Blue Lake or something else next year

[Tormato]

tam91,

If you want production in HOT weather, Rattlesnake is about as good as it gets. Flavor, and tenderness, is good when picked young.

Now, if you want the most tender melt in your mouth pole bean, with a great, but still delicate, flavor, and great production to boot, PM me.

Gary

[tam91]

I'll check out rattlesnake.

OK, I'll bite, pm'ing you for the "secret" bean

[Ruth_10]

Our "every year" pole beans are Blue Lake and Kentucky Blue. The Kentucky Blue are a little earlier and more prolific than BL, but they have mildish strings. Taste-wise, I like them both.

We had the problem this year and last of prolific foliage with the Blue Lake but no real production until about October. Late production has not been our experience in previous years. If it was too much nitrogen then it didn't affect our other beans. I do know that next year I will thin the plants religiously. Really, this time I will.

[feldon30]

*insert gratuitous mention of Dragon Tongue bush beans*

[tam91]

Ruth, how strange, exactly what happened to me - the other beans were all fine.

Dang, since I really like the Blue Lakes. And the blue lake bush beans did just fine too (but I hate picking bush beans).

[Ruth_10]

Dragon Tongue are great, though I put them in a separate category from the round types as they are a flat bean (I know, doesn't make a lot of sense). I think the round types produce a better frozen bean than the flats and we put up a lot of frozen beans. Flavor-wise, I like Dragon Tongue, Jimenez, Uncle Steve's Italian, Blue Lake, Kentucky Blue, Tendergreen, Fortex. Dorabel is a good yellow wax bush bean with small, almost petite pods. I didn't like as much Neckargold and Rattlesnake, though I need to try Rattlesnake again.

I would very much like to understand what the deal is with the Blue Lakes. They are a good bean and we ended up with a ton of them late in the fall, but that is not right, they should be producing in the summer. They had plenty of moisture. I might try planting some next summer in an area that has fewer amendments and then another planting where I cut way back on the number of plants per foot of row.

[tam91]

I'll try them again, they were great in 2009. But I think I'll diversify, and plant something else as well.

[kath]

[QUOTE=Ruth_10;189571] I think the round types produce a better frozen bean than the flats and we put up a lot of frozen beans. Flavor-wise, I like Dragon Tongue, Jimenez, Uncle Steve's Italian, Blue Lake, Kentucky Blue, Tendergreen, Fortex.

Ruth, would you mind sharing which ones of the bush green beans you like best for freezing, ie. production, flavor, keeping color, etc.?
Thanks,
kath

[Tormato]

Blue Lake has been consistant with me, always late. The pods start showing up at about 7 feet up on the pole. Getting out the ladder is worth it though, because they are then productive up until a frost.

Ruth,

For me, Rattlesnake is variable in taste, from year to year. All very young pods are good, but some years the slighter older pods have a good flavor and some years they have an odd flavor. Much older pods get too fibrous, and always lose their flavor. I'll keep planting it, because it produces in the heat when just about everything else shuts down.

Gary

[tam91]

I think maybe the blue lakes like to be cold - 2009 was a much cooler summer, and I had them very early. This year - by the time they showed up, I was bored of looking for them.

They're not green of course, they're yellow - but my Neckargolds are very tasty and crazy productive all season.

[DeanRIowa]

I agree with Tormato that the Rattlesnakes are a good bean, this is the first year in many I did not plant any and I repented all season. They are being planted once again next year.



Dean

[Tom C zone 4/5]

I *think* grew Potomac over the past few years. Its done fine with a too liberal manuring. Maybe something else othern' KY Wonder is worth a trial.

Blue Lake comes inna pole bean model if my memory serves.

[Worth1]

Ive had yard long beans grown from other peoples gardens and I really liked them.
They were very productive.
But I had never had a bean I didn't like.

Worth

[tam91]

There are both bush and pole versions of Blue Lake.

I'm curious about yardlongs - gonna see if my local store has any currently, I've seen them there before.

[Tormato]

There are several versions of pole and bush for Blue Lake.
Beanophiles that are too far gone would know.

Tormato