Can you be more specific what kind of bean you are asking about? For fresh, shelly or dried use? I don't have much experience in the shelly or dried departments, but for fresh use, Burpee's Stringless Green Pod is a top heirloom stringless green bean.

You could also be more specific about your climate and/or the season in which you intend to grow beans (in Florida), as many varieties are quite sensitive to temperature. The most popular New England varieties of green beans, for example, tend to do very poorly here. Unless the weather is just right, the newer heat-tolerant varieties are the best choice for the "second early" crop here. There are other choices for fall.

Also, do you like your beans to taste hearty and "beany" (Kentucky Wonder, older string beans, etc.) or tender and "green" - Blue Lake, etc.? There are also the filet and romano types, with quite different flavors.

My own favorite fresh bean (eat raw right off the plant) is Blue Lake, either bush or pole. I'm getting a chance to try a lot of different pole beans, intended for various purposes (fresh, snap, shelly, dried, soup) this year, so it's going to be fun. :)

I'd say plant a few of as many as you can get that are good growers in your area, and start sampling. :) Talk to your area's older gardeners, like those who enter the fair with their family varieties, to find more.

Good luck!

I don't have a lot of experience with beans but for the last 3 years I have grown Dragon Tongue and it's so easy to grow and so good as a steamed pod! Just look at the pic of this morning's harvest. I harvest this much every other day for the past few weeks.

I probably waited too long to pick these as they are a bit big (yesterday would have been ideal).

Just to give you an idea, this harvest was from only 10 seeds that germinated from an old packet that hadn't been stored properly...I am thrilled to get anything at all from seeds that should have been dead, lol.