Pole green beans vs. bush green beans – on which side do you fall? When I first started gardening, I grew bush beans like everyone else, it seemed. But one year I also wanted a pretty bean tee-pee in one bed, so I grew some pole beans. Oh wow, was I in the dark about pole beans – especially tender, wonderful filet green beans! Here are a few things I learned in my unplanned experiment:
Why to Grow Pole Green Beans vs. Bush
- Pole beans are easier to harvest than bush beans. With bush beans you have to bend over, man-handle the plant (sometimes pulling it up mistakenly), all in the effort to find those beans. Once pole beans grow, it’s just a matter of standing and picking them conveniently at your waist to head level.
- Many types of bush beans produce for only a short period, requiring succession sowings to get beans over a whole growing season. Poles take a bit longer to get going, but they produce (mostly) for a whole season.
- Bush beans are often a lot dirtier than pole beans (most of the time I don’t even have to wash pole beans before freezing without blanching).
So now I plant mostly pole beans, with just 3-5 bush beans to harvest earlier beans. And my favorite variety to grow is Emerite pole beans, by far. I’ve grown them since discovering them years ago, even though it seems harder each year to find seed companies that carry them (I’ve tried to keep a few each year to replant, but we eat most of them into the fall, so it’s hard to remember to let some grow to seed-saving stage!).
And this is a mystery to me- why don’t more people grow these beans? I’ve tried many others, including the “popular” Kentucky and Blue Lake (and Kentucky Blue cross) varieties, but I’ve found them to be stringy and tough with inconsistent production, at least where I live.
I sure don’t want to keep this wonderful bean a secret and I’d love to have more people growing it, so I thought I’d do my part and share with you the reasons why I love Emerite pole beans and where you can find seed if you’d like to try them. Update: since the original publish date of this article, I’ve found another pole bean to grow alongside Emerite that produces during Emerite’s ‘down time’ when it’s hot – Fortex. It’s also a filet-type bean, though it grows much longer than Emerite. I will include where to buy it as well.
6 Reasons to Grow Emerite (& Fortex!) Pole Green Beans
1. The are a “filet” type bean- but unlike the small bush types you may be used to, these beans can be picked at all stages– the 4-inch thin filet style (which is great at the beginning of the season when you can’t wait for the first beans!), all the way up to a mature 7 to 8-inch round bean.
2. Because they are a filet, they are never stringy or tough– even when they’ve been left to mature to a large bean. Never.
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3. They produce a lot during the main season. This year my 10-foot row has produced enough for us to eat tons of fresh and still have 10 quart bags in the freezer for the winter.
4. Emerite may slow down after the large main harvest, even losing a lot of leaves in the hot last days of August- but don’t give up on them! As soon as the weather turns “fall-ish” with cooler temps and some rain, they will start leafing out again and producing flowers and beans- all the way until the first frost. All those beans pictured above were harvested at the beginning of October. Fortex produces through warmer weather, but doesn’t produce as long as Emerite, making them perfect to grow together!
And I LOVE eating fresh green beans in October!
The bush beans? They are gone. Done for. Outta here.
Looking at the bush beans pictured above highlights again what I mentioned previously which isn’t limited to a variety, but all pole beans:
5. They are so much easier to pick than bush beans! Umm, do you like to hunch over, struggling to find the ripe beans on a 2-foot tall plant- often damaging the plant in the process – or stand up and pluck the beans you can easily see are ready and hanging almost at eye level? That’s a no-brainer for me, especially with my creaky back.
6. You only have to plant pole beans once. No succession planting is needed like with bush beans. It’s true that poles take a little longer to start producing, so I do plant a few bush beans, like I mentioned, at the same time to give us the earliest harvest, but there’s just no comparison to the longevity of pole beans.
Have I convinced you to grow some yet?
Here are a few of the places I’ve found that sell Emerite seed:
And here’s where you can find our other favorite pole bean, Fortex:
- Hinterland Trading on Amazon (read the good Fortex reviews)
- Pinetree Garden Seeds
- Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Let me know what you think! Are you a bush or pole bean lover?
