Beans offer an enormous variety: From old bean varieties to new breeds, there is a lot to discover - you can find more about the variety here.
Bean pods come in a variety of colors
Still not sure what kind of bean you want to grow? Then take a look at the end of the article first. There you will find a decision-making aid for choosing the right type of bean for you.
Bush Beans
The following bush bean varieties have green pods and correspond to the typical green beans.
- Amethyst: pods colored purple; stringless and good yields; compact growth; Extension on the balcony possible.
- Bluevetta: purple-black pods; intense, good aroma.
- Boston: grass green pods; high yield.
- Brillant: traditional variety with extremely long and threadless pods; robust in growth and very productive.
- Brown Dutch: good variety; coffee-brown kernels and green pods.
- Cropper Teepee: early variety with elongated, stringless pods.
- Delinel: popular bush bean from France; very productive, stringless and excellent in taste.
- Dubbele Witte: stringless, early-ripening variety; grass green pods with good flavor.
- Doublet: Variety produces pods up to 20 cm long; very good resistance to fungal diseases; high yields.
- Jutta: stringless variety with good resistance to burn and grease stains; high yield.
- Maxi: stringless and high-yielding, early-ripening variety; easy to harvest as the pods grow above the foliage.
- Palatinate June: stringless, extremely early-ripening variety; excellent taste with good texture.
- Primrose: very long threadless pods (up to 20 cm); early ripening with high yields and very good taste.
- Prinzessa: light green variety with good disease resistance; very productive.
- Purple Teepee: stringless dark purple variety; very tastefull; 15 cm long and delicious pods.
- Royal Burgundy: threadless pods in dark violet to blue-black;very good taste.
- Speedy: early bush bean variety with deep green pods; good resistance to burn and grease stains.
- Talisman: stringless, early-ripening variety with first-class aroma and delicate texture.
- Vanguard: dark green Italian bush bean with white seeds; very productive with a wonderful taste.
Wax beans: bush beans with yellow pods
The following bush beans develop yellow pods that are very tender when harvested at the right time.
- Berggold: threadless pods; tried and tested variety with good taste and robust growth.
- Brittle Wax: ripe early; the nuclei are mottled light black; wonderful taste.
- Thick fleshy wax: stringless, golden-yellow variety with light-colored cores.
- Goldducat: yellow bush bean with elongated, stringless pods; very good taste.
- Golden Teepee: very early and high-yielding yellow bush bean variety; easy harvesting of the pods as they hang over the leaves.
- Hildora: high yields; yellow, long pods; outstanding taste.
- Valdor: deep yellow bush bean variety with threadless, very short pods; early maturity with good yields.
- Wax best of all: tried and tested traditional variety; long and very beautiful yellow pods; great taste.
Runner Beans
- Blauhilde: threadless, dark purple runner bean; exquisite taste; robust growth and resistant to various diseases.
- Algarve: early variety with light green, threadless, extremely long pods; the nuclei are clearly visible in the form of bulges; excellent taste and very productive.
- Eva: green-podded runner bean ripens very early; very long pods (up to 30 cm); high yields and very good taste.
- Matilda: early variety with elongated pods and fine texture; extremely high yields and outstanding taste.
- Mombacher Speck: very productive, stringless variety with green pods; a tried and tested classic.
- Neckargold: visually appealing variety with elongated, light yellow pods; very fleshy, stringless pods with a good aromatic taste.
- Rampicante S. Anna: early pole bean with slightly shorter dark green pods; nicely fleshy and stringless; good taste.
- Smeraldo: long runner beans with an above-average pod width; light green, precocious pods; first class taste.
Wax beans: Pole beans with yellow pods
Wax beans are also available in the growth form of runner beans.
- Anellino Giallo: quite late variety from Italy with golden-yellow pods and small, red seeds that have eye-catching speckles; especially the sleeve is strongly curved (partly semi-circular).
- Goldmarie: one of the first yellow-podded runner beans ever; very fleshy and stringless; good taste; robust in growth.
- Meraviglia Di Venezia A Grano Bianco: early-ripening runner beans with yellow skin; high yield; elongated threadless sleeves.
