Flat Italian bush bean???

Granite26 · March 26, 2011

Anybody have any recommendations for a good flat italian bush bean?

Also windering if anyone has tried Italian Rose and if so does it loose color when cooked like a purple bean does?

Thanks!

ddsack · March 26, 2011

I grow bush Romano beans, which I really like fresh. They are so tender and delicate that they tend to turn to mush when frozen. I use my excess frozen Romanos in soups, adding them at the last stages of simmering.

I have never tried Italian Rose, sounds interesting!

Granite26 · March 27, 2011

They are good thrown in to finish a soup arent they!

Tormato · March 29, 2011

Good...bush bean. That's kind of an oxymoron, here in pole bean land.

Roma II is as good as it gets for flat Italian bush beans, for me.
Dragon Langerie, also, if you want a flat bush bean, that isn't quite Italian.

Tormato

Ruth_10 · March 29, 2011

Ditto the Dragon Langerie. It is probably not quite as thick-fleshed as a Roma. Flavor of Dragon Langerie (Dragon Tongue) is outstanding.

Worth1 · March 29, 2011

I shall be cursed but I like the bush Kentucky Wonder been.

This year I am growing yard long beans.

Worth

Granite26 · March 29, 2011

Thanks for the suggestions!

delltraveller · March 29, 2011

I grow a Romano pole bean called Marengo (it's yellow) and the Dragon's Tongue bush bean, and they are similar in thickness. Both are pretty productive for me, and my 9 yr old niece likes them both. Last year I put the pole beans in the spot where I have a few tulips and daffodils. The leaves on the flowers have pretty much died down by the time the vines really get going. I used some old dried out weed stalks and trimmed off tree branches to make a support teepee. I've also had success using one of those tomato towers for pole beans to climb up. You can really use a pretty small space and still have pole beans.

Tormato · March 30, 2011

A very small space it can be. A few of my pole bean trials get the "square foot" gardening method. One square foot of garden space, a 10 foot pole with about 1 1/2 foot of it buried, and 5-6 beans planted around it. Production is several times that of bush beans for the same space.

As for bush beans, Blue Ribbon is another fine one.

Tormato

platys · March 30, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruth_10

Ditto the Dragon Langerie. It is probably not quite as thick-fleshed as a Roma. Flavor of Dragon Langerie (Dragon Tongue) is outstanding.

A vendor at my farmer's market had Dragon Tongues - I thought they looked totally cool, but I wasn't sure what to do with them. Do you just cook them like green beans? Or do you shell them?

delltraveller · March 30, 2011

You cook them like green beans. I find they don't take as long to cook as most green beans. Their purple stripes fade as the bean cooks, like other purple colored vegetables do.

tjg911 · March 30, 2011

i did not know that there is a ky wonder bush bean.

i grow ky wonder pole beans and a flat pod pole bean i got from a co-worker over 10 years ago. he got it from an old italian lady in his neighborhood. i call it ralph's pole bean because i have no idea what it is. it's very prolific and good tasting. pods are green and about 4-5" long. i'm picking them in mid to late october as i'm cleaning out the garden preparing to rototill it. they survive many frosts even down into the mid 20's!

i like these 2 well enough to not grow anything else. some bush beans, when i grew bush beans, had an odd taste (i describe them as very green tasting) and some were good. i assume the same would be true for pole beans so i won't grow any i can't taste first.

Tormato · March 31, 2011

t,

Very green tasting...sounds like you're describing Contender. Sure it's probably the earliest bean known, but it tastes like one's lawn. A few years back I started a few plants indoors, transplanted out very early, and started harvesting them in late May. I usually plant bean seeds in late May.

Tormato

Worth1 · March 31, 2011

Tom I could swear I planted KW bush beans last year. I was shocked too.
It was a flat bean it had to be KW.

roper2008 · March 31, 2011

I am pretty much new to bush beans, but I did try Roma II last year
and it was really good. This year I will be planting the Roma II and
trying Dragon's Tongue. My pole bean will be Rattlesnake.

March 26, 2011	#1
Granite26 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Western WI Posts: 359	Flat Italian bush bean??? Anybody have any recommendations for a good flat italian bush bean? Also windering if anyone has tried Italian Rose and if so does it loose color when cooked like a purple bean does? Thanks!

March 26, 2011	#2
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	I grow bush Romano beans, which I really like fresh. They are so tender and delicate that they tend to turn to mush when frozen. I use my excess frozen Romanos in soups, adding them at the last stages of simmering. I have never tried Italian Rose, sounds interesting! __________________ Dee **************

March 29, 2011	#5
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Ditto the Dragon Langerie. It is probably not quite as thick-fleshed as a Roma. Flavor of Dragon Langerie (Dragon Tongue) is outstanding. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

March 30, 2011	#12
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	i did not know that there is a ky wonder bush bean. i grow ky wonder pole beans and a flat pod pole bean i got from a co-worker over 10 years ago. he got it from an old italian lady in his neighborhood. i call it ralph's pole bean because i have no idea what it is. it's very prolific and good tasting. pods are green and about 4-5" long. i'm picking them in mid to late october as i'm cleaning out the garden preparing to rototill it. they survive many frosts even down into the mid 20's! i like these 2 well enough to not grow anything else. some bush beans, when i grew bush beans, had an odd taste (i describe them as very green tasting) and some were good. i assume the same would be true for pole beans so i won't grow any i can't taste first. __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

March 31, 2011	#15
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	bush bean I am pretty much new to bush beans, but I did try Roma II last year and it was really good. This year I will be planting the Roma II and trying Dragon's Tongue. My pole bean will be Rattlesnake.

March 27, 2011	#3
Granite26 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Western WI Posts: 359	They are good thrown in to finish a soup arent they!

March 29, 2011	#4
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	Good...bush bean. That's kind of an oxymoron, here in pole bean land. Roma II is as good as it gets for flat Italian bush beans, for me. Dragon Langerie, also, if you want a flat bush bean, that isn't quite Italian. Tormato

March 29, 2011	#6
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I shall be cursed but I like the bush Kentucky Wonder been. This year I am growing yard long beans. Worth

March 29, 2011	#8
delltraveller Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Iowa Posts: 481	I grow a Romano pole bean called Marengo (it's yellow) and the Dragon's Tongue bush bean, and they are similar in thickness. Both are pretty productive for me, and my 9 yr old niece likes them both. Last year I put the pole beans in the spot where I have a few tulips and daffodils. The leaves on the flowers have pretty much died down by the time the vines really get going. I used some old dried out weed stalks and trimmed off tree branches to make a support teepee. I've also had success using one of those tomato towers for pole beans to climb up. You can really use a pretty small space and still have pole beans.