I like "kentucky wonder pole" but that's what I've always grown, along with my parents. I'm sure their are better tasting cultivars out there that I don't know much about.. Depending how much you like them, three plants should be more than enough, two plus a backup. You may have to add more plants, depending how well they grow in your area.

If you grow a bush type, you'll probably need to grow more plants. NOT a "green bean" but I grew 8 black eyed pea bush types last year to feed 3-4 and I had to wait every two weeks to pick. With "poles" I have beans when ever I want and sometimes a little more...

When I first started gardening, I got my feet wet, so to speak, by growing Kentucky Wonder pole beans and Blue Lake bush beans. They both produce well and are easy to grow (aside from slugs, snails, bunnies & deer). For bush beans, Burpee Stringless, Roma, and yellow wax beans are easy to grow. The purple bush and purple pole beans have never been as prolific for me. For purple ones, Royal Burgundy (bush) and Royalty Purple (bush) have produced.

For pole beans, Lazy Housewife and Greasy Grits are crazy producers.

When I first started gardening, I got my feet wet, so to speak, by growing Kentucky Wonder pole beans and Blue Lake bush beans. They both produce well and are easy to grow (aside from slugs, snails, bunnies & deer). For bush beans, Burpee Stringless, Roma, and yellow wax beans are easy to grow. The purple bush and purple pole beans have never been as prolific for me. For purple ones, Royal Burgundy (bush) and Royalty Purple (bush) have produced.

For pole beans, Lazy Housewife and Greasy Grits are crazy producers.

I grow both bush beans and pole beans to extend the season. I like Derby green beans and Rattlesnake pole beans. You don't need to buy plants, seeds will do and will be a lot cheaper. You can soak them before planting to get a head start but it's not entirely necessary.

Yeah... they are very quick to grow providing you have a decent and fairly loose soil in my experiences.. judging with containers. I've planted them in San Diego with just the soil on the land and went great. I soak the seeds for about 2 hours then plant... they are up and rising less than a week and are quick to develop their second leaves. To buy a single plant will likely cost you triple if not more than to buy a seed packet... and I've had seeds 4 years old in room temp that grew. Don't waste your money and you get the experience of sharing it's life process with.

There's a theory I've read dissolving a vitamin C tablet.. just a small part of a full tablet In the water to presoak helps to give more food later... when I tried that a fluke frost came... killed them all. I don't know if it works. I keep forgetting to do that since.

I miss Eagle bush beans. Had a friend that ran a seed store when I started gardening and he suggested Eagles. They were long and straight and produced one good crop, and one smaller crop. Then the seed became unavailable. So I switched to Contender and they're almost as nice. Sometimes have 20 beans on one bush. Very nice.