These delicate 'French Filet' beans are no longer a luxury item found only in gourmet restaurants. Enjoy them fresh from your garden all summer long. Filet (or as the French say, haricot verts) are slender beans; pencil-thin at only ¼" in diameter and 4" long, and so tender. Steam or sauté for just a minute and enjoy. Easy and delicious.

Days to Maturity: 58 days

Family: Fabaceae

Type: Snap Bean, Bush Bean (Learn More)

Native: Mexico and South America

Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual

Exposure: Full sun

Plant Dimensions: 12"–16" tall, 8"–10" wide, upright busy plants

Variety Info: Slender ¼" diameter, 4"¼ long, green pods with white seeds.

Attributes: Good for Containers, Frost Sensitive

When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is at least 65°F, ideally 70°–85°F. Successive Sowings: Every 7 to 14 days up to 80 days before your average first fall frost date. NOTE: In very hot summer areas, skip sowing as high heat approaches; temperatures consistently above 90°F will prevent beans from forming.

When to Start Inside: Not recommended; bean seedlings are sensitive to root disturbance.

Days to Emerge: 6–12 days

Seed Depth: 1"

Seed Spacing: 1 seed every 4"

Row Spacing: 24"

Thinning: Not required

Harvesting: Snap beans are ready to pick when the pod "snaps" or breaks in half cleanly. This is when the seeds have just begun to form and the pods are several inches long (depending on the variety). Hold the stem with one hand, and the pod with the other hand to avoid pulling off branches, which will continue to produce. At season's end, plants are great compost material if they are disease-free.

Because bush beans were developed from pole beans (for condensed and easier harvests), sometimes they can revert to some of the traits of their predecessors by stretching and getting a little lanky before settling into more of a compact bush habit. Thus, why your bush bean appears to be a pole bean.