Good poke bean variety - Page 2

GoDawgs · March 13, 2018

Does anyone in the Deep South have any experience with Fortex? Most of the recs seem to be from y'all way up north (except for a few Texans). I've learned that stuff that does well up north often fails to perform in the heat and humidity down here.

rxkeith · March 13, 2018

i have held off mentioning my uncle steve italian pole beans due to location.
i don't believe they would hold up for long in texas heat.
still, its a great bean.

keith

oakley · March 13, 2018

Beans love the heat so I think Fortex should do great. I'm surprised I can grow beans at
all in my cool climate. For some reason small seed French fillets do best. Pole and bush.
Of course sugar snaps do really well loving the cool spring weather.

All beans seem to get very thirsty once flowering so daily water is needed but not
necessarily a deep watering like tomatoes.

Limka, new to me this year, is a Romano type. I always grow a few Romano varieties but
can get woody/chewy/dry and stringy some seasons so maybe Limka will be the answer.
No idea if they do well in the south.

Maybe Fortex is the SunGold of the pole beans...does well anywhere.

Kentucky Wonder does not do well at all up North. For me anyway. Stringy and no flavor.
Maybe needs to be boiled with a salty ham hock.

I like the French fillets raw or just a minute in a hot skillet. Butter/garlic chips.

Tormato · March 14, 2018

Rattlesnake would likely be the best choice in the south for easy to locate varieties.

(Worth, post #11 has mostly flat podded types)

Tormato · March 14, 2018

Also, for the south, and anywhere with hot weather, there are yard long beans.

GoDawgs · March 14, 2018

I did Rattlesnake last year for the first time and they did so-so while the Duke, Strike and Golden Rod bush beans did great.

However I also tried Cherokee Trail Of Tears for the first time, looking for a shellie bean and it produced a ton. You can eat them fresh but have to get them young. Then I had to experiment with how long to let them stay on to avoid the shelling stage getting into the dried bean area. I'll do them again this year.

I already do Red Noodle yard longs. Boy howdie, do they produce!

Zeedman · March 14, 2018

I would second the recommendations of Rattlesnake & Romano-type beans for warmer areas. In really hot areas, yardlong beans prosper... but most of them taste much different from common snap beans (I have one, Sierra Madre, which comes close).

In the hottest areas, where regular pole beans languish, hyacinth beans are a good alternative. They are beautiful, sweet-scented pole beans, and are highly productive. The cooked flavor of some that I tasted was very similar to regular snaps. They need to be picked young though, and should not be eaten raw.

March 13, 2018	#16
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	Does anyone in the Deep South have any experience with Fortex? Most of the recs seem to be from y'all way up north (except for a few Texans). I've learned that stuff that does well up north often fails to perform in the heat and humidity down here.

March 13, 2018	#17
rxkeith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Back in da U.P. Posts: 1,848	i have held off mentioning my uncle steve italian pole beans due to location. i don't believe they would hold up for long in texas heat. still, its a great bean. keith

March 13, 2018	#18
oakley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: NewYork 5a Posts: 2,303	Beans love the heat so I think Fortex should do great. I'm surprised I can grow beans at all in my cool climate. For some reason small seed French fillets do best. Pole and bush. Of course sugar snaps do really well loving the cool spring weather. All beans seem to get very thirsty once flowering so daily water is needed but not necessarily a deep watering like tomatoes. Limka, new to me this year, is a Romano type. I always grow a few Romano varieties but can get woody/chewy/dry and stringy some seasons so maybe Limka will be the answer. No idea if they do well in the south. Maybe Fortex is the SunGold of the pole beans...does well anywhere. Kentucky Wonder does not do well at all up North. For me anyway. Stringy and no flavor. Maybe needs to be boiled with a salty ham hock. I like the French fillets raw or just a minute in a hot skillet. Butter/garlic chips.

March 14, 2018	#19
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	Rattlesnake would likely be the best choice in the south for easy to locate varieties. (Worth, post #11 has mostly flat podded types)

March 14, 2018	#22
Zeedman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 313	I would second the recommendations of Rattlesnake & Romano-type beans for warmer areas. In really hot areas, yardlong beans prosper... but most of them taste much different from common snap beans (I have one, Sierra Madre, which comes close). In the hottest areas, where regular pole beans languish, hyacinth beans are a good alternative. They are beautiful, sweet-scented pole beans, and are highly productive. The cooked flavor of some that I tasted was very similar to regular snaps. They need to be picked young though, and should not be eaten raw.