My blue lake runners have strings this year too. I think that I got the wrong seeds from the Feed and Seed store.

Or maybe it's this crazy weather? Too much rain and very little sun.

This is my second year growing Rattlesnake beans too. Mine are stringless for the most part, sometimes there's a wee bit of stringing but not really an issue.

Rattlesnake pods get stringy as thay get older.

Perhaps the weather this year is not helping to fill out the pods with beans, and they don't look as old as they really are?

Beans are self pollinating from what I know, to me this means they require pollen but just get it from themselves. Anybody know if that's correct? Since I planted 5 types of beans on one row possibly they picked up some string traits from another.

The string is significant enough to make you reach into your mouth and fish around for it, and this is on mid grown, not huge and over grown.

I think they're as old as they appear to be. A week ago I didn't have many this week they are out in force.

They are self pollinating. Estimated rate of crossing is about 0.5% (1 in 200). My own saved seed averages about 1 in 275, with virtually no isolation.

If seed of your other varieties do not look like Rattlesnake seed, I'd guess if you had a cross, seed saved would not look like Rattlesnake seed. Also, it would likely be only one crossed plant that you would have.Do all the plants have stringy pods?

Gary

All seeds looked distinct from each type, I had whites, purples, reds, etc.

The ones saved as "Rattlesnake" came from the section of the planting only used for Rattle snake. although the plantings were tight, it would have been side by side with some vines crossing into it from either side.

Opening a dry pod should solve the mystery of whether it's a cross.

I like Rattlesnake as early stage snaps. Anything later, and the taste goes downhill (and it gets strings) in my garden.

It sets pods fairly well in hot conditions, compared to most other varieties I've tried.

Gary

I have been picking them since June. Most of them are stringless, but I do get an occasional one with strings. Usually only larger sized ones, but that doesn't mean they are so big they are tough or of lesser quality. I check every bean for strings just in case, out of habit. We have had unusual weather this year, but in our case, it's unusual in that it has been nearly perfect for growing beans. I have never had so many for so long.