The best varieties of climbing and bush beans

The advances in bean breeding are astounding. A wide variety of bean varieties can be found on shelves and in farmland: miniature bushes, sprawling vines, edible pods, and beans in every color of the rainbow. However, different varieties have different requirements and characteristics that require closer examination.

Curly

Legumes in this category are characterized by vine-like branches reaching up to 5 meters in length. Climbing beans not only save space in the garden but also provide decorative features and sun protection. However, the growing season is quite long, making them impractical for cultivation in cold climates.

Blauhilda

A unique green bean with long, fleshy, dark purple pods. After cooking, the pods turn dark green. It has a piquant, meaty aroma.

In the climatic conditions of the middle zone, it is better to grow it through seedlings.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	90-110	April-May	300-400	16-22

Borlotto

A variety of bean with delicious beans with a nutty aftertaste. A distinctive feature of this variety is the unusual, fiery color of the vine. The plant also produces red flowers. The beans and their color changes are especially noteworthy: the initially green fruits develop a dark red marbled pattern over time.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	70-90	end of May - beginning of June	300-350	15

Violet

A climbing bean variety also known as "Dragon's Tongues." It boasts not only excellent bean quality but also high ornamental value. During the fruiting season, the plants are covered with long, light-lilac pods. As they ripen, the seeds change color from green to azure and dark purple. It produces a good yield.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	75-80	May	200-300	15

Harmony

This is a mid-season, versatile variety. Its distinguishing feature is that it is a semi-sweet variety—in other words, both the young pods and the seeds can be eaten.

Gardeners and horticulturists value it for its low maintenance, good germination, stable yield, and drought tolerance. Harmony is characterized by golden-colored bean pods and milky-colored beans.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Semi-sugar	65-85	May-June, after frosts	300-350	12-15

Gerda

Gerda is easy for any gardener, even a beginner. The plant is easy to grow, but has specific site requirements: a well-lit, wind-free area is ideal for the Gerda variety. It also requires sturdy support.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	50-60	end of May - beginning of June	300	20-30

Green Giant

Among other varieties of asparagus beans, the Green Giant stands out for its large pods. The texture and flavor of the beans are also outstanding: the delicate, sugary flavor of the seeds is accompanied by a soft, parchment-free pod.

This variety bears fruit for a fairly long time: from the moment the first pods appear until the first frost. This bean variety blooms with small lilac flowers. It prefers sunny locations and light soil.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	50-60	May-June	300	20

Golden Neck

This is a miniature representative of the climbing bean variety: the vine rarely exceeds 1.5 meters in length. However, it produces relatively large, snow-white flowers, pale yellow pods, and milky-colored fruits.

Loves light soil, no drafts and lots of sun.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	65-75	May-early June	100-200	22

Golden Nectar

This is a very productive variety of climbing asparagus bean. The pods are quite long, and the pods themselves contain white beans of outstanding flavor.

For planting, choose sandy loam soils rich in lime with good drainage.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	65-70	May, after the spring frosts	300-400	22-25

Spanish White

The giant, delicious beans, five times larger than those of other shelling varieties, are the hallmark of the Spanish white bean. It blooms with large white flowers, making it a popular choice for landscaping and garden decoration. The pods are bright green, oval, relatively short and wide, containing about four large beans.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	70-80	May	300-400	13

Royal Grain

This bean variety quickly climbs any available support, so many gardeners plant it near a tall fence. It produces numerous large, attractive white flowers, making it a popular garden ornamental. This variety produces large, protein-rich beans and produces a good yield.

A disadvantage of the Royal Bean is its vulnerability to frost, so it is not suitable for growing in regions where the temperature drops below 12 degrees Celsius.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	67-77	May with a stable temperature of 12-15 °C	300-350	12-14

Nomad

At technical maturity, Nomad beans are light green with a faint purple tint, which becomes more vibrant as they ripen. Another distinctive feature of this variety is the absence of a parchment layer and fiber. Nomad beans are ochre-colored, with a variegated, pale purple pattern.

