Provider for a bush bean
Kentucky Wonder for a pole

They aren`t fancy but they are both good tasting and good producers.

What's baffling? Too many choices? Blue Lake pole is still my #1 choice. Lots of people like Kentucky Wonder pole (heirloom).

Bush green bean varieties I like that are available 'everywhere' are Stringless Green Pod (heirloom) and Topcrop.

If you want to try something a little different, grow a purple podded variety like Purple Queen or Royal Burgundy.

Every time this question comes up here or over on the Beans forum Fortex wins for pole beans hands down. Kentucky Wonder is consistently panned as tough or not worth growing because it is more demanding of specific conditions for good results.

For bush varieties it is basically your choice as everyone seems to have a personal favorite. Personally I like Contender. It is ann old favorite first introduced in 1949 and a heavy producer with good disease resistance. But any of them are good as long as they get picked early.

Dave

I dont care for yellow wax either. Last year we didblue lake and kentucky? Or blue wpnder? The cross of kw and bl. Thoae were great. We also did french filet which i wasnt a fan of although i bet theyd be good grilled! We are trying fortex thia year though as ive heard nothing but good things.

I like rattlesnake. Good tasting bean and does well in heat.

My choices would be Fortex and Jade.

Personally I've never bumped into Fortex or Jade in the big box store selections, which the original question says are the main choices. All three of the stores mentioned, Lowes, Walmart, Home Depot, carry Burpee Seeds plus one or two other sources. Burpee does sell Fortex for example, but whether the retail bundle that your store obtained (of which Burpee must have over a dozen choices for retailers) includes this variety is a crapshoot. My experience is Blue Lake Pole is much more common in store racks, and I heartily recommend it. Kentucky Wonder Pole is also 'everywhere' but it does have the caveat that you pretty much have to be picking it every day in the heat of the Summer, because the pods do get tough quick.

Why do people still buy from stores? It takes less effort to go to a reputable website and get a better selection than you'll find in any big box.

First thing to do is give up on the stores.

ltilton, I think the reason people by from local stores is instant gratification (you can buy seeds and plant them the same day), and also the cost of shipping. If I want several packets of seeds, the shipping cost doesn't add up to much, but if I only want one thing, it starts to look a bit excessive.

It's true that there are many wonderful and less-common varieties to be had if you mail order. It's also true that there are some very reasonable varieties available at stores nearby.

As for bean variety, I grew a flat-podded Italian heirloom bean for a few years, and that was nice, and a bit different than usual. I'm starting to think that there are some real advantages to the purple-podded varieties, because they're easier to find on the vine. You wouldn't think it would be difficult to find all of the beans on your vines, but no matter how hard I try, I always miss some, and find monsters later on.

True you won't find them in the box stores but the OP did ask for "I'd like a heavy, consistent, good tasting producer. I've used Blue Lake in the past but not recently. Heirloom? Organic? Hybrid? Suggestions of specific varieties most eagerly welcome and appreciated."

Dave

I have long since abandoned any delusions of green beans being easy to find on the vine. If I could find a yellow version of Jade, I'd snap it up just for this reason.

Strike is good for a bush bean. Very productive, even when it's chilly. Why just shop in the stores? If it's money, look at Pinetree Seeds (superseeds.com). Their packages are smaller and so are the prices, and the shipping costs won't break the bank. I've cancelled several catalogs this year because the shipping costs have gone up too much, but not this catalog!

I'm also a fan of "Fortex", for its long pods (to 11"), firmness whether fresh or canned, and excellent flavor. They are especially great eaten raw. It has good cool-soil germination and disease resistance. The pods stay stringless & fiber-free for a long time, so you don't need to pick them every day. It's yield is also more prolonged than many pole beans; you pick less per day, but over a more sustained period.

Like most varieties, "Fortex" does have weaknesses. The long pods are very susceptible to wind bruising, so where high winds are a problem, they might not be the best choice. Many in warmer climates have reported poor yield.

"Emerite" (pole) has much in common with "Fortex", since both are filet-type beans. It too has excellent cool-soil germination. The round pods are exceptionally straight & firm, and IMO, it is one of the best pole beans for freezing & canning.

