The Best Green Bean Seeds

Bush Beans

• The University of Illinois recommends several varieties for the home garden, including Kentucky Wonder. Adapted from the pole bean of the same name, this bean produces strong, low vines that keep the pods up off the ground. They can be harvested in 57 days. The Tendergreen Bush Bean is a heavy yielder, producing tasty smooth pods that are good for eating fresh and for canning and freezing. Backyard Gardener states that this bean reaches a height of only 2 feet, and it can be planted every two weeks for a prolonged harvest.

Pole Beans

• Seedfest states that "the Blue Lake Pole Bean has been considered the standard for all pole bean varieties." It produces large crops of tender, delicious beans that measure up to 7 inches long. They are excellent for canning and freezing and have no strings. Kentucky Blue, another popular choice according to Hume Seeds, produces early in just 60 days, with 7-inch pods that bear all through the season.

Other Varieties

• A less common bean that is gaining in popularity, the fava bean has growing habits similar to that of the pole bean in that it sends out long vines that need staking. The plants produce large fibrous bean shells containing several large green beans which are actually the edible part of the plant. The Fava Bean Delle Cascine is popular in Italy, according to Gourmet Seed, and produces long pods that are full of beans. Lima beans also produce large, tough outer shells that house several tender pale yellow-green beans. The Burpee Improved Bush Lima bean produces 5-inch long beans that each contain 4 or 5 beans. Plants reach a height of 20 inches.