The plant is slightly susceptible to anthracnose in open ground and moderately susceptible to gray mold when grown in a greenhouse. Provided favorable conditions are provided, it can bear fruit until October.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	65-75	end of May - beginning of June	250-350	16-18

Lambada

The variety is valued by gardeners for its resistance to both drought and cold: beans can be grown in virtually any climate and region.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	80-90	for seedlings - at the beginning of May; in open ground – at the beginning of June	300-400	15-18

Melody

Melodiya is an early-ripening variety and boasts exceptional yields. Its delicious, long, flat pods and pearl-like white beans will enhance any dish.

Prefers black soil or non-acidic light soils.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	45-50	mid-to-late May	300-400	24-25

Despite the extremely short growing season, the variety is not suitable for cultivation in Siberia and northern Russia for the purpose of harvesting.

Winner

This variety is a fiery bean variety. It's distinguished by its ornamental qualities. The bushes of this bean are very striking: slender vines with numerous small, bright red flowers. If young beans are regularly harvested from the Pobeditel, it will continue to grow green and bloom, forming new fruits.

This variety is the most common in Russia, as it's undemanding when it comes to growing conditions. The only thing Pobeditel doesn't tolerate is frost; even slight drops in temperature kill the plant.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Semi-sugar	50-60	in May after frosts	350-400	20

Pink

Plants of this variety require significant support, but the effort is rewarded with a generous yield. Pink beans produce long, marbled, sword-shaped beans, completely devoid of fiber and a parchment layer. Mature bean seeds are pink with purple streaks and a distinctive pattern. They have excellent flavor.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	65–80	May-June	200-350	20

Turk

The light green leaves of the Turkish pod cover the plants very densely, making it often grown as an ornamental plant. The pods are slightly curved and flat, and come in two colors: pink and green. The most delicious fruits are harvested when the seeds are still soft.

The main advantage of this variety is that the beans continue to bear fruit for a long time. Fresh Turchanka beans don't keep very long, so the best option for storing and preserving them is freezing.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	60–70	May-June	200-400	20

Fatima

Fatima beans are straight, fairly long, sweet, tender, without a parchment layer or strings, and light green in color. This variety is characterized by a long fruiting period and high yields.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	55-65	end of May - beginning of June	200-300	22

Festival

This Dutch guest boasts straight, bright green, and particularly large pods. Festival can be stored fresh for quite a long time, and it also freezes well without losing its flavor.

In open ground, it bears fruit until frost; in a greenhouse, it bears fruit for 5 months. It is disease-resistant.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Semi-sugar	65-80	since mid-May	200-300	30-35

Bushy

Bush beans are characterized by their modest size: the bushes rarely exceed half a meter in height. The yield of these varieties is also relatively low. However, bush beans are not without their advantages: they ripen relatively early, and the yield is consistent.

Bush varieties are an ideal solution for farmers and for growing crops on an industrial scale.

Aida Gold

This variety is ideal for both open-field and greenhouse cultivation. The ripening time of the golden-yellow pods and beans (hence the variety's name) depends directly on weather and climate conditions. A distinctive feature is the pods' retention on the plant for a long time after ripening.

Aida Gold is characterized by relatively high yields, excellent flavor, and disease resistance. It is suitable for mechanical harvesting and processing.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Semi-sugar	70-90	May-June	30-40	10-12

Ballad

The plant is covered with medium-sized, round or diamond-shaped leaves, adorned with pink flowers during flowering. Ballada beans are typically straight, medium-length, and heart-shaped. The beige beans are covered with a purple pattern.

The variety is resistant to lodging, shattering, drought, and diseases, especially bacterial blight. An additional advantage is that Ballada is suitable for mechanical harvesting.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	77-105	May-June	36-50	12-15

Bona

The robust, miniature bush is covered with fleshy, light green pods that contain several milky seeds.

