There is nothing I like better fresh out of the garden than beans. The tenderness and flavor cannot match what you get in the grocery store. In my search for the perfect beans there is one thing I always rule out, growing meaty beans. That is beans that tend to grow large seeds rather quickly. I have tried different bush bean varieties with varying results. Some have been good, and some not so much. Last year I grew filet beans, also called haricot verts or French beans (not French cut beans, that is a style of slicing green beans). These beans are naturally thin and are string less. You can buy them in some specialty grocery stores, but you are going to pay an arm and leg for them. So that is another great reason to grow them yourself.
Last year I grew some filet beans for the first time. Unfortunately I had a lot of problems last year to be able to fully review all the varieties I grew (I had 3). The combination of my garden flooding right after planting and a couple week visit by some Japanese beetles, pretty much wiped out most of my crop. One variety I grew (Concador) was completely wiped out. The other two I grew were called Tavera (Green) and Velour (Purple). The Velour did well, produced a lot of pretty purple beans with a good flavor. The Tavera which I grew right next to the Velour, did not do very well. The plants just didn't produce much, especially when compared to the Velour. I plan to bring back the Velour this year and try another green filet bean variety. I also might want to try the pole filet beans sold by Renee's Garden (see below)
Below you will find a list of options available from various seed companies.
Johnny's
1. Maxibel (7" Green) $3.95/packet
2. Tavera (4-5" Green) $3.45/packet
3. Velour (4-5" first Purple filet beans) $3.45/packet
4. Concador (4 Β½ - 5" yellow) $3.45/packet
Burpee
1. French Filet Stringless (Green) $3.95/packet
2. Triumphe De Farcy Bush (Green) $3.95/packet
Renee's Garden
1. Rolande (Green) $2.79/packet
2. Emerite (Green Pole) $2.99/packet
3. French Gold (Yellow Pole) $3.99/packet
John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds
1. Maxi (Green Bush) 150 seeds for $3.75
2. Soleil (Yellow Wax) 180 seeds for $3.95
3. Roc d'Or (Yellow Wax) 75 seeds for $3.75
4. Nickel (Green) 160 seeds for $3.95
Suzanne
High Mowing Organic Seeds sells organic, non-gmo Maxibel haricot verts for $2.95 pet oz.
Eric Samuelson
Thanks for sharing Suzanne!