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

[baymule]

@Pulsegleaner the vast array of your knowledge never fails to amaze me.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Sorry for the fuzzy image. What causes some beans to get that brown coloring? Is it related to then getting wet? Is it harmful in any way?

These are Mahlathini I'm growing for Russ but I've seen it on other beans too. I'm just wondering what it is.

 

[journey11]

I have a lot of trouble with that too, @Ridgerunner . Seems the ones that touch the ground are worse. I do better with pole beans than I do with bush beans. It has been a very wet summer here. Last year, and the year before were too.

On the bright side though, ugly beans will still sprout!

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

I also get something similar to that, probably caused by moisture or a combo of cold/ moisture. Considering that it's a rare variety and you probably don't have a lot of seeds, I'd say save them - just separately in case the brown is caused by some type of fungus (probably not much to worry about but you never can be too sure).

 

[Blue-Jay]

Sorry for the fuzzy image. What causes some beans to get that brown coloring? Is it related to then getting wet? Is it harmful in any way?

These are Mahlathini I'm growing for Russ but I've seen it on other beans too. I'm just wondering what it is.

View attachment 4146

Yes this is caused by too much moisture at the time the mature seeds are trying to become dry. The brown spotting is actually the start of the degrading and decay of your seed. Kind of like a rotten apple. Right now your photo looks as if the decay has just affected the seed coat. Eventually the decay goes deeper into the seed ruining the seed and making it useless for food or planting.

The best thing to do is if you are having excessive rain during the drying season is to clip your pods that are becoming dry and get them out of the weather. Take them inside somewhere and allow them to very slowly dry while they are still inside the pods. This drying process will take longer than if the pods could have been outside on the plants with plenty of dry sunny days. If you harvest a number of pods which are flabb and fairly moist but have become yellow then don't stack to many on top of each other spread them out and allow them to have a little room so they can get air ciruculation around them so they will lose moisture. You can also place them in front of a fan and run your fan around the clock if you want to speed up the drying process. Pods that have been clipped off your plants but still fairly moist can also be placed on little pieces of cardboard, or little cardboard boxes and sun dried on very sunny days bringing them inside again near the time the sun becomes weak near the end of the day.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

This seems to be a particular problem with the African beans from Richters. In fact I suspect it is why the Fort Portal Mixed is called "mixed". As they come from the packet, they are all kinds of shades of purples, browns,maroons, and tans, all the way down to a near black. However based on the beans I have harvested, and, it, appears those of those people who have planted the ones I shared with them (which included original packet material, so it isn't a bottleneck thing) their natural fresh dry color is purple; ALL the others seem to come about with age and poor drying. Same thing with the Bantu beans, brown tans and olives from the pack, just purple when fresh dried.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I thought that was water damage, I just didn't know it was that serious. I'll dispose of all the bad ones. I still have plenty good ones. It hasn't been raining but that was probably from when I was watering.

I have all your beans picked but I'll dry them some more before I package them up. The Volta and Timbavati seeds I got from you were colored like you see in your post at the start of this thread but both have turned out white. I'll send you what I grew. Maybe someone else will have soil that produces those pretty colors.

 

[journey11]

@marshallsmyth , here are the pics of the Powder Stars I promised you. They are very vigorous climbers and appear to be highly resistant to blight, etc. On the second pic, if you can tell, the two teepees neighboring the Powder Stars do have a few yellowed/spotted lower leaves (I am thinking it is blight, not anthracnose, but I am really not sure), but they have come up beside them all summer and are still so robust and healthy. The one on the teepee is actually just one plant!

I ran out of bamboo poles and the raised bed planting was inadequately supported by comparison. That bunch is blooming now and the ones on the teepee have mature beans. I'll be canning some in the next day or two.

 

[Hal]

@marshallsmyth , here are the pics of the Powder Stars I promised you. They are very vigorous climbers and appear to be highly resistant to blight, etc. On the second pic, if you can tell, the two teepees neighboring the Powder Stars do have a few yellowed/spotted lower leaves (I am thinking it is blight, not anthracnose, but I am really not sure), but they have come up beside them all summer and are still so robust and healthy. The one on the teepee is actually just one plant!

I ran out of bamboo poles and the raised bed planting was inadequately supported by comparison. That bunch is blooming now and the ones on the teepee have mature beans. I'll be canning some in the next day or two.

View attachment 4162 View attachment 4161

Journey those plants are exceptionally vigorous and clean. Do you think these will be a regular in your garden?

 

[journey11]

Journey those plants are exceptionally vigorous and clean. Do you think these will be a regular in your garden?

They certainly will. They taste good too.