2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[meadow]

What do y'all think of this technique to finish drying beans quickly? Would it make a difference to your opinion if the beans were for planting as opposed to eating?

Beans must be dried to less than 15% moisture before storage or else they will mold. If harvested when mature & cleaned in a dry period, no extra drying is necessary, but sometimes we run beans through a dehydrator set to 90˚F for 24 hrs before storing.

(from Adaptive Seeds, We Love Growing Dry Beans, You Might Too!, emphasis mine)

 

[jbosmith]

What do y'all think of this technique to finish drying beans quickly? Would it make a difference to your opinion if the beans were for planting as opposed to eating?


(from Adaptive Seeds, We Love Growing Dry Beans, You Might Too!, emphasis mine)

This mostly just sounds like extra work and an extra step where something can go wrong. In the case of beans it's easy enough to just spread them out to dry. If they're more than a single layer deep I drag my fingers through them as often as possible, sand garden style. If it's too humid to do this, I'd probably use desiccant packets, though I've never felt the need here.

Adaptive probably knows more about this than I do, but 15% strikes me as overly ambitious for anything other than long term freezer storage.

Here are some beans I currently have drying. The top shelf is 2x4' and is installed upside down so that there's a lip to keep the beans from falling off. It's about an inch deep and gets stirred every time I walk by. It's also lined with cardboard and paper towels for moisture wicking. The bottom shelf has a box of Red Turtle beans, also about an inch deep. Those are just in one of the flats that beer cans come in.

 

[Zeedman]

Opinion time: If you were going to block-plant hobby scale quantities of either bush P. vulgaris or soy beans, what spacing(s) would you use? I feel like most of the spacing online and in books has more to do with harvesting equipment in farm fields than actual plant needs.

My 3 C's (I always find it hard to stop at 2 ).

There are so many factors that go into spacing that IMO there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Among others, factors I would consider are the growth habit of the variety, whether the plants will be irrigated or not, weed pressure, endemic diseases, rodent pressure, harvest access & method, climate (especially during dry down) and whether the blocks will be tended or mostly neglected. If seed is in short supply, wider spacing may be required to get the best yield per plant.

For dry beans, in garden culture, I would prefer wide rows (with full access from the two sides) to wider blocks. In my climate (where more often than not, I'm picking pods as they dry down in between storms) I would not space rows closer than 12" apart, due to risk of disease or mold. I've used final spacing of 8" between plants, and 2 @ 12". In irrigated garden culture, the more rampant bush varieties may need 12" between plants each way. In drier climates, or if the blocks will be untended, you might be able to space plants more closely, to both conserve moisture & hold down weed growth. Closer spacing will tend toward the optimal yield per square foot; but increases the risk of "boom or bust", and is less efficient in terms of yield vs. seed planted.

IMO if pods will be harvested by hand (vice harvested by pulling entire plants) wide rows should be used. The same applies if weed pressure is high enough that weeding at least once will be necessary, or if rodent pressure will require intervention. If the beans will be neglected after planting & irrigated only by rainfall, then wider block planting may be most effective.

Most soybeans available commercially are edamame varieties. Those tend to be in the 24" +/- 6" height range, and generally have sturdy upright stems; but soybean height (and resistance to lodging) are strongly influenced by spacing. Wider spacing = shorter, stockier plants. Because edamame soybeans are generally harvested by cutting/pulling entire plants, they can be grown in either wide rows or blocks... but because seed size & seeds per pod are important for edamame, spacing is much more critical. In rows, I thin early edamame soybeans to 3-4", and later more vigorous varieties to 5-6". SSE appears to use about 12" between plants each way, which causes the plants to become short, bushy, well branched, and with a very heavy pod load. Not very efficient space-wise, but outstanding quality for edamame. I would do that if I had space.

Field soybeans tend to be well supported also, but most varieties now are GM; few non-GM varieties are available commercially (which is the reason I began collecting them). Some of the higher-yielding OP varieties can be TALL. Some may even be semi-twining around each other, which helps support them off the ground - but makes manual harvest challenging. For seed saving, I actually tie taller soybeans up for support, to prevent them from being knocked down to ground level (where rodents will harvest them). Since I seldom plant more than a double row (18-24" apart) and since plant spacing can vary widely, I have no experience in block plantings. in general though, earlier varieties will be shorter & can be spaced more closely (perhaps 6-8" each way) while later, taller varieties may need wider spacing.

As @Pulsegleaner pointed out, pod shattering can be an issue with soybeans. Some varieties are more prone to this than others, and in my experience, the degree of shattering (or not) seems to vary year-to-year. In the worst case, a large percentage of seed can be expelled onto the ground; so regardless of how the plants are spaced, they should be watched closely when plants yellow & pods begin to dry down.

