This weekend the fall green bean harvest began in my front-yard garden. I have always had great success with beans planted in the late summer and early fall. The yields may not be quite as great as the bush beans I plant in the spring, otherwise all is good – even when I plant them as late as early October here in Niceville.

I harvested just over six pounds of beans from two 13-foot rows that were planted on August 30. Last weekend I picked two pounds of early-maturing beans. I will probably get another two pounds per row from a third and final picking in about 10 days. Then I will use the space for some romaine lettuce.

I have another five rows of beans that I planted Sept. 20 that will be ready for harvest in a few weeks. There will be plenty for the freezer and sharing with others (one of the many joys of vegetable gardening).

For the last couple of years I have been growing a variety of bush beans called “Flavor Sweet.” They are a filet bean that grow straight and narrow. The beans are a lovely dark green. They taste as good as they look – far better than any of the typical bush beans grown in north Florida, such as Contender or Top Crop.

Flavor Sweet is not as disease resistant as bean varieties commonly suggested for north Florida, so I do have to apply a fungicide when I grow them in the warm months. My favorite is Plant Guardian Biofungicides because it can be applied in full sun and high temperatures without stressing or burning foliage. It is available through Gardens Alive. Their Soap-Shield Flowable Liquid Copper Fungicide is also very effective but when temperatures are above about 80 degrees it will burn foliage (in the early spring I use Soap-Shield and then switch to the more expensive biofungicide when it gets hot).

Over the years I have grown several varieties of bush beans during my annual garden trials.  Each season I plant several rows of a tested and true cultivar of bean that I like and, as a test, one row of a different variety of bean that I have never grown before. This year it’s another filet bean – watch this space for the results.

This spring when you plant snap beans in your garden, be adventurous and sow an extra row of a new and different variety – you may discover a new favorite!