Note: This was originally published in October of 2011. It has been updated with new photos, pinnable image to help you remember where you saw this, newer formatting and information.
Find more information on easy gardening here:
Steps to Starting a Vegetable Garden
Organic Vegetable Gardening 101
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This year was the first year we actually got beans to grow! I don’t even eat green beans, but my family like them so I planted 2 rows of bush beans. They did great until they were infested with all kinds of pests. It looked like every possible bug was eating them. We got enough for a few meals and maybe 2 quarts for the freezer before I gave up and tore them all up. I live in the southeast where we have a long growing season, so I’d like to plant more. I haven’t been able to find seeds, so I may plant something else instead and try pole beans next year. You are right about bush beans being a pain in the back! I tried getting my 3 small grandchildren to help pick, but they saw bugs and didn’t want anything to do with the whole thing. Do you do anything to keep yours bug free? I have tried peppermint sprays, a concoction of onion, garlic and mint, but nothing worked. I would love any tips y0u have for keeping bugs off organically.
Oh, that is frustrating about the bugs, Barbara. Even though it sounds like you tried something similar, the garlic-mint spray that I make has worked wonderfully on our beans as well as our basil (you can click on the link from that page to the FAQ and hear how it’s worked for others, too).
I’ve also used sticky traps (just stakes in the ground next to the plants of yellow squares covered in a sticky goo) to catch them, and Bt as a last resort (though still organic).
I just saw on Territorial Seed’s website that they have seed for Fortex beans — yay! I’m still going to see if I can grow some of each of these. Garden planning…gotta love it!
Wonderful – it’s the combo I love now, too Beth!
For more than 30yrs it was regular bush beans or filet bush which i like best. This summer I planted a 10ft section of pole beans and now wonder where my head was at all those years. From now on only pole beans and FORTEX filet at that. Nice article thanks.
Yep, I totally hear you, Daniel! And I do like Fortex, but have you tried Emerite? I find them a bit more tender though I do grow them both. 🙂
Great article on pole Beans. I have grown french filet bush beans for years, but the last five years, I have put more attention toward Pole Beans, and like you, Emerite were always my favorite, and I also discovered Fortex some years ago as well. And like you, why bother to bend over to pick bush beans when you can reach up and easily pick pole beans? However, this coming year, the only Pole Bean I will plant, will be one called “Caramint”. Why? If both “Emerite and Fortex” get lost in the poles and leaves and get old, they are not the best to eat, while, “Caramint” which is a bright shiny purple, grows easily to 12″ long plus, is so easy to recognize amongst the green leaves, and never, ever tough! When cooked, they are a nice dark green. Additionally, if one plants any beans in succession crops, every two weeks, you will have fresh pole beans all summer, not just all at once. You know this, just passing it along to your readers. Cheers!
I misspelled the purple pole bean :Carminat”, available from Burpee/Vessey’s, etc.
🙂
That variety sounds amazing, Frank!! I’m going to have to try it – along with Emerite, of course. 😉 Thank you!
Oct 2017
Hi Jami,
I picked up Emerite beans at our nursery this spring and was pleasantly surprised. I am a huge fan now and will plant from seed this year and take your advice to add Fortex. Thanks for the info on harvest time because I suspected I could have kept the plants into the fall season, alas, I had not this year.
Yay! I’m actually glad to hear you found them at a nursery – they’re harder to find and I’m hoping they don’t stop producing them!
On your recommendation, I grew the Emerite pole bean this year. I have always grown pole beans, primarily the Asian long bean types. Thank you so much for your article, and for introducing me to the Emerite. I will always have a place in my garden for this fantastic bean which is beautiful to look at, delicious, and amazingly productive.
I’m so glad you tried it, Maureen, and that you see how great it is, too! More people to get the word out. 🙂
Your recommendations…are they good canners? I only saw you mention freezing.
