Emerite vs Fortex

[shelleybean]

I'm placing an order with Vermont Bean because they have Waverex pea seed but I also want to grow a filet type pole bean next year. For those who have grown both Emerite and Fortex, which did you prefer and why? Any comments about either variety are welcome. Thanks!

[ddsack]

I'm in the Fortex camp. Emerite did fine for me, but it's been quite a few years since I grew it so I can't remember specifics. Fortex takes early season cool weather better than other pole beans I've grown, and keeps producing nice long stringless, tender beans until frost. The deer got through my battery powered electric fence early in the summer and ate off all the mid and lower leaves and baby beans, leaving only a few leafy vines at the top of my support system. But the vines still managed to re-grow and produce plenty of beans to freeze. Even after cool fall weather set in, I was surprised to find a large handful or one meal's worth of beans almost every other day, because it seemed like there wasn't enough heat to make the small pods increase in size that fast.

[kath]

I've grown both and liked Fortex best the first year when they were trialed together. Then had a bad year with it and Rattlesnake was the clear winner for me. Retrialed Emerite again last year and DH requested it again this year. It produced so early that I regretted having planted a patch of Provider for early beans and the original Emerite plants are still producing now. As I recall, Emerite beans seem more like a filet type to me than Fortex.

kath

[shelleybean]

Kath, I wondered about the diameter of the beans. Thank you for commenting on that. In catalog pictures, the Emerite does appear to be much thinner than the Fortex. I see a lot of pictures where Fortex seems like a very long version of a regular green bean.

Thank you, both, for your posts. Still pondering this one...

[ddsack]

If memory serves right, Emerite is indeed more of a filet bean. But Fortex is a very long bean, and if picked before it gets full length, it has the tenderless and fragility of the thinner filet beans. I think that's one reason I like it, it has a fairly long window of use before bean seeds develop. For me, Rattlesnake develops strings earlier than I would like, it was good last year, but this hotter summer I had a lot of Rattlesnake beans go to seed too fast and I only use them as green beans. Maybe I'll replace them with Emerite next summer -- bean musical chairs anyone? Why not grow both and see which you like?

[shelleybean]

Dee, I did consider growing both. I have decided to devote half the bed to Helda, 20 feet. Do you think both these varieties are productive enough to give me decent amounts off of 10 feet each? If I can pick enough for 4 people in a 4 day period, I'll be happy. Thanks.

[shelleybean]

Here is another consideration--which one will produce better in high heat and humidity? That's part of the reason I chose Helda, which most say will produce better in this climate than Romano. I've grown Romano with so-so results. Beautiful purple flowers but not enough beans.

[ddsack]

I hope some southern growers in warm and humid areas will weigh in on this, since I am in the north where summers are less intense. As far as production, I never grew them in the same year, so I can't say for sure. I went through Kentucky Wonder, Kentucky Blue, Blue Lake, and Emerite pole beans before settling on Fortex as my main green pole bean. I think growing 10 ft of each would be a good comparison and should get you plenty of beans.

[shelleybean]

Thanks, Dee.

[Tormato]

I almost shouldn't respond.

I've trialed both, and really don't consider either a filet type.

Emerite, for me, has a very strong flavor, and is not tender (the firmest bean I've ever tried).

Fortex is tender, and better tasting to me, but I get low production.

For a "real" filet type, how about one of the bush varieties?

Gary

[shelleybean]

Hi, Gary. I've been growing the bush types for about three year but want to return to pole varieties to save space. Plus I like to plant just once each season. And my back dislikes all the bending over to pick off the bush beans. I'm leaning towards Fortex or just devoting the entire bed to Helda. Oy!

[tsipgolf12]

Originally Posted by shelleybean

Thanks, Dee.

I also trialed Kentucky Wonder, Kentucky Blue, Blue Lake, Fortrex, Emerite, Romano and other flat Italian style beans during the last 15 years. I tried bush beans along side my pole beans as well. Finally to save my back and space I went to pole beans only. I now grow Emerite beans only. They are the most productive all season and best tasting bean I have found in the last 15 years in my Western North Carolina environment. My neighbors, friends, and family ask for them each year.

RWG

[Zeedman]

I too grow both "Emerite" and "Fortex"... they are both great beans, and they take turns as my main snap (along with a few others) in a multi-year rotation.

"Fortex" is one of my favorites for eating raw; they are tender & sweet, even when large... and they get very large, up to 11" long! The yield is drawn out over a fairly long period, without the intense flushes of some pole beans (such as "KY Wonder"). That makes them good for kitchen gardens, but maybe not the best choice if you want to freeze large quantities at one time (unless you plant a lot, which I do). The vines are highly disease resistant, most notably for rust - so if rust is a problem in your area, I highly recommend "Fortex". The runners need a bit of training initially, because some of the first runners tend to go out horizontally, rather than straight up. The long tender pods are also susceptible to wind bruising, so the vines will produce the best beans if grown in an area sheltered from the wind. I plant mine downwind of a block of corn, or other pole beans. In very windy areas, they might not be the best choice.

"Emerite", as Gary stated, is a very firm bean. And while it is considerably shorter than "Fortex", the pods are consistently uniform in size & very straight. These qualities make them a good choice if the beans will be canned... and their frozen quality is the best of any bean I have tried. IMO, they are a more consistent yielder than "Fortex".

While the flavor of "Emerite" is good, I prefer some of the pole Romano types (which generally freeze poorly) or "Fortex" for fresh eating, and "Emerite" for freezing. Both beans remain stringless even to large size. The complaint I have heard from others further South is that both can perform poorly in heat. "Rattlesnake" or some of the purple poles (such as "Grandma Roberts") might be a better choice for those areas.

[shelleybean]

Wow! You all have given me a lot to think about! Thank you for all your comments. I'll have to mentally digest all this before I place my order.