What Do You Prefer, Bush Beans or Pole Beans?

[henless]

Rattlesnake bean is an heirloom cultivar of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). The pods are 6 to 8-inch long with purple markings, and the seeds are light brown with brown markings, still visible after frying. They're named for the snake-like manner in which their pods coil around the plant. we would love to have that here to Philippines.

Honestly, I really didn't get that many that were coiled. Most had a curve to them, but maybe 25% were coiled? Easier to snap when straight, so I made sure and saved the straighter ones for seed.

 

[Zeedman]

I suspect I had some beans lie dormant for a year, then germinate and compete with the slow starting Fortex that I planted. Brand X was much more vigorous and took over the supports. When harvested they were fat, lumpy, tough, stringy....all the qualities you don't want. Made me a little shy about planting Fordex again. I wondered at the time if Fordex could have crossed with some greasy cut shorts I planted a few years back. I didn't believe so, but wondered anyway.

Most likely those tough beans were crosses. The few snap bean crosses I've had over the years were poor quality - even when the most likely pollen donor was also a snap variety. When I first began saving bean seed, I had a cross between Kentucky Wonder & Fortex; the pods were flat & fibrous. That particular cross kept recurring, because I was growing the two varieties in adjacent rows. That taught me to use more separation between beans; I use a minimum of 30' (and more often 50') between different beans now, and have had no other crosses in Fortex since.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

@Zeedman , do you save seed from your Fortex beans? One of my seed catalogs listed it as a hybrid.

I find it easier now. Bush beans appear to grow more compactly (about two feet tall) and do not need support. Pole beans should grow like a climbing vine that grows 10 to 15 feet tall. Pole beans, therefore, need a trellis or a sting.

 

[Jared712]

I used to only grow pole beans because I could get a ridiculous amount of beans given the amount of space they take up. Problem was canning them I felt like I was firing up the pressure canning so many times. It gets old FAST!

So now this year I'm doing both. I've had this strategy in mind before but I always end up using the space for some crazy tomato variety I find, or peppers, or something else that I really don't need to plant instead of beans but its never the bush beans.

Well I finally after some negotiations I am building raised beds and I'm going to do both. I hope to do 2 plantings of bush beans and can all of them that's what they go to. My pole beans will supplement anything I need in the canning jars, and are for eating fresh.

 

[seedcorn]

I used to only grow pole beans because I could get a ridiculous amount of beans given the amount of space they take up. Problem was canning them I felt like I was firing up the pressure canning so many times. It gets old FAST!

So now this year I'm doing both. I've had this strategy in mind before but I always end up using the space for some crazy tomato variety I find, or peppers, or something else that I really don't need to plant instead of beans but its never the bush beans.

Well I finally after some negotiations I am building raised beds and I'm going to do both. I hope to do 2 plantings of bush beans and can all of them that's what they go to. My pole beans will supplement anything I need in the canning jars, and are for eating fresh.

You like pole flavor better than Bush?

 

[Jared712]

You like pole flavor better than Bush?

Typically I do but when the kids pick beans they all ended up in the same pile so it was hard to tell what was what.

I know there are some varieties that come in both pole and bush but I haven't tried them. This year I'm sticking to what I could find at the box stores because shipping is so unpredictable right now.

I've got Contender and I think Kentucky Wonder. My family has always liked Kentucky Wonder so long as they are picked a little immature. Given how many I grew we could pick them immature without any issues and still have 5 gallon buckets of beans left over or give away.

 

[seedcorn]

Typically I do but when the kids pick beans they all ended up in the same pile so it was hard to tell what was what.

I know there are some varieties that come in both pole and bush but I haven't tried them. This year I'm sticking to what I could find at the box stores because shipping is so unpredictable right now.

I've got Contender and I think Kentucky Wonder. My family has always liked Kentucky Wonder so long as they are picked a little immature. Given how many I grew we could pick them immature without any issues and still have 5 gallon buckets of beans left over or give away.

Impressed!

 

[Jared712]

Impressed!

Thank you! I've found that training them to grow laterally as much as possible on the trellis really helps with production.

 

[ducks4you]

Do you all think that other beans should be picked a little bit immature? I noticed last year that I missed beans and they were too tough to pick and cook up.

 

[Jared712]

Do you all think that other beans should be picked a little bit immature? I noticed last year that I missed beans and they were too tough to pick and cook up.

We got busy and missed some pickings and had the same experience as you. The beans were bigger and tougher. Still edible but not nearly as good.

So I started picking anything that looked 90ish percent of the mature size and never had a problem to be sure I didn't let them go too long.

I don't save those seeds because its Kentucky Wonder even the big box home improvement stores carry it.

This is my 1st year with Contender so will try it with them too. Was what I could find with the travel restrictions.