I have pressure canned them in the past and they worked great (we just don’t prefer beans preserved that way). I do regularly pickle them, though (the recipe is on the site, with pictures showing them pickled), and they are also good this way.
This year I planted pole beans for the first time and am so happy with them! I will not go back to bush beans again…. well, mostly…. I do have some bush container beans on my patio. I couldn’t just go cold turkey, you know. ^_^
My beans went in a little late and I am still waiting on my Emerites to get big enough to pick. I wanted to mention another pole bean that I am harvesting now: Spanish Musica. It is a little different that the regular-shaped filet bean with a wide, flat bean growing 7 to 9 inches long. My daughter pronounced it “amazingly delicious”! They are good cut into pieces and steamed, or … my favorite…. blanch and toss with a balsamic vinaigrette and fresh tomato wedges for a different kind of salad.
Sounds wonderful, Erin – thanks for that suggestion! I love bean salads in summer, too. And, yeah, I still usually grow a bush or two of beans to try and get them as early as I can. 🙂
I agree with you completely! The Emerite is FANTASTIC!! I haven’t had a garden for the past 5 years due to traveling abroad and am now finding it quite difficult to find the seeds. Thank you for posting where to find them. I also look forward to trying the Fortex. Happy! Happy!
Yes, they seem to be getting harder to find, Sunshine. You might want to let some go to seed in the fall so you can save your own seed. I started doing this the last few years, because I do not want to be out of this variety. 🙂
Thank you for this info! This will be my first year trying pole beans. My dad (a master gardener of over 50 years gardening) has never grown pole beans! I’m trying Emerite. ? Are they an heirloom? Have you had good success the years you’ve saved their seeds?
Yes, they are an heirloom Jennifer and I’ve saved the seed from year to year easily. The last few years especially, because they seem to be hard to find or sell out quickly. 🙂 I hope you find them as wonderful as I do!
I have a question for you! On two occasions in the past I planted pole beans and was terribly disappointed. In fact, we only ate two meals of them. Here’s the problem I had: When I planted bush beans, I could always tell when they were ready by the size of the pod. But with the pole beans, when they looked big enough to harvest, they were absolutely tough and stringy! Just awful! If I picked them when the pods were smaller they were more tender, but the beans inside them were so tiny that I felt we weren’t getting our “nutrient load” from them. Any suggestions or advice?
Hmm, I don’t think you need to wait until the beans inside are big, Sandy – that’s always a sign they are past fresh eating to me and I should let them mature to dry beans. The French filet beans like Emerite and Fortex that I grow are meant to be picked small, though you can pick them larger and they will still be tender. This is how they are harvested for green beans you buy in the stores – fresh or frozen- and they are still very nutritious. 🙂
Just ordered these seeds to try in my 2017 garden. Thanks for the blog. I thought you’d like knowing that it is still relevant 7(?) years plus after posting!
Wonderful, Michelle – they are still my favorite!! I hope you enjoy them, too.
Emerite has a yellow cousin (also pole bean) called French Gold Filet from France
True “Haricot Verts” Beans
Oh, I’ll have to look for that, Sylvia! I tried a pole bean labeled ‘gold filet’ last year and it was NOT. Thick, tough beans. 🙁 Nice to know there is actually one.
I definitely fall in the pole bean category although we have had this Rust Fungus in our garden the last two years Which has meant that we’ve only had a very short season before having to destroy the plants. ☹
Ack, seriously? That would be frustrating – I hope it doesn’t make it’s way here!
Jami, I’ve followed your recommendation for Emerites and have had great success for two years. I had major problems with stringy beans before switching – they were basically inedible. I have had luck also with Blue Lake S-7. I still favor Emerite, but the S-7 is not stringy and actually does better than Emerite towards the end of the season here in Philadelphia. I harvested from mid-July into October (no real frost until November; very warm fall) although production slowed near the end of September. I planted 12 ft of beans and harvested 47 pounds.
