What are the most popular green beans? (10 Good Options)

QUESTION: What are the most popular green beans? I want to grow some, but I can’t really tell them apart and I want a regular kind of green beans like my family will eat and not some obscure type that taste or look weird. – Ella P

GARDENING CHANNEL REPLIES: Green beans are one of the most popular vegetables for the garden. They’re wonderful because no matter your gardening method, there’s usually a way to incorporate green beans.

Green beans come in two main varieties: bush and runner, sometimes referred to as pole beans. Bush beans are known for remaining lower to the ground and forming a shrub-like plant.

Runner green beans are known for vining and sprawling. They can be grown on a trellis or even planted next to corn. If you train the plants, they should grow up the corn and utilize it as a natural trellis in the garden.

Due to the different varieties available and the ease of trellising runner green beans, they can be grown in the ground or in a container. The only thing you must do is pick the best variety for your growing method.

Lucky for you, there are many popular options for green beans. Here are a few of them:

1. Blue Lake

Blue lake green beans are some of my favorites. This is a bush bean variety which produces 6-inch green beans. This is one of the most traditional varieties of green beans and what most people think of when pondering over this vegetable.

2. Jade

Jade green beans are another bush bean variety. This plant also produces 6-inch beans that have a tender texture and sweet flavor. Jade green beans are stringless which is another reason why people love them so much.

3. Fortex

Fortex beans are a French-style pole bean. This plant produces longer beans that average around 10-inches in length. These beans are known for being stringless, tender, and remaining crisp (instead of shelly) when they reach full maturity.

4. Royal Burgundy

Royal Burgundy is an heirloom green bean. This type of bean produces stringless pods that are known for remaining tender. Royal Burgundy beans are a bush bean variety which is great for growing in small spaces or containers. Expect the beans to be approximately 6-inches long.

5. Contender

Contender is another personal favorite of mine. I like to incorporate this variety of green bean around my own garden due to its fast growth. This variety produces 6-inch long beans in as little as six weeks. This is another bush bean variety which makes it a great choice for different gardening methods.

6. Romano

When I think of Romano beans, I think of my great grandmother. She loved Italian-style, flat beans which is what Romano beans are. This type of bean comes in both bush and pole varieties, but most people tend to lean towards the bush variety. These beans average about 5-inches in length.

7. Provider

Provider green beans are known for producing large quantities of beans and also for being durable plants which stand resistant to many diseases. These beans are able to ward off both fungal and bacterial issues. This is a bush variety of plant that produces beans averaging about 5-inches in length.

8. Scarlet Runner

Scarlet runners are grown for both aesthetics and for food. They were once an extremely common plant in the garden but took a backseat for a few years. Now, they’re making a comeback. You may enjoy the edible flowers and the beans if boiled, baked, or steamed. This is a pole variety that’s ready for harvest in under three months.

9. Rattlesnake

Rattlesnake beans are an heirloom variety that’s considered a pole bean. This type of plant requires support but should be ready for harvest in a little over two months. The pods typically grow to be 7-inches long and are stringless.

10. Tendergreen

Tendergreen is a bush bean variety which is a favorite for freezing and canning. This plant produces pods which are approximately 6-inches in length and stringless. The tendergreen variety is known for producing a harvest in under two months and for being disease-resistant.

You now have ten of the most popular options of green beans. Hopefully, you have an idea of why each type of bean has become a gardening favorite.

Look at what each type of green bean supplies and pick the option you feel will work best in your growing area. Then enjoy fresh, homegrown green beans from your own garden.

Learn More About Growing Green Beans

https://food.unl.edu/article/green-beans

https://extension.sdstate.edu/green-beans-how-grow-it

https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/asset-external/easy-gardening-green-beans/