I would say too general to just compare one color against another. Different varieties of beans seem to be more tender and taste better than others. But then what tastes best to one person doesn't necessarily mean that another person will agree.

For years and years and years all I grew was pole Blue Lake. But once I decided to branch out and try new to me varieties, I found beans I like better than the Blue Lake. Not that there is anything wrong with that variety. If it was the only thing I was growing, I would gladly eat them. But when I had some of the other varieties last year, I preferred to eat those beans if I had enough to cook up.

I had read about French Fillet beans which were supposedly more tender. I found that to be true and they were excellent in taste and texture.

Thanks! I have never tired fava beans, either, so I'll look for a couple different ones next time I shop.

For years my favorite beans were White Half Runners, which are sort of short pole beans, growing to about 5'. They're still my favorites for summer eating; for winter I prefer a fleshier bean, but like Rita says, taste for one person isn't the same for another. I think I need to do what Rita did and venture out and try something new when I plant.

I have not tried to grow Limas in many years and the one year I did I don't remember any great success. I just buy my shelling beans and grow the types you eat fresh. But I did try cowpeas last year, which are really a type of bean and not a pea. I found I didn't have enough room for a decent crop and my few plants didn't do much. So I will not be trying those again.

It was my opinion that the Black Seeded Blue Lake I tried last year had a stronger bean flavor than the traditional Blue Lakes which have a white seed.

The burgundy purple beans tasted good but if you cooked them in a mixed bean dish you would never know they came from peuple beans. They do turn green. Last year my favorites were the yellow varieties. To me these were the most tender and had a really nice taste.

French Filet Pole from Renes Garden-
http://www.reneesgarden.com/se...
Scroll down the page. To show you about taste differences in what people think, year before last I had grown the Spanish Musica because I had read people raving about it. I thought it was so bad that I only tried eating them once and pulled out the vines immediately after as I was not about to eat them again.

Last year I also grew a green bush bean called Tenderette which I thought was the blandest tasting bean I had ever had. I was not impressed. It will not be back.

I have never grow Ramano or Fava or Half Runner beans so don't know if I would like them or not. I did think yellow beans and the french filet types were ones I would like to explore more and grow again.

@sharon, thank you so much for the info! I have starred the posts so I can go back to them and refer when I start planning my garden. I have many of the plants you mention so it should be easy for me to do. I am not familiar with tansy though. I do have rue and have been very happy using it around my roses but I have been getting JB damage to my zinnias the past couple of years so maybe I'll plant some here and there in the flower garden.

Arlene grew the French Gold beans last year also. I raved about them so much on the Edibles Forum that she wanted to try them last fall and grew them in her greenhouse.

I am surprised that Rick is not here. I thought Rick grew beans, maybe not. @RickCorey are you planning on beans this year?

Tansy is one that must be grown in pots, it's everywhere before you realize it if you aren't careful. But it's also good to grow around a sitting area because it keeps the mosquitoes away. If you remind me later, I'll send you some when it wakes up again, but you have to promise you'll plant it in pots. I love the plant, the blooms are great and the foliage is greater, but oh boy, it does take over. I have it growing beside one of my Rose of Sharon trees and also beside the rose 'Carefree Beauty', and though I sometimes get a JB infestation they never get anywhere near the tansy, so the rose and the ROS have no problems. Same is true of everything else that grows near the tansy.

And it stinks to high heaven actually, but only if it's broken or otherwise disturbed. The regular scent of the blooms isn't something to write home about, but when it's broken, the scent is not nice at all.

I might try the French Gold this year, Rita, thanks.

I am for sure going to be growing that French Gold this year, I already have seeds. I also will mostly likely be planting two varieties of the french fillet bush beans. I do prefer pole beans but I have the seed for these two bush types, one a green and one a yellow . And I will be growing my yard longs as I just love yard long beans.

Yes, I have more of the French Gold to plant this year! I may start some early again in the other greenhouse.

Sharon, I would love a piece of tansy, and yes, I promise to keep it in a pot! We are actually making a new sitting flower garden area this year that it would be perfect to use around the bench! Sounds better than the rue, which also has a strange scent!

It can get to 3+ feet tall, so keep that in mind. One of us needs to remember this when it breaks dormancy.

So does it need rings or staking? I will try to remember!

Either will work, I usually use rings.

Okay, great! Thank you so much!

You are so welcome.

Rita,

In my mind, beans are "warm weather crops". I have such cool nights all summer that I never think of it as "warm weather" I probably COULD grow beans but have not tried.

I have some "Pencil Pod Wax Bean" seeds for yellow pods / black seeds. I do prefer wax beans, or yellow beans. In my imagination they have less of that "green" taste, more "buttery" or sweet. That's based on nothing but commercial beans, vague memory and prejudice.

They are "bush" beans and I would much prefer "pole". Do you know any pole, wax beans?

I bought some 'Super Marconi' beans from Franchi. A pole Roma type (flat pod?). I know they are meaty and strongly flavored, unlike the mild buttery wax beans, but I also like "hearty".

I may need to pre-sprout beans since my cold, wet clay seems to rot anything that is rot-able.

My main deterrent to growing beans is that I love snap and snow peas, and have limited space. If I have the time and energy this spring, I'll plant some peas in pots, and reserve a few tipis for the pole Romas.

Do you guys ever eat beans raw? I've started to think that a veggy "can't be very GOOD" if I can get them all the way to the kitchen and into boiling water before eating all of them.

Rick, I am constantly eating beans raw. I go out to the garden and pick. Some make it into the bowl to go inside but many just get eaten as I am working. That is why I like tender types that have good flavor when small as I like to eat them raw.

You can grow beans in pots just like I grow peas and that might give them more warmth. But they can not be crowded like peas can. If beans are crowed they don't produce.

You need to look at the popular seed companies for a great selection of pole beans. There seem to be different ones at different sites.

Some beans are OK raw, some not so much.

That is why I like tender varieties. I can't imagine eating the big flat podded types raw. But "green bean" types are really good raw. Pick the smaller pods when your eating raw.