Jung has Blue Lake S-7 and also carries fortex. Be sure to get the S-7 and not just any Blue Lake.
Thanks for the tip, Mike! I actually haven’t heard of Blue Lake S-7! I wonder what the difference is – like why wouldn’t they have just named it as a different variety?
I did some internet searches. It looks like the S-7 was developed to make the Blue Lake stringless. I had planted Blue Lake the previous year and it certainly had strings. Not sure why they still sell it. By the way, trying to find out who developed it was not easy. There is a reference to Asgrow seed company, which is the seed company for Monsanto – not a plus in my view. They seem to be big in soybeans.
Hmmm, that is interesting, Mike. Thanks for checking that out! Maybe that’s a reason to get open-pollinated seeds when possible. 🙂
I’m curious if you grow a tee-pee of fortex and one of emerite beans near each other (like maybe 5 feet apart), would you still be able to save seeds that are true to type from each variety or would they cross?
You know, I don’t know, Kathy! I do grow them right next to each other (in rows now) and I know that Fortex is open pollinated, but I haven’t done research to see if that would be a problem.
Thanks for your reply. I was just curious if you ever noticed any weird stuff come up from saved seed since you grow both. I’ll probably give it a try just to see… at least if I can bear letting any go to seed! 🙂 We grew emerite last year (based on your recommendation– thanks!) and are trying fortex this year, along with a couple of others. Hooray for beans!!
This post was really exciting. I haven’t quite figured out how to have a garden – I live in the desert southwest (and boy do I miss Oregon!!!) and I’m not sure what to do with our ridiculous heat. Definitely want to grow those pole beans when I get that sorted though – I’m convinced!
Hmmm, that will be tough, Heidi – obviously you need to grow in the fall, winter, and spring, right? I think Fortex might be better where it’s hot than Emerite, though, since it’s during the hot times here that Emerite slows down. I visited an amazing vegetable garden when I was in AZ, though, so I do know it’s possible! Here’s the post I wrote on it, in case you’re interested: https://anoregoncottage.com/arizonas-agritopia-tuesday-garden-party/
Do you think they would work on a fence?
Yes, though they will get taller than 6′ – I just let them bend over and grow back down. 🙂
Hi Jami,
I just ordered both the emerite and fortex beans for this season! Thanks for the great tip!
Yea! So glad I got this updated in time for the new season. 🙂
Emerite pole beans are one of my favorites, too. Always reliable and delicious! I like Romano pole beans, too. There are varieties that stay wonderfully tasty and tender at all sizes. Yum.
Thanks for the heads up about freezing without blanching – I don’t freeze that many beans, normally, but the blanching is tiresome!
I wish they weren’t so hard to find, Lisa! Why don’t more companies carry this variety? We usually eat the beans until the frost kills them, so I never remember to save seeds – I’m going to have to this year, just to make sure I’ve got some to replant!
Jami, I think because Emerite was originally a French filet pole bean variety (apparently introduced by Vilmorin, a French seed company) — I poked around on Google to find out about where it came from.
So here in this country, it’s largely been carried by specialty seed companies like Renee’s. She’s searched for great vegetable varieties for years to offer, as have other smaller vegetable garden seed companies.
It’s apparently a OP variety so you could save your own seed if you’re inclined to do so!
Here was my musing on Emerite and Romano pole beans this evening! Thanks for the inspiration.
http://naturalgardening.blogspot.com/2015/08/emerite-and-romano-pole-beans.html
I got my seeds at Natural Gardening Company
natural gardening.com
Thank you for your instructions for freezing green beans without blanching. i tried it tonight. I really like the idea since it is so quick and simple – also, you can easily add to the bag.
I also love the French Emerite Pole Beans. I planted half emite and half Kentucky Wonder this year. There is no comparison. The Emerite came up faster, produced quicker and more prolifically. They are also much more tender and come out of the freezer better tasting. I found the seeds on several websites including Amazon. Grow organic has the best price.
