I found a packet of Haricot Vert seeds in my recently delivered seed order.
I looked at that packet and had no idea what those seeds were for. I was convinced the seed company had made a mistake or that the garden fairies had indeed tricked me into ordering some seeds for them.
Honestly I thought ‘what are these seeds for?’ And then I remembered that ‘vert’ is French for green and deduced that ‘haricot’ must be French for beans. Oh, green beans! Yes, French green beans.
Then I remembered. I had decided to try a new variety of green beans and went to the “international seed” section of the Pinetree Garden Seeds website and found this French variety called ‘Maxibel’. I had momentarily forgotten about ordering them (my first senior moment?) and had no idea they would be labeled Haricot Vert instead of green beans.
Now that I know what they are, I think they sound very good and very continental. They’ll add a little sophistication to my Hoosier vegetable garden. Maybe I’ll go all out and plant some courgettes to make it a really fancy garden, I mean ‘potager’?
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I’m also planting my tried and true variety of green beans, ‘Provider’. I love these beans. If it’s a good year and I can keep the rabbits and Mexican bean beetles away from my garden, I’m in for a treat. And this year, I will plant green beans every two weeks so that I don’t end up with all my green beans ready to eat at once.
Are there any other green bean varieties I should try?
Ah, les haricot verts sont tres delicieux…this is a cute post, Carol. Have you ever grown purple green beans? They’re purple on the vine, but when steamed, turn a lovely deep green (and that’s when they’re ready to eat, not boiled to death, an ongoing discussion in chez DeLong/Huntley.) Of course, you can also likely grow les aubergines aussi…;-)
I have always grown Blue Lake. Are Provider similar? Maybe I should try that variety this year.
I LOVE haricot vert!…and since I no longer do any canning, it is the only bean I plant now for fresh eating. We are spoiled by their tenderness. 🙂 The variety I grow is called Straight N Narrow, a dark green French filet bean from Nichols Garden Nursery.
So funny, Carol. We are becoming,or have been , a worldwide community and must learn some new vocabulary, eh? We grow the blue lake wonder, a cross between Kentucky wonder and blue lake, both pole beans. They are easier to pick, no bending and grow above the rabbit line of access. Yes to the courgettes!
Frances at Faire Garden
I’m with vonlafin—-‘Blue Lake’ does wonderfully for me here—very high yields and just a really yummy, fresh green bean flavor.
I’m going to look into ‘Blue Lake Wonder’ (thanks, Frances!)—it sounds like a good one 🙂
I always make sure the Green Beans I purchase in a can are Blue Lake. I think they are the best.
My two sisters think Fortex beans are the best, and since they used to run a restaurant, they must have good taste, no?
For bush/dwarf beans, I’ve tried Dragon’s Tongue — beautiful to look at, but they sulked in my climate. I suspect it was too hot for them, so maybe your area would be OK. This year I’ve been growing Italian Romano and Stringless Dwarf; both have yielded well. Ten seeds a week, sown every two weeks, is enough for our household (2 adult bean-lovers; the kids aren’t keen yet). My suggestion on courgette/zucchini is to plant only one plant, unless you really, really like them. It is rather a robust plant to appear in a delicate potager, I feel!
Jodi…Yes, I have tried purple beans, they are good. Now I have to go look up ‘aubergines’
Vonlafin… Yes, I’ve grown ‘Blue Lake’ and it is a good bean, too. I just like these beans better.
Connie… Thanks for the comment, now you’ve got me wanting to taste these beens RIGHT NOW.
Frances… Thanks for reminding me. I want to try pole beans again. I will look for ‘Blue Lake Wonder’ to buy with my next seed order.
Colleen… Hmmmm… maybe I should grow ‘Blue Lake’ again to compare side by side with ‘Provider’.
Lisa at Greenbow… Yes, they are good.
Kathy… I’ve never heard of that variety of beans, I’ll have to look them up.
Chookie… I’m going to follow your advise… ten seeds every two weeks and see how that goes. And my next post, up now, is about my squash selections for this year.
Thanks all for the comments, and let me know if there are any other beans that I should try.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
I grew Maxibel and Provider last year and had more beans than I could imagine. They are great varieties. I will grow both again this year. Its a nice find in your seed order.