I garden in Southern Arizona. I've read this bean is one that works in warm climates. I asked about them in my garden group and two members had tried them. Rattlesnake beans grow here but neither member liked the beans. Neither of those ladies care for Roma beans either...my favorite green bean. They prefer the more tender beans. I'm thinking of trying them next year.
So are they eaten as green beans or as the bean inside? A few years ago I grew something like that but they were tough skinned to I left them on the vine till they were dried and saved them as beans for soup. They were yummy for my tummy that way. I have not found them since, not even where I got them the first time. Barb in Pa.
I tried to grow Rattlesnake beans on the recommendation of a fellow Texas gardener. I didn't have much luck--no beans, and very little vine. However, I've never had luck with pole beans. If you have garden space, go ahead and try some--gardening is an adventure, any way you look at it!
Waretrop, these can be eaten young as green beans or left to mature on the vine. They can handle drought. Marlingardener, I'm not sure I want to give Rattlesnake beans much space. Maybe one teepee or something like that as an experiment. My luck has been like yours with pole beans--all bad. I tried half runners last year and had good luck with them. Just about the time I was ready to give up on them we had a heavy rain and they took off. Yesterday we finished the last bag I had in the freezer. The vines were supposed to only go to four feet. HA! So much for the catalog. They grew to well over 6 feet. I had to rig more trellis to support them. My husband liked them but to me they weren't the best green bean I ever ate.
Why don`t you go with a good variety, blue lake or similar, and just plant early spring and in fall. Then during the hot dry times of mid summer you don`t have to worry with them.
