The Franchi bean that I grow and love is Merveille de Piemonte. I first bought these seeds about 8 years ago, because I was intrigued by the color. What started as a curiosity has grown into a passion. These beans are fantastic! The germinate readily in all kinds of conditions. I even planted them in mid-Spring this year, because the packet suggested they would germinate even in cool soil - and they did! As a result, we have been eating these beans since late June. I plant the seeds about 3" apart. I do not do anything special, other than an all-purpose organic fertilizer. The plants bear extremely heavily for about 3 weeks, then start to peter out. The flavor is a great meaty, bean flavor. These are among the best tasting beans I have ever eaten. They still taste great even when they get a little large - which is easy for them to do - because the heavy foliage conceals them so well. Other the Colorado bean beetle, which is problem with all beans, I have not had any major pest or disease problems. The biggest problem is the yield! It's sometimes hard to eat all of these wonderful beans. They have become very popular on my farm stand. Once people try them they keep coming back. I believe I may have been one of the first in our area to grow these beans, but I have started seeing them show up at other farm stands and at the farmers' market. I can't say enough good things about these beans! Grazie Seeds from Italy!

Amazing size, flavor, and prolific. Amazing. I live in a hot dry area, but this been did well in my garden. The beans were so prolific some actually made it to the kitchen. Kids loved to eat them as fast as I picked them. This is our new garden variety of bush beans along with burre de Rocquencourt

I first tried these beans almost 10 years ago. I was first attracted just by the color, but once I tasted them I was sold for life. They have delicious bean flavor! They are easy to grow,extremely productive and, unlike most beans, tolerate a little coolness, so they are perfect for the shoulder seasons.