My cousin encountered the kwintus bean while traveling in the Ukraine and claimed it was more productive and hardier than the other pole beans. She insinuated it was better than scarlet runner beans at just about everything. That was two years ago and i've run some tests to prove her wrong. The problem i'm having now is with the tests. They all show that the kwintus is a superior bean. It is the first to produce and the last to produce. It grows in marginal weather while the other beans hide. The only complaint i've heard is that eating the big flat pods gets tiring. Another test of kwintus is described at: http://www.mastergardeners.org/projects/beans97.html They had the same results i did. They also claimed the pods stayed edible even after getting old. I found the old pods to be a little tough and just ignored them. Why bother with old pods when you have beans everywhere and the family is groaning at the sight of bean dishes. The only source for kwintus beans in the USA is Cooks Gardens but i believe they are easy to find in Europe. Another site mentioning kwintus beans is: http://rainyside.com/edibles/articles/19980418SnapBeans.html According to this web site pole beans produce far more in a season than bush types and taste better. They are also hardy and at the top of hardness list is...(drum roll).. kwintus. kwintus (Snap bean) 60-80 days Likes greenhouse or outside Grows where other beans fail. large flat pod ---- jeff owens, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.xprt.net/~jko underground house, solar power, self-reliance, edible landscape eco lifestyle discussion: subscribe ecopath -> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