Bona is a heat-loving plant, so it grows best in well-lit and warmed areas. The variety is resistant to anthracnose and bacterial blight.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	75-80	beginning of June	30-40	12-14

Crane

The plant has green leaves and medium-sized white flowers. The beans are gently curved, smooth, and green. The seeds of Zhuravushka are elliptical, white, and widely used in cooking. The yield is relatively low, but the variety is extremely resistant to bacterial wilt.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	45-55	end of May - beginning of June	40–52	12-13

Cinderella

This variety boasts large, bright pink flowers, making it often used as an ornamental plant. The yellow, oblong pods contain several white, oval beans. Cinderella is popular for its good yield and resistance to bacterial wilt and anthracnose.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	50-60	end of May - beginning of June	50-55	12-14

Inga

The variety is noteworthy for its productivity: despite its tiny bush and small pods, Inga boasts a relatively high yield compared to other bush beans. Other advantages include its tolerance to adverse growing conditions.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	45-65	May-June	25-35	9-12

Indiana

The variety is notable for the color of its seeds: on a white “background” of beans, a red pattern is applied, which has features in common with an Indian in a headdress.

Another unique feature of Indiana is the ability to harvest twice per season. The key requirement is comfortable and, most importantly, warm climate conditions.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	60-70	since mid-May	40-50	15

Yin-Yang

The variety's unique coloring is its hallmark: the black and white beans mimic the famous symbol. Furthermore, for its small size, the variety boasts a relatively high yield, earning it the love and respect of many gardeners and farmers.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	55-75	since the end of May	35-45	12-14

Caramel

The variety received its name due to the outstanding taste qualities of not only the fruits, but also the green pod, completely devoid of the parchment layer.

High resistance to many viral diseases of beans is another undoubted advantage of Karamel.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	50-60	May	30-40	Up to 15

Royal Purple Pod

The variety probably received its royal name due to its white and pink stripes, which are somewhat reminiscent of a tiger's coloring.

The advantages of this variety, in addition to its unique color, include the ability to be grown outdoors, high yield, and disease resistance.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	60-75	May-June	35-50	12

Little Red Riding Hood

The plant produces white flowers, which eventually develop into two-valved beans with incomplete internal partitions, between which lie large seeds. The beans are white with a bright red spot near the eye, hence their name.

The variety produces high yields, and the fruits ripen evenly. Red Riding Hood beans retain their shape when cooked.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	95-100	April-May, provided protection from frost	25-35	10-12

Martin

The plant produces medium-sized pods. The beans are snow-white, covered with bright purple spots.

Swallow beans are unpretentious, resistant to drought and a number of diseases that often affect the crop.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	65-75	mid-May-early June	30-40	15

Laura

Laura is a disease-resistant variety that successfully resists anthracnose and bacterial rot. A distinctive feature of this bean is its high yield.

Despite the fact that Laura is a fairly heat- and moisture-loving variety, it tolerates drought and other unfavorable conditions well.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	45-50	May-June	35-45	9-12

The Butter King

This relatively recently developed variety is suitable for both open-ground cultivation in temperate climates and greenhouses. It grows quite compactly: up to 35 plants can fit in a single square meter.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	50-65	end of May - beginning of June	30-40	25

A housewife's dream

The variety is characterized by stable and high yields, resistance to a number of diseases, especially ascochyta blight and anthracnose.

The Housewife's Dream is a fairly heat-loving variety that is drought-resistant and practically does not shed.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	64–86	May-June	30-60	10-12

Nagano

This Dutch plant is ideal for open ground and hot climates. In cooler temperatures, it thrives in greenhouses. Easy to care for and disease-resistant, it prefers loose, non-acidic soil.

Nagano beans have average yield rates.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	65-75	May	40-50	12-13

Note

Nota's high yields and short growing season make it the most popular variety for commercial cultivation.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	56-59	May-June	35-40	15

Octave

It has small purple flowers, making it a popular garden ornamental. Octava is suitable for outdoor cultivation, especially in warm climates. It produces a good yield and is resistant to bean diseases.

For canning, it is better to give preference to another variety.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	50-60	May-early June	25-40	17

The Deer King

A bean with exceptionally tasty and nutritious grains. The pod is bright yellow with white seeds.

