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Fine Green beans in the shops

My missus loves these, so I want to grow them, what are they? Are they dwarf french beans or? Some I've seen in catalogues include Climbing bean Cobra and also dwarf bean Delinel. I only grow runners, despise broad beans, so am at a bit of a loss. Someone help me out?

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  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,023

    They are dwarf French beans, but there are lots of different varieties. They grow very well here in SW France as they like it hot and sunny, unlike runner beans which can be difficult here and aren't even grown commercially. Why do you despise broad beans ? I love them, but they must be young and tender so best home grown.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • BrummieBenBrummieBen Posts: 460

    They taste like filth lol, butter beans, the texture just makes me retch tbh.. But ty for the heads up on the dwarf french beans.

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,023

    I hate butter beans too, used to have them in school dinners. Butter beans sound lovely and buttery, but they're not - dry and floury or hard. But broad beans are soft and delicious. Each to their own! Runner beans are my favourite.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • BookertooBookertoo Posts: 1,306

    Both butter beans and broad beans are gorgeous - cooked well and carefully - lucky we don't all like the same things isn't it.  Fine beans are, as you now know, dwarf french beans, and are are eminently suitable for container growing - so anyone with the tiniest space can have them - yummy. 

  • BrummieBenBrummieBen Posts: 460

    Excellent, shan't tell the missus, be a nice surprise for her.

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    I like really young broad beans cooked with the pods like runners.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • chicachica Posts: 252

    well that was a lot of infomation fish4card, ave you been swating up.

  • figratfigrat Posts: 1,619

    Whatever, it's reminded me to sow a few dwarf frenchies in a big pot in the gh now for an early crop. And I love baby broad beans cooked in their pods too. But I can remember as a child I HATED broad beans, but really enjoy them now. It helps I think if you can shell them if they're a bit on the elderly side. Butter beans...mmmmm! I left some runners (Moonlight I think was the variety) to dry in their pods a couple of years ago, then cooked just the beans. They were fab.

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Cobra climbing beans are a heavy cropper and the beans look, taste and can be used in the same way as those supermarket beans you mention, Ben.  They grow like runners, but need starting off a bit later.  The beans themselves are to all intents and purposes identical to those on dwarf french bean plants, but I prefer Cobra as you get more crop for the same ground area (as they grow upwards, of course!)

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,023

    Fine green beans, French beans, string beans (American) are all the same thing.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_bean

    fish4card sounds familiar.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
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