My mom loves the tender and delicious French green beans. I’m not even sure what varieties she’s eaten, her experience is with restaurants that served these types.

I’m growing “emerite” from seeds I got from Renee’s seeds. They seem to be growing fairly well and just starting to flower, but I’m looking at what experience anyone has with this type of green bean, especially growing them in the humid south.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-are- ... rt-1807023

Emerite did grow for me here in FL last season, but got a much better harvest of "FORTEX" fillet beans. They are stringless and sooooo tender. Also Yard Long/ Asparagus Beans are another great choice...u don't boil them, just cut them up in stir fry.

Fortex is my all time favorite bean, partly because it stays tender and delicious even when it looks way too big and mature. But it is a pole bean, and is quite a bit later than my bush beans. Maxibel is a delicious French filet bush bean that comes in early, and finishes up about the time Fortex is ready.

Great, thanks for the tips. Where do y’all get Fortex? I did buy some asparagus beans, will plant them later maybe in May or June when something else fails, like the French filets ones. I’m also growing speckled butter beans, the vines look a lot stronger and very healthy more so than the French “emerite”. The French ones are blooming pretty little lavender blooms. The butter beans are not quite blooming yet. Both are over 8 feet tall on a few vines. Something seems to be making the French beans leaves decline in spots, but I can’t tell what it is. I’ve been pulling the affected leaves and the amount hasn’t been too pronounced, but it’s a little worrisome.

I have grown both Fortex and Emerite but lean towards the Emerite for flavor. Both are prolific producers and seem to go on forever until frost. Easier on the back than the bush varieties so now grow only pole beans. Live in PA so can’t compare with humid south. Renee’s also offers a great yellow filet pole bean called French Gold as well although I prefer Ramdor when I can find it.

If I get some sort of moderate production out of Emerite, I’ll be happy. It’s really something I grew for my mom since she’s over the top for the delicate French green beans. Local, perfectly good green beans just don’t cut it for her, it’s all about the flavor and texture so if Emerite has the best flavor/texture, that’s my bean. Various pests and the climate pose challenges for certain crops, I’m encouraged that [mention]Gardenboy[/mention] in FL had some success with Emerite. Florida and coastal Texas share some climate/pests peculiarities.

I grew Fortex for the firat time last year. They will become my go-to pole beans, mainly because they're truely stringless. Six plants in an Earthbox were enough to keep me in beans for the whole year; still have some in the freezer.

I was a bit surprised at how long they get, and how skinny they stay while growing.

I was given a Burpee gift card for my birthday a couple years ago and Fortex seeds was one of the things I bought with it.

I have plenty of saved FORTEX bean seeds if anyone would like to try them. Just send me SASE for the beans.

Bronx points out another great advantage of either Fortex or Emirite. You don’t need many plants. 6 would be an absolute maximum for me and actually too much. As a family of two I got through a whole summer two years ago with only 2 plants due to the other three being eaten off.
Both varieties are very prolific and will keep producing as long as they are picked until frost. I generally try to have 3 to 5 plants normally.
Also both are stringless so it seems to me that one’s choice is very personal depending on your taste preference and performance in your area. Why not try both as I did and decide?

[mention]Gardenboy[/mention] sending pm

I agree with your mom, I absolutely love those delicate, rich, buttery French filet beans. Some other beans are just fine though. I've grown Fortex. I appreciate the efficiency of the extra long beans, the ergonomic pole habit, the long harvest window, they're better in texture and flavor than most beans - but to me they are still not as good as filet beans. Last year I grew Fortex but no French filets, and I really missed them a lot. Calima is my favorite. Jade is also very good.

I’ve grown Soleil (yellow), Mascotte (Green) , Velour (purple) - all bush types. I’ve also grown French Gold, a yellow pole filet.
They all grow and produce in my hot, humid summer but are happier growing in spring and fall. French Gold tends to curl in hot weather instead of growing straight.
As far as flavor is concerned I give a slight edge to Mascotte.

Emerite and Fortex ARE both French filet beans, but pole beans as opposed to bush. I love the bush ones too but are too hard on my back and do not produce as long. The trick is not to let the pole filet beans get too big which can happen quickly!

Following up on this, my mom LOVED the Emerite beans. She told me what she did with them, the details escape me, but it was a quick cook. She’s insisting I devote the entire garden to them next season.

First picking wasn’t a lot, should have twice as many today.

I’ve been pleased with these “Emerite”. Didn’t really know if a fancy french bean would be viable here, but it has been. A Renee’s garden seed packet, minus a few for thinning and some that didn’t get enough water early, still managed to produce about 3-4 ounces every other day. I’m sure that will be tailing off soon, but these made a big hit and will be back in future gardens.

I have grown most of the pole filet beans and finally settled on emerite for taste and productivity...my go to last few years ...and it does
get hot and humid in Western North Carolina

First picking. Tons of little ones right behind these. Lots of blooms. All systems go.

They look really pretty. I grow Maxibel Haricots Vert and they are my favorite. They are bush beans.

I’ve grown both bush and pole filet beans here in N. Florida; can’t get more humid than that.
Last few years I’ve stuck with pole versions, mostly to save footprint space in my growing area. Now I’m addicted to fresh Romano beans so those are most of my plantings this season.

I've trialed 500+ varieties of beans. This includes tasting early snap pods of "dry" bean varieties. I can fully understand why they are dry beans.

French filets, to me, are middle of the road for flavor. Most need to be picked early, or they toughen up. Fortex is one of the exceptions. I rate Fin de Bagnol as the tastiest and also the most productive bush type. I haven't had any seed for several years. At the bottom is bush round wax beans, basically crunchy water. At the top are pole green flat "romano" type beans. And, at the top of the top is Supermarconi. In all of my trials, nothing else comes close.