With proper care and providing the Deer King with comfortable conditions, you can harvest 2 crops per season.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	65-75	May-June	35-45	15, bent

Panther

One of the most popular and widely grown varieties of green beans, this variety is characterized by good yields, uniform fruiting, and high resistance to anthracnose and bacterial blight.

The taste qualities of the variety are high.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	46-70	since mid-May	35-40	12-16

The Purple Queen

The variety is also known as Red Duchess and Purple Lady. This miniature (even by bush bean standards) bean is prized by farmers for its low maintenance and outstanding flavor. Purple Queen thrives and produces a bountiful harvest in virtually any soil.

The pods are an intense purple colour that changes to dark green during heat treatment.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	45-54	end of May - beginning of June	25-30	15

Ruby

The beans have a rich cherry-purple hue that remains even after cooking. This color, reminiscent of the gemstone, is where the variety gets its name.

Beyond its aesthetic appeal, Rubin is popular with gardeners for its high protein content and resistance to bacterial wilt. However, the variety is quite demanding in terms of soil quality and light levels.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	74–87	end of May - beginning of June	25-60	10-15

Saxa

The variety is prized for its good yield, as a single axil can contain up to 10 pods. Furthermore, Saxa is resistant to viruses and bacteria and anthracnose. The beans are distinguished by their high content of vitamin C and amino acids.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Semi-sugar	45-50	end of May - beginning of June	35-40	11-13

Second

This variety produces juicy, fleshy beans, without a parchment layer or string. Both the beans and the milky, juicy pods are edible—the taste of Secunda is excellent. The variety also produces quite a high yield.

At the same time, Secunda is quite demanding: it requires a warm climate, moist soil, light, structured soils and absolutely does not tolerate fresh manure.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Semi-sugar	50-68	end of May, no threat of frost	32-37	7-8

Flamingo

A variety of green bean with variegated pods. The ripening seeds inside are variegated, of decent quality, and highly nutritious. Young pods are tender and juicy, and contain high levels of protein and fiber.

Flamingo is a universal variety, unpretentious and at the same time stands out for its excellent yield.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Asparagus (vegetable)	55-60	May-June	50-60	15

Chocolate Girl

Brown, milk chocolate-caramel-colored beans are the calling card of the variety.

However, Shokoladnitsa is another capricious bush bean variety: it prefers nutritious, well-moistened soils, does not tolerate fresh manure, but takes root well in open ground.

Characteristics of the variety:

View	Growing season, days	Planted, month	Plant height, cm	Pod length, cm
Shelling (grain)	80-100	end of May - beginning of June	32-62	10-15

For different regions

Climate central zone of the Russian Federation It is characterized by its softness. When growing beans in this region, there is no need to focus on the climatic characteristics of the varieties. Almost any variety can be grown in local conditions, including climbing beans, which have the longest growing season. Therefore, when choosing a variety, the key factors are yield, taste, plant size, and aesthetics.

Urals and Siberia These areas are considered high-risk farming zones: not every variety will thrive here. When growing legumes outdoors, it's best to rely primarily on the early maturity of the beans, choosing early- and mid-season varieties:

• Crane;
• Cinderella;
• Inge;
• Yin Yang;
• Note;
• Panther;
• To the Purple Queen;
• Saxe.

When growing beans in Siberia, you will have to avoid climbing varieties, unless they are planted for decorative purposes.

High temperatures and drought are frequent guests southern regions of Russia, so when choosing a variety for this zone, it's worth looking for heat-loving and drought-tolerant bean varieties. The following varieties are best:

• Lambada;
• Ballad;
• Martin;
• Laura;
• The hostess's dream.

Beans are an easy-to-grow crop, requiring minimal care and yielding a generous harvest in return for the time and effort invested. Even a mediocre farmer can grow the right variety. The key to a bountiful and delicious harvest is choosing the right variety for the climate and minimizing plant care.

Frequently Asked Questions