Yeah! Another Emerite bean convert. 🙂 I also grow half a row of Fortex now, too, since the Emerite tend to take a ‘break’ around August before producing again until frost and the Fortex fills the spot. It’s also a French style bean, but grows really long and stays surprisingly tender.
Thanks. I may try the Fortex next year. Does it produce as early as the Emerite?
It takes maybe a week longer, but then goes just as long. It’s fun to pick the long beans (sometimes 12″!!) and they’re still tender!
Jami………………just wondering what would happen if you let some go to the dry seed stage. They are so productive that I was wondering about saving some seeds for winter soups. Do they hold up well in the boiling, etc.?
I’ve never tried to use them as dry beans, Ron, I’ve just saved seed to plant the next year. So, no clue, sorry!
Yes, I got “jam-ee,” too. And none of the name things. I still have my childhood Christmas stocking knitted by my aunt – with my name spelled incorrectly. I treasure it, anyway.
That is too funny, Jami!!
Jami- I had to come back to report that I am SO happy I grew these! I am having them for dinner for the second night now and they are fantastic!!
Yeah, Jami! I am also growing a row of Fortex filet pole beans next to my Emerite this year – I did it last year and I found they were a good combo to grow together, as the Fortex produced in that space where the Emerite takes a break before picking up again in the fall.
I’ve not heard of Emerite, but I have coordinated a community garden that produces several thousand dollars worth of food for the local Food Bank each year, and we swear by Fortex pole beans. Glad you’ve found them too!! I’ll have to think about extending our season with Emerite. 🙂
I’ve found them my favorite combo to grow together, Allison. Nice work on providing fresh food for the food bank!!
Hi! How fun to find another gardening Jami who spells her name the same unusual way. 🙂 I just bought a pack of emirate pole filet beans (Renee’s) on a whim. I’ve never grown green beans before. Searching the internet to find out how tall of a trellis I need, I came across your blog. I’m even more excited about growing these beans now! I read your comment that your trellis is about six feet and the vines grow back down after that. Thank you so much for the info! I’m subscribing, too. – Jami from Northern Cal
Yes – and did you get people pronouncing your name “jam-ee” when growing up, too? My mom left off the e because she decided that was for boys and I grew up never getting to have all those name things everyone else did (jewelry, bike plates, etc) – thanks, mom. 😉
So glad to have you join the AOC crew, Jami – and I’m sure you will like the beans like we do – they are so tender & sweet!
I bought Emerite seedlings for my garden. I had never heard of them but I heard they were small and tender and I love that they are pole beans. In searching the internet about them I came across your blog. Thank you so much for the information. I’m signing up to receive your updates.
-Lynn
So glad to read this, Lynn! I hope you will find lots more useful information. 🙂 And I know you’ll love the beans – can’t wait until we get our new crop this year!
I have been planting Emerite pole beans for a l-o-o-o-n-g time and recommending them for the same reasons as well. As a now single “senior citizen”, I built a tepee trellis a few years ago and only plant about 14 seeds. I eat fresh beans for months and freeze more for winter enjoyment. I love their long season, picking beans until frost arrives here in the mountains.
You’ll love Louisiana Purple Pod! We had a really hot, dry year last year, and they were great. We had a really wet, pretty cool summer this year, and they were great. Sweet, stringless, and beautiful. They turn green when you cook them. Rattlesnake is also dependable and beautiful. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange has both.
Oooh, thank you for the recommendation, Karley! I will try to remember to look for them next year – they sound wonderful.
Have had great luck two years running with Violet Podded Stringless (pole beans) from Territorial Seed. Last summer was very cool here in Puget Sound but they did well and produced well into fall. This summer was much sunnier and they are going crazy! The biggest leaves, tallest vines (over 12 feet on bamboo tripods), and heaviest production of BIG beans I have ever seen. Plus they are beautiful plants, with bright green foliage, pretty purple flowers, and purple vines and pods (which turn green when you cook them and taste great). Can’t recommend them highly enough!
