French beans, String beans and Snap beans, better-known Green beans, are the unripe fruit and the enclosing pods of different varieties of bean plants. They are harvested and consumed with their protective pods, usually before the seeds within have fully matured.
Green beans are classified by growth habit into two major groups, bush beans and pole beans.
Bush beans are short plants, they grow to about 2 feet in height, They typically reach full growth and produce all of their crops in a short period of time, then stop producing.
Pole beans produce a twisting vine, which must be supported by poles or trellises.
The best varieties of bush beans to grow in your garden:
Blue Lake Bush Beans: This string-less snap bean it matures quickly and have a superior flavor, texture, color and are easy to pick. The beans grow long and straight. It was originally developed as a canning bean, but it soon become a favorite.
Blue Lake Bush Bean are very productive, and have some resistance to mosaic virus that effect beans. Blue Lake Bush beans produce most of the harvest in a few weeks, and leave you time for a second crop if you want to. You can get the seeds from HERE.
Derby Bush Beans: This is a variety that grows as an Annual/Perennial, Derby Beans normally grows to a max height of 1.30 feet. Derby Bean are normally fairly low maintenance, and are easy to grow. And due to extra slow seed growth, they can reach a surprising 7 inches in length.
When planting Derby Bush Beans you should wait until the soil is warm, and the night time temperature is well above freezing. Derby Bush Beans usually grow best in Zone 5 and 13, and require a weakly acidic soil pH of 6.0 - 6.8. You can get the seeds from HERE.
Kentucky Wonder Bush Beans: This variety of bush beans has been around since the 1800s. It matures a week earlier than most bush beans (45 days), and produces beans in clusters over a long season.
Kentucky Wonder Bush Beans have a meaty, medium-green pods. that grow to 8 inches long, they are packed with delicious, extra-tasty bean seeds. They grow best in Zones 3-9, the plant can grow to a height of 18", and they are Rust resistant. You can get the seeds from HERE.
Purple Teepee Beans: This Super-productive bush type, yield a straight, purple pods. Although they lose their color when cooked, and turn to brilliant emerald green. They are wonderfully tasty fresh, frozen, or canned.
Purple Teepee Beans can grow to a height of 18", and spread over a 12" area. They bears its pods above the main foliage for easier picking and less damage from soil splash. They flower in June, July, August, September. You can get the seeds from HERE.
