Looking for a decent climbing Borlotti bean

There are many borlotti beans out there that claim to be climbers, but reach 3 feet max and so a dissapointing yield (compared to what you would get from a larger plant).

Can anyone recommend (by way of having grown them) a climbing Borlotti variety that will climb and reach a good height and so give a decent yield?

Steve...

 

I grew some Borlotti beans last year from saved seed given to me by a fellow gardener, variety Lingua di Fuoco (which is about the only one in most catalogues) They grew to a good height about 2metres, but the yield was very poor. Borlotto are really a warm climate bean and I am probably too far north to expect great things. (Don't want to put you off, but we are at almost the same latitude as you).

I am going to try the again this year though, in a more sheltered spot.

a-a

 

Yours is the first reference to anything over 3ft for that variety, mine (same variety) only grew to around 12 inches last season.

Steve...

 

That's what I grew this last year and the plants definitely grew tall, probably at least 5ft, but didn't produce much either. Nothing compared to The Czar runners next to them.

 

Yes, Liz, as mentioned above my Borlotto were tall, but the crop very poor, the runners, Scarlet Emperor, at the other end of the garden produced a very large crop. Another variety of French bean I grew, Bridgwater, had a reasonable crop - first time I'd tried these so didn't know what to expect.

I have heard it said that last year was not particularly good for climbing French type but good for runners - too much of a generalisation?

Any other members heard this? or had similar experience?

a-a

 

The wind killed most of my tender beans last year. I grew some Red Mullet beans which only got to a couple of feet, produced a pod each & then died.