Marvel of Venice: Pole or Bush?

Don S · September 25, 2018

I am growing Marvel of Venice (translated) beans from Baker Creek for the first time this year. They are advertised as pole beans (and other suppliers say they grow up to 9ft tall). Mine have been producing beans like mad for a month yet they are less than 24 inches tall !

My other beans (Rattlesnake, Fortex, Blue Lake) are near the MoV, have received he same treatment, and are now 7 ft. high, so I'm at a loss to explain this behavior.

They are very good tasting, but I am wondering if I received the correct variety. Has anyone else tried raising MoV (or Meraviglia di Venezie) and if so, how high did your plants get?

rxkeith · September 25, 2018

i have grown it several years.
my seeds came from seeds from italy.
my bean seed is white.
bean is long yellow, somewhat flat.
most definitely a pole bean, long vines.
sounds like a mix up somewhere.

keith

Zeedman · September 26, 2018

It may be that the seed sent to you was misidentified (which is not out of the question for BC) or it be that the variety is just responding differently to your conditions. I have not grown Meraviglia Di Venezia personally; but as an SSE member, I can look back to descriptions given by those who offered the variety since 2000. It has been described as a strong climber... but then, it is also usually described as being partially or completely black seeded, so there may be several different strains in circulation.

I grow a different heirloom wax bean (Uzice Speckled Wax) that performs for me much as described in the OP. It grows as "semi-pole" in my garden, with weak vines, with the majority of the beans produced at 24" or below. It has performed the same way each time I grow it, while other pole beans (grown in the same garden / same year) have densely covered their 6' trellis.

Despite the variety's reluctance to climb, it is highly productive, and I have shared it widely. The funny thing is, some of the people I have sent seed reported back to say it was a strong climber! Really odd that two different pole wax beans would perform this way... perhaps they share some common ancestry.

imp · September 26, 2018

I've grown this ( and still have seed in that mess of a box!) and it was a strong climber for me here in Texas.

Tormato · October 5, 2018

I've had MoV pole beans (both white and black seeded varieties), and Dwarf MoV (white seeded) which was a bush bean. I hope that clears it up.

MissMoustache · October 11, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by imp

I've grown this ( and still have seed in that mess of a box!) and it was a strong climber for me here in Texas.

Imp, I'm pretty sure your box of seeds is like Mary Poppins bag

Don S, I'm in Wisconsin and it's been a Pole Bean for me too the last two years.

Tormato, I'm gonna go have a look round the internet for some dwarf then for my sister! She grows exclusively in waist high raised beds and she loves the Marvel of Venice from my garden.

September 25, 2018	#1
Don S Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Westbrook, CT Posts: 41	Marvel of Venice: Pole or Bush? I am growing Marvel of Venice (translated) beans from Baker Creek for the first time this year. They are advertised as pole beans (and other suppliers say they grow up to 9ft tall). Mine have been producing beans like mad for a month yet they are less than 24 inches tall ! My other beans (Rattlesnake, Fortex, Blue Lake) are near the MoV, have received he same treatment, and are now 7 ft. high, so I'm at a loss to explain this behavior. They are very good tasting, but I am wondering if I received the correct variety. Has anyone else tried raising MoV (or Meraviglia di Venezie) and if so, how high did your plants get?

September 26, 2018	#3
Zeedman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 313	It may be that the seed sent to you was misidentified (which is not out of the question for BC) or it be that the variety is just responding differently to your conditions. I have not grown Meraviglia Di Venezia personally; but as an SSE member, I can look back to descriptions given by those who offered the variety since 2000. It has been described as a strong climber... but then, it is also usually described as being partially or completely black seeded, so there may be several different strains in circulation. I grow a different heirloom wax bean (Uzice Speckled Wax) that performs for me much as described in the OP. It grows as "semi-pole" in my garden, with weak vines, with the majority of the beans produced at 24" or below. It has performed the same way each time I grow it, while other pole beans (grown in the same garden / same year) have densely covered their 6' trellis. Despite the variety's reluctance to climb, it is highly productive, and I have shared it widely. The funny thing is, some of the people I have sent seed reported back to say it was a strong climber! Really odd that two different pole wax beans would perform this way... perhaps they share some common ancestry. Last edited by Zeedman; September 26, 2018 at 08:29 PM. Reason: where did wide spacing come from?

September 26, 2018	#4
imp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Wichita Falls, Texas Posts: 4,832	I've grown this ( and still have seed in that mess of a box!) and it was a strong climber for me here in Texas. __________________ I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing.

September 25, 2018	#2
rxkeith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Back in da U.P. Posts: 1,848	i have grown it several years. my seeds came from seeds from italy. my bean seed is white. bean is long yellow, somewhat flat. most definitely a pole bean, long vines. sounds like a mix up somewhere. keith

October 5, 2018	#5
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	I've had MoV pole beans (both white and black seeded varieties), and Dwarf MoV (white seeded) which was a bush bean. I hope that clears it up.