Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: rivkele on April 13, 2011, 22:14

Title: runner beans or french beans?
Post by: rivkele on April 13, 2011, 22:14

Sorry if this is a very very stupid question, but when is a bean french and when is it a runner? I've just bought a packet which says it contains "pole beans". The variety's "Iluro" and looking it up on the internet i see it's Phaseolus vulgari, but nowhere can i find it described as french or runner.

Just curious really.

The picture on the packet looks like the beans i like when i buy them from the market, so i think i've bought the right thing, just wondered about the name and things like how heavily they crop etc.

rebecca

Title: Re: runner beans or french beans?
Post by: mumofstig on April 13, 2011, 22:27

Your beans are French climbing beans, English runner beans are phaseolus coccineus ;)

I don't know that variety, to talk about yield, sorry.

Title: Re: runner beans or french beans?
Post by: Swing Swang on April 13, 2011, 22:42

When runner beans germinate their cotyledons stay in the ground, whereas when french beans germinate their cotyledons grow out of the ground on the emerging shoot and open to form the 'seed leaves'

Title: Re: runner beans or french beans?
Post by: rivkele on April 13, 2011, 22:45

Thanks mumofstig, that's just what i wanted to know.

I haven't planted them yet, but i'll observe their cotyledons when i do, swingswang :D

Guess i'll just have to wait and see what sort of cropt they give me. the packet doesn't even bother to tell me how tall they grow :(

thanks again

rebecca

Title: Re: runner beans or french beans?
Post by: cooperman on April 13, 2011, 23:46

"pole beans" is american terminology for climbing french beans

I grow "Cherokee Trail of Tears" a heritage variety....

Title: Re: runner beans or french beans?
Post by: Swing Swang on April 14, 2011, 09:20

...and very tasty they are too

Title: Re: runner beans or french beans?
Post by: rivkele on April 14, 2011, 09:34

If i manage to grow these (it's my first year trying) i'll let you know what "Iluro" are like. I presume it's a spanish variety, it's a spanish seed company, and it was the only :ohmy: variety they had at my local garden centre.