Dwarf French Beans

[katynewbie]

Last year I decided that I don't really like runners, so would grow more French Beans and fewer runners. I got my plants off to a great start, planted them with good space in between and what do I get? Very little! I can't think what I did wrong. Anyone else had a bad year for them or is it just me?

[katynewbie]

[goodlife]

What variety did you grow?...some of my dwarfs are doing ok..even with drought..and others not so.
I'm growing several different sort this year and there is defiante difference between varieties and their cropping quantity. Some of the modern, 'quick cropping' types seem to be bringing in the quantity..
but I've got loads of climbers too and they vary as well.. ::)

[Mr Smith]

We have had a cracking year with our Dwarf beans unfortunately I can't remember the variety but they came from one of the e-bay seed companies in South York's, :)

[sunloving]

My dwarf beans were terrible this year after a fab year last year.
I think its becuase after a warm april we had a very cold may for planting and so they didnt get away as fast as normal and then they got hit by a very dry June. At least here in the NW
I usually grow a tendergreen and the hungarian yellow wax (19 p from netto and 39p from lidl respectively). The climbers though blue lake and cobra have done great.

A gree about runners though yuk!
x sunloving

[Jeannine]

If you want a tall grower bean that is not a runner but  a French one try Fortex, it is a beautiful bean , very prolific and can be used as a filet bean if picked young.

XX Jeannine

[gibbonm]

I have tried both dwarf and runner French beans but have not had a good experience with either. They just don't seem keen to get up and grow.  Perhaps our summers in Aberdeen are just not warm enough.  I start them off in greenhouse and plant out at the beginning of June.

[PeterVV]

My dwarfs all got eaten by slugs and snails before they had a chance to flower!, my runners are pretty poor this year too...

[macmac]

I don't usually grow dwarf french but I ordered them by mistake  ::) )from T&M and they (sorry will have to check variety)have been splendid.My climbing french from Lidl have been rubbish,the saved seed in a different location scrambling up my sweetcorn have been fab and the runners from saved seed via "my favourite welshman" Clive on the lottie are wonderful.Every year we try to save seed and it's never as good as Clives who always obliges  ;)

[1066]

I've had a mixed year for the Dwarf French Beans too.

I think the early batches didn't appreciate the dry late spring we had, they really struggled, so not many beans for drying or seed saving there.

The slightly later batches have been much better - particularly Safari and Nautica, which are both lovely filet types that I'd recommend. Have been blanching and freezing them, as well as eating fresh.

10  :)

[petefj]

My dwarf french beans are very poor this year.  Last year in comparison I got so many beans I was giving them away to neighbours just to get rid of them.  I also froze a lot.
This year is very poor and I only got about two or three pickings.  Hardly worth growing.

Peter

[Alex133]

Mine have done as well as normal - Purple Tepee and Sungold (+ Cobra climbing away) - quite prolific and nice to have mixture of colours.

[pumkinlover]

I like purple tepee too, although they are fairly short lived, but this year I've got round to some succesional sowing- hope this latest batch are not too late though.

[plainleaf]

i would suggest provider.
only bean string bean variety i grow.

[pigeonseed]

I think French beans are a bit more delicate than runners. Mineare always weedy compared to neighbours' runner beans.

I've been growing dwarf tendergreen for a couple of years and they always crop well. But they're not very exciting as green beans - the texture isn't very crisp and juicy and the taste is a bit nothingy. So this year I just left them to grow proper beans for shelling.

Maybe you've had two bad years, which could be down to weather. (Last year was harsh early on too). You could try them next year and chuck everything at them - start them off indoors, plant them out later than this year, give them shelter from cold winds, put lots of compost or manure in before planting out...

Maybe that will do the trick?  :)

[Digeroo]

Most of my dwarf FB doing ok.  The earlierst ones not good they got cooked under the bottle cloches early in the season.  The beans I mulched up the most have done the best.

[powerspade]

Runner beans - enorma are rubbish this year. Dwarf French Beans - Canadian Wonder - I`m picking evry 2 days very good