Topic: How many beans?

[bupster]

After a couple of seed swaps and my own hopelessness in the face of seed catalogues, I've spent the evening winnowing my beans down to 10 varieties I'd quite like to try (yes, I know). How many bean plants of each should I go for?

[glosterwomble]

depends on how much room you have , mine last year were in a bed 2.5m x 2m, I had 2 rows with 14 poles on each row (7 a side) 24 poles in total. I had french beans, borlotti and runner. Obviously if you have 10 varieties that would allow you 2 of each variety leaving you with 4 poles to either put sweet peas on or add couple more of one variety you fancy.

[valmarg]

I presume you mean runners/climbing french bupster.

I have the same difficulty - what to grow, and what to reject.

We have a row of about 25', on which we grow about 10 wigwams.

The runner beans I would recommend are:-

Red Rum
White Lady
Lady Di
Fergi
White Apollo
Desiree

If I could only grow two of the above it would be Red Rum and White Lady, although I shall by trying Wisley Magic this year.

Climbing french bean Fasold would be my favourite, but we also grow Eva, Neckar Queen, Cobra, Rustico and Diamant.  I just love french beans!!

valmarg

[bupster]

As it stands I'm down to six climbing beans and five dwarf bean varieties. I've two rows of broad bean Aquadulce in already and will be putting in a few more BB Violetta if I can find some space. Don't ask me about peas, it's even worse. As for tomato varieties it's frankly embarassing.

[valmarg]

As it stands I'm down to six climbing beans and five dwarf bean varieties. I've two rows of broad bean Aquadulce in already and will be putting in a few more BB Violetta if I can find some space. Don't ask me about peas, it's even worse. As for tomato varieties it's frankly embarassing.

lol, join the club ;D ;D ;D

A broad bean variety I would thoroughly recommend is Imperial Green Longpod.  Lovely small, tasty green beans.

Peas and tomatoes, again - join the club!!

valmarg

[sawfish]

Cosse Violette purple french beans are beautiful to look at, survive colder regions and taste great, White Lady runners taste the best in my opinion and Masterpiece Green Longpod are for me the best tasting Broad Bean.

[valmarg]

Sawfish, do you think there's much difference between Masterpiece and Imperial Green Longpod broad beans?

We've got both varieties.  Have grown Imperial in the past and are growing Masterpiece for the first time this year.

What we like about them is that they are green 'beaned' varieties, which produce loads of little green beans, rather than the large white beans of the white beaned varieties.  (Hope that makes sense ??? ???)

valmarg

[greenstar]

It really depends on what you want to do with them Bupster - are you planning on having enough to freeze?  Last year we grew about 20 runner bean plants (Sunset) which was loads for a family of four, and we would have had loads left to freeze had we not given them all away.  We must have had about 24 dwarf French bean plants which just wasn't enough. 

So this year we are planning (assuming they all germinate) the same-ish amount of runners, 20 or so Cherokee Trail of Tears, 20 ish Coco Sophie and maybe some Cupidon dwarf french beans, although I'm thinking of giving the dwarf ones a miss outside this year, and just trying some in the greenhouse.  We like beans in our house  :D

Then we just need to find room for the maincrop peas, yellow mangetout, sugarsnaps, more broad beans...Oh dear.

[artichoke]

I hope nobody's forgetting about Gigandes....

[sawfish]

Hi Valmarg

to be honest I've never grown imperial gl but masterpiece gl are smallish and bright green too. I just got them because I was told they were an improvement on imperial.

I was disappointed with Red Epicure, to me they tasted pretty mediocre. I'm trying the ancient Martock beans and the small sutton ones too this year and I fancy trying Jubilee Hysor too. I think I'll have tried them all then.

I'm particularly intereseted to find out how the Martock beans turn out.

Are Gigandes not butter beans? Aren't they difficult to grow outside in the UK?

[Suzanne]

We all seem to be in the same boat don't we? I have lots of different bean varieties but I don't like freezing green beans as I don't like the taste/texture post freezer. So will only grow a few varieties of "snap" beans - as I like colour these are Cosse Violette, Neckargold, Blue Lake as climbers, plus probably runner bean Sunbright. Similar number of dwarf beans but the fill in the gaps on succession planning. But this year also sowing a number of shell bean types as these do taste okay when thawed after freezing - so Pea Bean, Canadian Wonder, Borlotti Lamon, Gigandes (thanks Jeannine) and haven't finally decided on the others yet.

I also had some heritage varieties (plus a Gigandes )which will be grown in isolation for seed saving.

I will only grow 2 or 3 plants of each type.

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

Gigandes are Runner Beans

[antipodes]

i am gonna make you all weep - but I don't grow runner beans because I don't like them...
I was given some once and they were 'orrible and since I can't get down to pick them everyday, I assume they will go too big and hard so I don't grow them. Only yellow and green dwarfs.

[bupster]

I am probably going to leave the runners for this year as I'll just end up giving them mostly away. If they need to be picked every day then that's an even better reason to leave them.

On a similar topic, does anyone grow their own kidney beans or chick peas? Or is it not worth the hassle and easier to buy the tins?

[Robert_Brenchley]

I don't like runners either. Climbing French beans and similar types work better, but even then I can't get to pick them every day, and the family soon starts complaining that they're too hard.

[sawfish]

To be honest the only ones I really enjoy eating are Broad Beans. The others tase OK but look superb!

[Suzanne]

Gigandes are Runner Beans

Thanks RT - I didn't know this as never have grown them before. Must say I don't usually eat lots of runners as green- I let them grow on for kidney beans.