"Kentucky Wonder" (pole) has a very high yield potential, is widely adapted, and is one of my favorites for flavor... but as others have mentioned, it must be picked young.

"Rattlesnake" (pole) is widely adapted, but does especially well in warmer climates. It has great flavor & a pretty decent yield.

"Blue Marbutt" (pole) has a very high yield, firm pods, and does well in warmer climates.

I'm not much of a fan of bush beans now, but when I grew them, I liked "Greencrop". It is an older Kentucky Wonder-type bush bean, with large slightly flattened pods, great flavor, and a high yield.

There are some great heirlooms offered for trade by members of the Bean Forum.

Depending on where you live in Zone 7, heat can be a factor. I too, love Fortex, but it stops producing once daytime temps are hitting much over 90 degrees regularly (as do many other beans). I have longer harvests from it by planting it in late summer. It starts blooming about the time our temps begin to cool and then it produces well until frost around Thanksgving.

I also love Louisiana Purple Pod. It is an heirloom that is commonly grown in our area. I believe Southern Exposure Seed Exchange carries it. Kentucky Wonder produces longer than either of these two in my heat, but picking the beans becomes even more important when it's hot, or they become woody very fast.

I have only grown Blue Lake Bush beans, not the pole. I would bet that the pole type would be better tasting than the bush, just because that seems to be the rule of thumb with all varieties. (Taste, of course, being an entire subjective and individual thing.)

Thanks for your suggestions, Zeedman. I will put Emerite and Blue Marbutt on my list of new ones to try in the future.

For a green bean, I have been growing "Slenderette" and enjoyed it very much. As a matter of fact it's the only green bean I am growing this year. It is wonderful fresh of the plant, and does not have the strong metallic taste some green beans can have. "Royal Burgundy" is a purple bush bean, and is still my favorite. Purple podded pole beans are a good choice as well if you are looking for perhaps purple pole bean.

I understand you are not fond of yellow wax beans, and I thought the same was true for myself. Then I I stumbled upon perhaps one of the best beans I've ever tried. "Beurre de Rocquencourt", is a yellow wax bean, but it is magnificent in both flavor and texture. It's a real treat, and along with royal burgundy, it is the first beans to go into my garden each year.

Give the "Slenderette" a shot though if you are looking for a green bean, it's very prolific and never stringy. There are many seed sources, but I originally got mine from, St Claire Heirloom seeds.

....just adding a second recommendation to the Contender bush bean selection.

Like n2xjk said, Blue lake is hard to beat. Great taste and no strings. I have always grown the bush type, but this year I'm growing the poles, simply because I'm getting so old. They will be easier to pick with my old bones and if they taste about the same, It's a + for me.

I know I am in the minority re Fortex. I have tried them several times over many years and simply find that they are vastly inferior to my favorite, Emerite. I am fully aware that my results are probably a result of my particular growing conditions; my "terroir" to use the wine making guys term, as well as my personal taste. Flavor, productivity, freezability, canning, eating raw, etc..... in every category, I have found them to be superior. This about the only subject upon which I have ever disagreed with my younger mentor, Dig Dirt. Of course, he still has time to become wiser.
Victor

There are about as many opinions as there are gardeners ;)
I'll add a web site which lists and describes a good many Appalachian heirlooms, real STRING beans, which are my preference.

Having said that, I'd say it's worth looking and sending off for something most to one's liking and then saving seed. This eliminates having to purchase every year from the big box store. It's not hard to save bean seed.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Here is a link that might be useful: Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center Beans

Here's a link to download a PDF version of a simple seed saving guide for beans.

One more detail, which I only learned last fall. In drought and heat, bean flowers open up wider, thus making them more prone to out crossing. This explains why, in recent years, I've had to start planting with greater isolation distance between beans of the same variety.

George

Here is a link that might be useful: Saving Your Own Bean Seed

George, you didn't mention phaseolus acutifolius in your document.

DarJones

No. I will have to do a revision sometime and add it. I haven't grown tepary beans for over 20 years and it slipped my mind. Thanks Darjones.

George