The 2014 Little Easy Bean Network - Get New Beans On The Cheap

[Hal]

Hi Hal,

Last year the Shortwave Sunshine was a new bean that I found, and I suppose the bean Junin probably had crossed with a semi-runner or perhaps even a pole bean. That cross had to have occured in Astrid Storm's garden in Germany where the bean came from. Now the bean is segregating. I will have plenty of true bush ones to collect seed from.

The bumblebees indeed cause the majority of the outcrossing. They are larger and stronger than the honey bees. However the honey bees can create crosses. Calvin Keeney the father of the stringless bean used honey bees to breed his new stringless bean varieties.

Junin reminds me of a bean I saw offered in Canada that is now sold out for good.

We just don't have Bumble Bees. Bumble Bees are just flower tearing brutes.
I just don't get any crosses because there is so much food around for the regular bees that they don't even bother with the difficult to access flowers like beans or peas.
To get any crosses I have to do it myself, you on the other hand get some very nice gifts from the bees.

It would be interesting to watch how many bees you get visiting on a given day.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Last Year in my 1/13 of an acre bean plot. I would estimate there could have been close to 5 bumblebees at any one given time. I would think they each could be visting at least 100 blossoms an hour. They start in the morning when the sun has been up for maybe two hours and they work until early evening. I would bet the bumblebees work nearly 12 hours a day.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hey SeedO, and Pulsegleaner,

Here is the lone survivor of the Armenian Black Giant and you can see the runner that it's growing at it's top. Maybe with some luck we will get some nice seeds from this plant.

 

[aftermidnight]

''Junin reminds me of a bean I saw offered in Canada that is now sold out for good."

Which bean was it, curious minds want to know

Annette

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi Annette,

You can go to last years Little Easy Bean Network thread on page 4 of Fruits and Vegetables then page 33 of the thread and at the 9th set of bean photos you can see Junin and the seed it threw off last year. Which I am now calling Shortwave Sunshine. Since Junin was a true bush bean in form. I really expected all the Shortwave Sunshine plants to grow the same way, but you just never know about the surprises that might be lurking in an outcrosses genes.

I'm sure I can select a true bush form of Shortwave Sunshine. I'll probably eventually investigate the climbing ones also. Who knows, when I collect seed of the ones that are climbing this year. I might find a different seed coat entirely.

 

[Hal]

''Junin reminds me of a bean I saw offered in Canada that is now sold out for good."

Which bean was it, curious minds want to know

Annette

(Theresa's) Pink Portugal Kidney. It is a stunning pink. I wish I had the money to send some of the rare stuff to a friend in Canada before Mandy's Greenhouses stopped offering bean seed. Mandy's has got some great photos on Flickr.

 

[aftermidnight]

Ta Da, I do think I have that one.

Being the beanaholic I am and, after reading the description I placed an order at Mandy's before she closed up shop. Although I don't grow bush beans as a rule (lack of space) they sounded interesting, or is it just the devil made me do it .
I located my packet, 43 beans on my desk 1 on the floor, before trying to retrieve that one I'll make a list of what else I can do whilst I'm down there, this getting old ain't for sissies LOL.
Lord knows when or if I will ever get around to growing them so, Hal, if you send me your mailing addy I'll pop a few in the mail, Russ do you want a few too? Just in case one or the other doesn't get through, that uuuughhhh!!! border thingy.

Annette

 

[aftermidnight]

Russ, Junin does look an awful lot like Theresa's Pink Portugal but that doesn't mean they are the same . The one right beside it looks an awful lot like Spanish Tolosna but a lot of beans with seed coats that look alike produce different beans. For example there's so many seed coats that look just like Eye of the Goat but produce different beans. I think Shirley is trialling several of them this year to see what the differences are.

Annette

 

[Blue-Jay]

Annette,

Are you sure those are Theresa's Pink Portugal Kidney. On Mandy's Photo album the shading of the color and seed shape looks a like the Aztec Red. Sure I'll take what you would like to send.

Would you like something off my website in trade. Just a little opportunity to get something else you don't have. You know there's always room for another bean. LOL

 

[aftermidnight]

'Are you sure those are Theresa's Pink Portugal Kidney. On Mandy's Photo album the shading of the color and seed shape looks like the Aztec Red. Sure I'll take what you would like to send.'

Russ, that's what the packet said. I haven't looked at her photo of said beans but the picture I posted is what was in the packet she sent me. The seed is quite pinkish, my picture was taken inside in not the best of light. I'll pop a few in the mail for you, I'll take a rain check on your offer, not saying I won't hit you up for something later on, right now I'm trying to wade through all the ones I have in my stash. Keep your fingers crossed they make it.

Annette