone.
XX Jeannine
