2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[Blue-Jay]

@Bluejay77 is there any circumstance under which you allow more than 4 plants on a pole? It will soon be time to cull any extras that I planted in the ground and I can feel my inner hogzilla already trying to come up with reasons why I should let this pole have 5.....it is a small bean....Is there any exceptions to the 4 to a pole rule for you? All the bigger seeded beans I planted, like Jembo Polish and Berta Telaska , I put only 3 plants to a pole just in case the large seeds have a longer maturity. But I wonder if smaller seeded beans could go the other way a little?

If I wind up sometimes with 5 plants to a pole I have always let them grow that way. They will be fine. It really breaks my heart to pull up a perfectly good bean plant. The first time I ever planted pole beans I had decided on 4 seeds to a pole. It was strictly an arbitrary number at the time and I found out it worked well. One time I planted 5 seeds around a pole being concerned about the seeds condition or age and wound up with 5 plants growing around the pole. That too seemed to work out fine also. I do though deliberately always revert back to my orignal 4 seed number per pole.

 

[Zeedman]

Pole beans adjust well to changes in spacing; they'll just branch less (and yield a little less per plant) when close, or branch & yield more heavily if given space to expand. Regardless, the optimal yield per square foot doesn't necessarily change much, since that is determined by the amount of sunlight, and the degree to which the plants shade each other. More plants means better genetic diversity; fewer plants may produce larger, healthier seed. Take your pick.

With health & weather challenges finally behind me, I started planting the home gardens yesterday. A few things (such as the limas & runner beans) were started in pots on the 17th, and placed in the temperature-controlled greenhouse to speed germination... they are already beginning to emerge.
Lima - Madagascar (pole)
Runner bean - Gigandes
Adzuki - Takara Early
Cowpea -Washday

Beans:

• Atlas (bush)
• Bird Egg #3 (pole)
• Blue Marbutt (pole)
• Emerite (pole)
• Grandma Gina's (pole)
• Uzice (bush)
• Zlatak (pole wax)

Yardlongs:

• Galante
• Long King
• Summer Treasure (DD will be growing this too)
• Vine Full #9

DW & her friends had looked forward to the yardlong trials, so I made room for a few of them. That was made easier by the elimination of all planned cool-weather crops (too warm now) and some long-DTM crops like hyacinth bean (too late now). I hope to get in 8 soybeans too, weather permitting (it's 90 F. degrees & humid already). Two of those, Bei 77-6177 and Sapporo Midori, are my favorite varieties, and nearly dead (under 10% germ). I have hundreds of seeds of each soaking, and will plant anything which sprouts in the safety of my TLC pots.

Unrelated to beans, but I still hope the plant the other half of @baymule 's Painted Mountain corn. The intent is to mix it with the 17# harvested last year. I wanted to plant that yesterday, but the neighbor (who I am on good terms with) had a sprinkler spraying over the fence, and turned part of my garden into a mud patch. I'll politely ask him to adjust the sprinkler the next time we see each other. That area will need to dry for a couple more days before I can plant.

 

[flowerbug]

What is it they are exhibiting? Are the plants unusually small?

the cotyledons are there but there's no leaves above that. like something bit them right off. everything else in the garden is mostly ok. i suspect the seed quality was poor. if i get a few plants to survive then i hope i can get some fresh seeds.

 

[jbosmith]

the cotyledons are there but there's no leaves above that. like something bit them right off. everything else in the garden is mostly ok. i suspect the seed quality was poor. if i get a few plants to survive then i hope i can get some fresh seeds.

In my experience, mostly with black beans where it's hard to tell what was fully ripe and what was a dry shelly, less-than-ideal beans present as having a small set of first true leaves, but they grow through it. It looks like insect damage at a distance, but the leaves are there and just small. The growth tip is always fine. My unsolicited guess here is nibbling of some sort.

 

[flowerbug]

ten double rows got prepped and planted this morning and all watered in and that was all i could do for the day. it wasn't going as fast as i'd have liked but i'm hoping i can finish up tomorrow morning. if i can get out there an hour earlier that might do it. the last part of the garden where i did a lot of digging already should go faster but i have to move some dirt back where it belongs so it may be a wash in the end. we'll see how that goes tomorrow. for now i'm sprawled out and just had lunch so i may read and then fall asleep for a bit.

 

[flowerbug]

In my experience, mostly with black beans where it's hard to tell what was fully ripe and what was a dry shelly, less-than-ideal beans present as having a small set of first true leaves, but they grow through it. It looks like insect damage at a distance, but the leaves are there and just small. The growth tip is always fine. My unsolicited guess here is nibbling of some sort.

we'll see how they go. my eyes aren't the best and i've not looked at them close up yet so perhaps they do have the small set of first true leaves... no matter what i won't be able to do anything about it or replant for several days anyways, just keep them moist enough to keep growing and see how they do.

 

[Triffid]

@Zeedman Is your Uzice bush bean related to Uzice Speckled Wax?

 

[meadow]

Wow, I thought Dakota Bumble seeds only come in the three colors I have. Of course, I would like the original seed pack from Prairie Road Organics. I'm happy to send you something back.

That would be wonderful! I know you have some very pretty beans (I'll need to look at the old posts to refresh my memory).

I've ordered several packets to ensure that I will be able to send some of each color. I'll speak to @Bluejay77 to find out about the paperwork. This is exciting! 😄

 

[meadow]

the cotyledons are there but there's no leaves above that. like something bit them right off. everything else in the garden is mostly ok. i suspect the seed quality was poor. if i get a few plants to survive then i hope i can get some fresh seeds.

One of the Swedish Brown seeds (network bean) did not have leaves, only cotyledons. One cotyledon was brown and the other was white. This was started indoors (eta: no nibbles). Several others were stunted with malformed leaves. I took the liberty to cull them. The rest look fine. @Bluejay77

 

[Boilergardener]

One of the Swedish Brown seeds (network bean) did not have leaves, only cotyledons. One cotyledon was brown and the other was white. This was started indoors (eta: no nibbles). Several others were stunted with malformed leaves. I took the liberty to cull them. The rest look fine. @Bluejay77

If a bean has atleast 1 cotyledon left it can throw a trifoliate set of leaves from it. I had a bunch of beans that the seedcorn maggots chewed up and the first true unifoliates fell off after they emerged.

They sat there a while looking weak and no growth but now they are making trifoliates and will make seed. Patience is key ive learned in my few short years growing beans.