- Meraviglia Di Venezia: Pole beans with deep black grains from Italy; high yields; late maturity; stringless, fleshy pods.
- Neckarkönigin: traditional variety with a fine texture and high yields; light green-elongated pods; very robust and resistant to the mosaic virus.
Types of beans for using the bean kernels
The following varieties are particularly suitable for ripening and harvesting the bean kernels.
Bush bean varieties for use of the bean kernels:
- Borlotto (rosso): visually attractive, red-white speckled pods with late-ripening, red-brown kernels.
- Borlotto Di Vigevano: high yields; threadless and mottled in cream and red.
- Canadian Wonder: typical 'kidney bean'; productive with excellent taste.
- Cannelino: well-known Italian white bean; long, semi-flat pod that turns yellowish-green when fully ripe.
Types of runner beans for use of the bean kernels:
- Borlotto Lingua Di Fuoco 3: subtle, fiery red speckles on the pods.
Broad bean varieties
Broad beans, Vicia faba, are also often called broad beans and were widespread in the past. Today they are more likely to be found in weekly markets than in supermarkets. Like the French beans and pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), they belong to the legume family, but unlike their relatives, they belong to the genus 'vetches'. Depending on the variety, it can be harvested from the end of May to the beginning of August. The pods can also be eaten when they are young. The milk-ripe or mature bean kernels can be harvested later.
Early and mid-early varieties:
- Triple White: probably named for the white flower and seeds; very popular and common variety; Beans are delicious and tender.
- Osnabrücker Markt: tried and tested variety with very light cores.
- Witkiem (Early White Germ): long, thick pods of white beans.
Late varieties:
- Hangdown Grünkernig: medium late, proven and high-yielding variety; tendergreenish kernels.
- Hunsrück: very large growing bean variety with yellow to beige kernels.
- Listra: tasty field bean; very tender and tasty beans.
- Perla: extremely popular; tender with an excellent aroma; green kernels.
- Piccola: green seeds in slightly narrow pods; rapid growth and extremely stable variety; high yield; tolerant to focal spot disease and many other fungal diseases.
Variety for growing on balcony or terrace:
- Robin Hood: very popular variety; does not get too high; very tender grain with good aroma.
Exotic types of beans: runner beans, mung beans, cowpeas, etc.
The Runner Bean, Phaseolus coccineus, is well suited to gardens with damp and cool weather. In high heat, it grows rather poorly. Runner bean pods are coarser than common kidney beans and their pods and kernels are larger. In addition, the pods are usually fleshier. However, if you pick them early, you can still eat them as relatively tender beans. Both the pods can be eaten (e.g. in a stew) and the kernels (ripe for milk or dried). The following varieties are recommended:
- Prize winner: vigorous; tolerates harsh climates well.
- Red Rum: hybrid variety that produces many small pods; resistant to powdery mildew.
- White Giants: very resistant to weather; also for cold climate; long fleshy pods with threads.
'Prize Winner' and 'Red Rum' have red flowers, 'Wise Giants' have white flowers.
The mung bean, Vigna radiata, is also often called and is eaten either as a grain bean or as a germ. There isn't a great deal of variety on the market for either type of use.
The old-world variety, Vigna unguiculata, also has many other names, such as cowpea or snake bean . It forms very long slender pods that can be eaten in the same way as green beans.
Confused by so many choices? How to make the right decision
Think about what kind of beans you want to harvest and eat.
- Would you like to eat beans with the pods: Bush beans or runner beans
- In damp and cool weather: Fire Beans
- Or rather the beans like kidney beans: Types of beans for using the beans or Broad beans
- If you want to eat beans with pods, the pods should be particularly tenderbe? If so, why not try yellow beans, the so-called wax beans
- How much space do you have? If you have enough space in the bed, then bush beans are the easier choice for beginners
- Do you have any options for growing runner beans up a pole or trellis? Then you can also try the higher-yielding runner beans
- Would you like to harvest milk-ripe beans? Grow Broad Beans or in wetter, cooler climates Fire Beans
Now I hope you know what kind of beans you would like to grow the most. Now you can search in the appropriate paragraph for a variety that suits your location and ripens at the time you want. You can find out how to store beans properly and how to preserve them here.