2012 bean review

[habitat_gardener]

I grew about 20 varieties of beans this year, mostly pole beans, and I eat most of those as snap beans. I started with about 24 seeds of each, except for a few varieties I got from a local seed bank (3 seeds each) or saved seeds that were in short supply. I had a good crop, but they all seem to be taking a break in production. I enjoyed them all. [The ones that make it to the kitchen all get cooked together -- about a minute in boiling water -- so my comments on flavor are mostly about raw beans.] Here are some random notes.

4 types of purple-podded beans
-- Purple Peacock had the best flavor of the purples [added: when eaten raw], and produced a lot for the number of seeds planted.
-- Blue Coco was a very close second, and was also prolific. And then it just stopped. I pulled the yellowing leaves and I've noticed new leaves growing at the base of the vines. My source: a pound of dry beans from the farmers' market.
-- Purple Podded Pole and Trionfo Violetto were good, but not as outstanding as the other two.

Scarlet Runner Beans: this one came back from last year's root. The single plant has been hugely productive -- much more than last year's 4 plants combined. I pick them fairly young, around the size of regular string beans. Not good raw.

favorites for eating raw in the garden
-- La Vigneronne continues to be a favorite because I like to eat them in the garden and it has a sweet flavor eaten raw. [Rarely makes it to the kitchen!]
-- Helda Romano is the sweetest (raw) romano I've grown. [Like most romanos, very tender as a cooked bean.]
-- Blue Coco and Purple Peacock were also great raw.
-- Waterloo County Mennonite stands out because it stays good and crunchy [and tasty] even when it gets very large, halfway to producing seed.

Less productive ones/ fewer plants
-- Rattlesnake, surprisingly, produced smaller beans and stopped producing earlier than the others.
-- McCaslan 42 didn't get a fair trial because it was shaded by tomatoes. This year's beans (from saved seed) were twice the size of last year's, though.
-- Yellow Pole Wax was not a vigorous variety. The beans were small and plumped up quickly, and the color was not as yellow as I expected.
-- Kentucky Wonder was outcompeted by a volunteer amaranth, so it started late. I'm still getting a couple beans a day.
-- Chinese Long Bean has produced maybe a half-dozen beans so far, and it looks like I'll get at least that many more. But it's not really hot enough here for it, and my garden gets afternoon shade.
-- Cascade Giant was a disappointment. I wanted to like this one a lot more. But it was also shaded by tomatoes.
-- Climbing French was ok and is still producing a little.
-- Sultan's Green Crescent was an outstanding cooked bean. With only a minute or two of cooking, it gets that tender, sort of slimy (in a good way) coating and succulent flavor that romano beans sometimes get. I'm letting at least half a dozen go to seed -- I've learned to stop picking early in the season if it's a bean I love and want to grow again.

Still Waiting
-- Christmas Lima is producing the most beautiful large pods, but so far no bean bumps on them.
-- Brockton Horticultural, only one plant survived, and it's still working on its first beans. This is supposed to be a dry bean, so all I'm hoping for is something I can plant next time. Also, the sunflowers are outcompeting Brockton and Jembo.
-- Jembo Polish, most of my saved seeds did not germinate because they were not dry enough before I stored them. My one surviving plant is struggling. Last year it was a vigorous variety, but it wasn't good raw and I had limited kitchen facilities so I let it go to seed. I wanted to compare it to other varieties as a cooked snap bean this year since Remy likes it so much. Next time I will plant my purchased seeds!
-- Red Noodle still has not set its first bean. Not hot enough.
-- Gila River Pole Bean, another one I got as a dry bean at the farmers' market, has not produced any beans. Or maybe it has? It's on the same structure as Blue Lake, and I assumed they'd look different. Google has not revealed any info on this bean.

Bush Beans
-- Anasazi, I've just picked the first dry pods. I planted beans I bought at Whole Foods! I haven't tried these as a snap bean. [not good raw]