Rodents are a major issue with soybeans. In wide blocks (or even wide rows) they will nest under the dense center growth, and unless dealt with, will destroy much of the crop. If that applies where the soybeans will be grown, and pest control is necessary, blocks may not be an effective strategy for soybeans. Farmers can get away with a relatively small loss percentage wise; but in small lots, the loss can potentially be total. I have traps under my ripening soybeans now.

 

[flowerbug]

What do y'all think of this technique to finish drying beans quickly? Would it make a difference to your opinion if the beans were for planting as opposed to eating?


(from Adaptive Seeds, We Love Growing Dry Beans, You Might Too!, emphasis mine)

since we have forced air heating for the winter months it gets pretty dry in here so there isn't any need for me to do any further drying other than what can be accomplished by leaving the flats out and stirring them once in a while.

 

[Zeedman]

What do y'all think of this technique to finish drying beans quickly? Would it make a difference to your opinion if the beans were for planting as opposed to eating?


(from Adaptive Seeds, We Love Growing Dry Beans, You Might Too!, emphasis mine)

I don't trust dehydrators for seed drying, unless the beans are being dried only for food use. Many if not most dehydrators can damage seeds even on the lowest heat setting. As has been mentioned, beans dry naturally quite easily just left out in a dry location, no more than a few layers deep.

Drying beans (and other seeds) down to the low moisture content required for frozen or extended storage is easy in the cooler climes; just leave the seeds exposed to the indoor air for several weeks when the heater begins to run, anf they will be dry enough. My indicator is when static electricity becomes noticeable. In humid environments, placing the seeds in a jar with desiccant will dry them.

 

[meadow]

Hmm. I should have mentioned that I'm concerned about bugs* and would like to freeze all of the beans, but don't want to do that until they are dry... recollecting the exploded seed that I received from one supplier earlier this year and surmising that it may have been due to being frozen before it was dry.

I'm sure the beans will air dry as I've done that before, but the air is pretty moist here and I'm worried that the bugs may start popping out before the seeds are dry (it will be quite a while before we're heating the house).

*I managed to import pea weevils with the soup pea seed this year. I guess that is what I get for ordering them at the last minute and planting directly into the garden instead of doing the freeze, thaw, freeze thing. Did you know that they will remain dormant until Spring, but will become active if there are vibrations?

Fortunately I noticed some random bug when shelling and thought to enclose the drying seed in a paint strainer bag, so all weevils have been caught inside of the bag and cannot get out. Then I reach in, catch them, and drown 'em in soapy water. Not sure if there will be any peas left to eat, or that I'll want to eat. 😒

 

[jbosmith]

Hi all! Thanks for all the replies about block planting experiences. There's far too many to quote!

This idea started when someone gave me a roughly 30x30 foot piece of silage tarp and I got the idea of killing off some grass and doing 4 blocks, a little less than 15x15' each with pathways between them. I was thinking bush beans like Jacob's Cattle, some sort of soy because @Zeedman got me hooked, plus some wheat and sorghum. I've always grown all of these in 3' beds, so it just seemed like something new to try.

Most of my grain growing books, many of which also include beans and soy, talk about 30" rows for legume crops but I'm almost positive that that's because they're using corn planters with different plates. I was thinking 18" for bush beans and 24" for soy would be adequate. I did just find some studies about highest yields at 18-22" for dry beans, and another at 24" for soy, but those are all done out west in much drier climates, and with commercial varieties. Their in-row spacing (and most of yours) are also far closer than I plant.

Anyway, the plastic is still in the box it came in so this whole thing is a ways off and there's some time to ponder on it. Thanks again for the input!

Unrelated, but to save a separate post:

My indicator is when static electricity becomes noticeable.

I love, and can relate to this. 🤣

thought to enclose the drying seed in a paint strainer bag

This is a great idea! I also have organza bags that I could totally use for my trial beans, all of which are in <1 cup quantities, instead of filling my counter with deli cups!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Just thought this would be fun to throw out there. Speaking of row spacing. Here is what my heirloom dry beans did to 40 inch wide rows two years ago in 2020.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

did one of your plants throw albino, or is that just a wilting leaf? (lower left). For some reason, I usually got a handful of albinos every time I planted fresh rice beans (they happen a LOT with my Yuzus, but I am by now convinced those have a LOT of gene issues.)

 

[flowerbug]

in shelling yesterday i found a light pink bean with just a bit of light tan markings on them.

i'm guessing these beans won't likely look all that great when they dry down completely and i'm unlikely to do much with them in the future, but if anyone wants to adopt them or other beans i have let me know.

i only planted Purple Dove and some olive colored beans in that row so these likely came from the olive beans. i was hoping for some olive colored beans back and i did get some but not nearly as nice as what i planted so i'm also unlikely to plant those again. i have enough projects already!