In Appalachia there is a category of beans called Fall beans. Bill Best has them listed as a separate category. Where summers are hot, they are often planted in July for a fall harvest. Here in the PNW I plant them as early as possible. Unlike other Appalachian beans, some fall beans do not have strings.

I have grown Hazard Fall in the past and this year I am growing Lazy Wife Red Fall and Opel Evans Fall and the latter turned out to be a shelly bean. - Dick http://www.heirlooms.org/fall-or-october-beans.html

I grew Roger Newsome this year, one of the fall beans from the posted link. It was a winner. It was a very prolific pole bean, giving us loads of pretty pink and white marbles. I'm definitely planting more of them next year.

Happy, I picked my rattlesnakes today for the first time this fall. I didn't plant many, just the seeds I have left from spring. But enough for a couple of meals for my family of 4 and plenty of small ones and blooms on the vines for the weeks ahead.

Happydog did you try them as snap beans after the pods and seeds changed color? I am wondering how they are as a full bean.

I'm growing a few Red Eye Fall, unfortunately they didn't get planted as soon as they should have been and then we had that hot, hot, summer so the beans were slow to start forming. The pods are nice and fat swelling with beans now so have my fingers crossed with a little luck I will get some seed for the old bean stash. It's time to get the umbrella out for this one.

Barksdale, not a fall bean already has an umbrella over it. I've been getting some good seed off this one this year, crispy dry pods right on the vines but I want more so the umbrella is keeping the rain off, works like a charm :).

Annette

Drloyd, I didn't think to try them as full beans. I'm kicking myself this very minute. They looked like a lot of other cranberry type beans and it never occurred to me that the pod might be edible. Until yesterday, when I reread that description of them as "tender-hulled." That would be great if they made good full beans.

I can vouch for the fact that it has excellent yields, though. I only planted 3 beans that I received in last year's swap. I froze a quart of shellies, ate the rest, and saved plenty of dried beans and seed for next year.

I just read this Ode to Fall Beans, and thought of this thread. Although I wonder if the original poster wasn't thinking of fall beans such as we're discussing here, but maybe fall beans as in "planting a second crop for harvesting in fall." Nice trick if your season allows it. Although, I'm tired just thinking about raising a second crop of pole beans, lol.

Ode to Fall Beans

Happy, I was definitely referring to a second crop of beans for harvesting in fall. They look great and I think it's partly due to their coming to maturity while the weather isn't so hot.

"Anybody else plant fall pole beans?"........I'm so glad yours is doing well!

In mid September we finally took down the row of ever so productive Fortex planted in February. Being lazy we just buried the twine and the roughly chopped plants on site. Lo and behold we had some precious rain, 3 days later the area is covered with little seedlings! Furthermore, I recently read from farmers almanac that in Los Angeles beans should be planted in Feb and Oct. This is all new to me, fall pole beans and all. We shall find out.

I love little surprises like that. I updated the progress of my fall crop of pole beans on my blog. Green beans this time of year are new to me too!

Happydog thank you for the report. It looks like Roger Newsome is worth a try next year.