are these both Runner Beans or are they like a Butter bean? is one bigger than the other?
I know there is a Tarbais called Alaric too....I'm trying to figure out if they would cross with ech other so I know if I just grow one :)
Tarbais are French climbing beans, I'm not sure to the name Gigagantes but if the same as Gigantes, they are runners and larger seeded than Tarbais. Crossing should not be an issue.
thank you, my spelling went a bit south there.....or my brain was making the beans even bigger. It did mean Gigantes.
We were delighted that a friend living in France got us the Alaric Tarbais, so I was hoping it was ok to do both, as we eat a lot of beans.
Many Thanks for help.
After seeing both seeds as I planted them, I felt a bit daft....they are so very different :)
I found the Gigantes beans I've grown produce really strong and very leafy vines and I've not been too successful saving their beans as they seem to ripen late and haven't dried too well here. Jeannine's a big fan of these and found some strains better than others, there's probably a thread or two about them somewhere.
the few times i've grown tarbais, some of the plants fully grown collapsed and died for some reason each year
and the gigandes need lots of support, or the canes will fall over, i've found
I've successfully saved Giganda's for a few years, though I frequently have a couple of plants in the GH as a sort of backup (big greenhouse)... THey are runner beans as far as I can tell cos butter (lima) beans bring the cotyledons out (like a french bean does) whereas Gigandas don't (jut as well, theose things are huge) and in that way they ar ehte same as runner beans... I always plant them in the middle of the bean patch and don't grow runners, so far they've stayed true to type