[QUOTE=Deborah;342045]The Providers are up and about two inches tall ! It's my first time seeing growing beans.[/QUOTE]


Picking is usually just about two weeks after flowering.

My first indoor seedlings are up. The weather is nice for them to be outdoors in the daytime.

Planting (outdoors) around here, is done about Memorial Day. With my very early starts, I usually start picking a few beans when others are planting.

Gary

I can't wait ! I'm more interested in tasting a raw home grown bean than cooking any. But of course if I do well I'll cook some.

Deborah,

Not to be an alarmist, but some raw beans contain a toxin (lectin).

I eat plenty of raw beans. It's very young snaps, where the beans have not started to fill out the pods. I've never had a problem.

Gary

Thanks, good to know.

So I did follow through and added Provider seeds to one of my orders when buying seeds for this years garden. I direct seeded them on May 31st and just picked the first handful yesterday. Much, much earlier than whatever variety I tried to grow last year! In a few days I should have enough to add them as a side dish with dinner. Can't wait to try them.

The White Seeded Super Marconi pole beans have put out their first few baby beans as well, but not much other than leafing and vining going on with the Chinese Red Noodle beans so far.

[QUOTE=Father'sDaughter;421856]So I did follow through and added Provider seeds to one of my orders when buying seeds for this years garden. I direct seeded them on May 31st and just picked the first handful yesterday. Much, much earlier than whatever variety I tried to grow last year! In a few days I should have enough to add them as a side dish with dinner. Can't wait to try them.

The White Seeded Super Marconi pole beans have put out their first few baby beans as well, but not much other than leafing and vining going on with the Chinese Red Noodle beans so far.[/QUOTE]

Hope you like the taste- I planted much earlier and have been eating Provider beans for weeks. The plants are going to be pulled soon because the earliest pole varieties have really kicked in and we're awash in beans. Will be needing the bush bean space for fall items soon.

I have grown provider beans in the past and had good luck.Growing tendergrren beans this year.I was impressed with these last year.Good flavor and prolific.

I have never grownd provider or contender so I can' offer information on them. I like to grown purple pole beans and yellow wax bush beans. The purple bean has a little bit of sweet taste eaten raw. The yellow bean isn't bad either. Both taste very good when cooked.

jon:yes::)

Contender is the ONLY snap bean that I dislike.

:roll:The flavor, to me, can best be described as similar to my lawn.

Gary

Gary, Did your lawnmower break? Why are you chowing down on your lawn?

Linda

Maxibel Filet
 

I grew this one last year and totally impressed with it. Highly productive and really great long tender beans. It is taller than most bush beans, so plant them close so they lean on each other or throw in some short sticks to support.
Here's a description from westcoastseeds, that's very accurate,

Maxibel Filet
Maxibel is unsurpassed in flavour and great for fresh market gardeners. Straight, dark-green filet bean pods are stringless and about 18cm (7") long on sturdy bush plants. Maxibel yields in a huge but concentrated harvest so replant every 2-3 weeks. Seeds are brown speckled.

I grow Jade and Euraka along with Maxibel, they don't come close to Maxibel so won't be back. I am trying to save lots of seeds for Max hopefully to share with people when we do our fall trade.

[QUOTE=Labradors2;424418]Gary, Did your lawnmower break? Why are you chowing down on your lawn?

Linda[/QUOTE]

Just childhood memories. Every boy in the 'hood had to have a piece of grass sticking out of his mouth, at least once in their lives. We saw it on TV, so it had to be right! I still remember what it tasted like.

Now for other beans, I once picked Meraviglia de Venezia (spl) in a fairly mature state. The pods tasted good, but the beans inside tasted like another childhood memory...chalk./puke

Gary

I am in western WI and here Jade does fantastic for me. It is my go-to every year. For me, good flavor and huge producer....one of those you pick handful's at a time. I always try some others as well each year but Jade has a permanent spot here.

I guess these beans really do need to be planted in succession!

All my original plants are providing (!) harvests every few weeks with a break on production in between. I did plant another dozen after I pulled my garlic and they are all just now flowering. I hope they land on a different schedule than the original plants!

Next year I'll make sure to stagger my original planting so I get a steadier supply versus the feast or famine I'm experiencing this year.

The Chinese Red Noodle beans finally produced a small number of beans within the last week. Last night I sautéed them using a recipe I found on line just to see if I liked them enough to try again next year. My husband and I both loved them, so they will get another chance. The vines are still very healthy and I'm hoping they produce some more beans before fall.

My Chinese Red Noodle beans did not do well this year! The seeds sprouted, but did not like the drowning rains we got early in the season, and just sat there for ages with just a couple of leaves. They are only now sending out vining runners, which is way too late, even if the squash and melons had not invaded their space. I like growing them as a novelty, and they do taste good too, but they seem to need perfect, hot conditions to do their best here. I had decent harvests the past two years, but may consider seeding them earlier in cups in the greenhouse, just to kick start them a bit next year.