Runner beans

[donedigging]

At work we sell two types of runner bean,

one, the traditional type, rough skinned and dark green.
Second, a light green flat stringless bean

Can anyone please point me in the direction of the variety please

[freddy]

Hi DD.

You sell them and you don't know what they are? I reckon it's virtually impossible to know from that description. Indeed, I'd be interested to know how one can tell one from another, maybe the colour of the flowers can be a clue.

Cheers...Freddy.

[donedigging]

Hi Freddy,

Perhaps I haven't made my post that clear,

I work in a supermarket and sell these beans, so I don't have any means of knowing what colour flower they each produce, we just sell the finished product .

I would like to know what variety the light green stingless bean is please

[freddy]

Ahh, well, we have some clever folks on here, so maybe one of them can be of assistance. I have to say though, that I would be very impressed if someone came up with the variety. Isn't there any way you could trace it from the supplier? BTW, hello from a fellow 'carrot cruncher' (from Bristol)

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Donedigging, i don't know the actual variety, but have found that the white fowered varieties are often a paler bean.

[Geoff]

If you usually grow one of the older varieties like Scarlet Emperor or Kelvedon Wonder you might be used to seeing rather rougher beans than you get with modern varieties like Red Flame and Red Rum.

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Donedigging, are the pale ones flat beans, they are usually paler?

http://www.hub-uk.com/vegetables/flat-beans.htm

[JohnN]

Perhaps 'Polaris' for the stringless?

[donedigging]

Thank you all for your replies.

Natures Babe, thank you for the link, just what I was looking for

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Donedigging, I rarely venture into the big supermarkets, but like you I noticed the difference in their beans. i haven't tried growing the flat beans, how do they compare for flavour? This year I grew the new moonlight and Wisley Magic both went into soil rich in organic content and performed very well indeed, but on balance the wisley magic was more productive with longer beans that were as tender and tasty as the moonlight. I do interplant with flowers to attract lots of pollinators to the garden and I think that benefitted the red flowered wisleys which fed ourselves family and the neighbours and loads preserved for winter too. On balance now my three favourite runners are Wisley magic, moonlight and enorma.