Topic: Climbing french beans

[veggie perin]

Could someone tell me what height climbing french beans grow to, as i am making wigwam frame for them, do they grow as tall as runners? the variety is cobra (I think).......regards....Veggie

[valmarg]

No veggie, climbing french beans are nowhere near so vigorous as runners.  Cobra is a great variety.  Lots of pencil thin beans.  Chomping at the the bit for our first salad nicoise!!  Another variety I would recommend is Fasold from T&M.

We grow our beans on wigwams.  Some years ago OH planted the climbing french and runners together.  The french beans were swamped by the runners.  Now we have separate wigwams for the different varieties/types.

You should be all right, as I said climbing french beans are nowhere near as vigorous as runners, but they do produce a wonderful crop!!

valmarg

[BAK]

yes, they grow as tall as runners .. albeit the foliage is not as dense.

Cobra is a new(ish) variety which has had good reports.

[Jeannine]

Oh I too would have to say that climing French are equally as tall as runners,and many are just as dense too.It simply depends on the variety.

I have one climbing bean that only grows to 4 feet,but this is unusual and is a very old heirloom.

I grow about 10 varieties of climbers each year and I have very dense tall foliage on most of them. Some are modern and some are heirlooms. To be sure about height and density you would need to know the specificas about the variety you have chosen to grow.

XX Jeannine

[sawfish]

my cosse viollette were huge last year and very dense with a massive crop of pods. They're also beautiful with purple green leaves and purple flowers.

[valmarg]

Well, I can only speak for the varieties we grow.

Climbing french beans Cobra, Fasold, Rustico, Neckar Queen and Eva do not grow as tall or as vigorously (in our garden) as the runner varieties Red Rum, Desiree, Fergie, Lady Di or White Lady.

Based on the varieties we grow, runners are far more vigorous than the climbing french.

We get wonderful crops of both, so what the hell!!

valmarg