No one mentioned one of the big reasons. The beans themselves are exquisite. The color is a gorgeous springtime green even in this incredibly hot and dry climate (today is cool because the wind came up. It’s 90º and 26% humidity). The beans are mostly straight. These are one of the few beans I would serve whole and lightly steamed. Mostly I like green beans Southern style, cooked for 3 days (well not QUITE that long LOL) but these are excellent without the long cooking. Long live Emerites.
I’ve been planting Emerite beans for roughly 20 years! My neighbors (and my kids) run for cover when they see me coming with endless bags of beans. Seriously though, they are the best, longest producing, easy to grow beans. The last couple of years, I’ve also been growing a wax french filet (French Gold) from Renee’s Seeds. Sometimes, they even out produce the Emerite! I grow both on a 7″ high tunnel created with 2×2 posts and top and bottom stringers with nylon vegetable netting (the white 7″ square soft kind). The two side sections are attached across the top at 3 spots in an 8 foot run and are roughly 3 feet apart. I’m a bit ashamed to say, the beans have been growing in the same location in the garden for most of the 20 years, but I do amend annually with compost. The last couple of years, the crops have been a bit lighter, but I think it has more to do with encroaching shade from 20 years of tree growth!
I have also been growing Emerite beans for over 10 years and have tried others over the years but always come back to Emerite as they are the best. My wife will not eat stringy beans and Emerite beans have no strings. I have given fresh beans to friends over the years as I plant a 32 foot row and get overwhelmed in the peak season and always get the “those are the best beans I have ever had..what kind are they?” Love them with onions and garlic in the frying pan.
North Carolina country gardner
Thinking about them with onions and garlic has my mouth watering- thanks! 🙂 I just planted our 20 ft. row – just right for us – and I’m looking forward to beans in about 64 days!
I’m primarily a flower gardener, aside from herbs and peppers, but I’m considering growing a pole bean too, as they are my favorite (beans) and I don’t want to waste the ground space. I live in a hot summer climate… the bounceback is very important for me. I think I’m going to try these.
Mindy- That’s a great idea for Pinterest! I might have to steal it. 🙂
Diana- Hope they work for you as well, though I don’t know about extreme heat and humidity where I live. 😉
Lady Farmer- I make my trellis only about 6 feet tall- the bean just come on back down as they grow, which puts them right at my level again!
Brenda- I think climbing beans are lovely to look at- these have a pretty purple flower when they are blooming. Some people grow Scarlet Runner Beans just for the flowers (though they are edible- just VERY beany, shall we say?).
I have this idea – kind of a pipedream at the moment – of planting something that grows really tall on some sort of trellis on the west face of the house. For me, something that produces food seems more practical than flowers. This would serve a dual purpose of food and shading the house from the hot afternoon sun. But, living in a subdivision – not sure how that would go over. Thinking I’ll chance it. These beans sound perfect.
brenda from arkansas
Putting them on my list of beans to consider. I pretty much just plant Chinese long beans (asparagus beans), a pole bean, which seems to do well in our extreme heat and humidity.
Like you, I have been planting Kentucky Wonder and Blue Lake forever. I think you have convinced me to try the Emerite Pole Bean next year! (I’m even hoping to start a little seed saving section of my garden strictly for saving seed for harvest for planting the following year. We’ll see how tht goes!) Pole beans just seem to have a much better bean flavor. Harvesting is, however, nearly as difficult as the bush types, for me. I have to get on a ladder to harvest the ones growing at the top of the teepees! That’s okay ~ I love green beens that it is worth the extra effort!
Thanks for sharing the scorces, too!
Well, you’ve officially inspired me to start a new Pinterest board of plants I want to try.
I’m still getting beans off of our plants, but they’re definitely tough if you miss your opportunity of picking them at “just the right size”.
I’m already looking forward to spring. :o)