2023 Little Easy Bean Network - Beans Beyond The Colors Of A Rainbow

[Decoy1]

Re Freckles

Just checking my understanding :
cooler weather, and maybe shadier site, might be linked to more white showing on these types
because more of the darker colour when its been a hotter season?

thanks

There seems to be quite an amount of consistency in the colouring of the seed of some varieties at one growing site compared with another. It might well be that climatic conditions have some effect but given that those are quite variable from one season to the next, it might also be that the predominant soil of a site has an effect too. I have the impression that Russ (whose network gives rise to this thread) attributes it mainly to soil. He drew my attention to this tendency a few years ago in connection with the seed my garden produced for the variety, Ernie’s Big Eye.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Canadian Wild Goose - Semi Runner - Grown this year was another bean that struggled. I did get 1.30 ounces (36 grams). I think probably about half the seed harvested is in the photo.

Candy - Semi Runner - This bean did better than some. I got 10.90 ounces (255 grams). For those who read this thread. This bean is an original of mine from 1982. It took me about 5 seconds to think of it's name. The seed mother was a bean called "Big Light Red Trout". Big Light Red Trout is not a very productive bean and does not produce very many quality seeds. A lot of the crop are culls. I was happy to discover that Candy didn't inherit those poor characteristics. The bean over the years has been grown and scattered far and wide around the world. It's even sold by some heritage seed companies in Canada.


Canadian Wild Goose - Semi Runner.........................Candy - Semi Runner

 

[Beanmad Nanna]

oh yes, i've been stuck many times by lima beans and even pelted in the night by flying ones from the flats as they are drying even more.

I love that 'we' are of the company that gives drying beans priority over the peaceful serenity of a bedroom sanctuary

 

[Beanmad Nanna]

You're so kind. Thank you!
And thank you for answering my question. I tried googling, but couldn't really figure it out.

in addition , there are several regional/ localised versions of di Fuouco, both bush and climbing available (Seeds of Italy = Franchi seeds for reference)

 

[heirloomgal]

I find it hard to know sometimes whether it is a poor doer, inherent to bean or if its an off season or patch in the ground which has meant poor pod production or seed set.


In terms of trying to 'decide' criteria on which to try to maintain a particular sort, then quality and quantity of FOOD and seedstock has to be a consideration (for me as an individual with finite resources eg time, space).
In a hierarchy of decisions over limited space & energies to grow veg, high quality gastronomy or coping with wet/cold or drought/heat or disease resistance/health would have to be strong, if a variety set sparse seed. ( Cost benefit analysis ).
So if it was good in at least some respect, despite low productivity (weight of crop taken to the table), yes of course I want (personally) to maintain beans coping with range of extremes. (Food security) .
And in all honesty, it might just be that I find it especially curious or attractive aesthetically. ( So I potentially de-rail myself ).

As a biologist, I strongly advocate for maintaining as broad a range as we can ... am passionate about it

I'm with you in having all my bases covered when it comes to criteria; I love the pretties for pretty's sake, I love the high producers, I like the tough & hardy ones and I like the really well textured, meaty bean varieties - even if they aren't super high yielding. I don't think I've met many beans I didn't like. I can't even give up entirely on bush beans even though I'd sort of like to, considering poles blow them away nearly every time. There's a few exceptions.

I worry about the future too. I will definitely be prepared with a large arsenal of beans at least, just in case.

I'm fairly new to doing big bean grow outs, but determining what a variety's 'typical' yield is, is difficult because I'm always growing new beans!

 

[Beanmad Nanna]

Spent another couple hours out there this afternoon looking for and collecting dried pods. Things seem to be drying up faster this season, more heat units I think. It’s a lovely, enjoyable time of year, nice to work outside with the sun and breezes even if you need a light jacket.

So many of this years beans are big! I didn’t pick them for that specifically, just a funny coincidence. I’m just glad so many have dried down since bigger beans can be the last ones to finish in my garden.

Altmarker (2 dots over the A...) Very nice seed variety, and it's a snap bean too even though it's so nice looking.
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Lastochka
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Bird Egg Blue 🪺
Been a few years since I grew this one. It's nice to have fresh seeds in hand to admire again.
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Fagiola di Angelo Imperia(or something close to that, can't remember it without looking at the tag) For such a large bean it's drying down in great time, over 1/2 the pods are crackle dry.

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Princess Rose
First time ever growing this bean. I love the pink!
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*Sloot* 🙊 View attachment 60566

Found a cross in network bean Hemelvaartboontje. Sort of a black marble, it's a pretty one for sure. View attachment 60569

Better pic of network bean Lucie. It can look a blackish purple in photos, but it really is more of a true purple. Gosh, what a bean. All the seeds are so well formed, no culls at all so far.

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The drying room is doing lots of drying right now. Haha, seed savers really know how to junk up a space. And this is after I cleaned up a little in here.

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One of the things I am enjoying , as I make my way through this thread, is just how familiar the sights are ^ ^ Your drying room with no seat, no floor space and multiple seed flats and receptacles teetering on top of one another, crammed into almost every space. Plant hulms in my living room and I can barely pick my way through to my kitchen right now for boxes across the floor as well as on every available surface & chair. I really do feel at home in this group!

 

[heirloomgal]

@Bluejay77 all network beans are packed and ready to go, I just need to go out and get a proper sized box for them.

One question for you though - there are 3 or 4 packets you sent for returning beans were not split into the 10 in one 50 in the other system. These few packets all said '60' on the front insert and there was only one envelope for each bean variety? All the network beans I've ever sent back were always in two envelopes, one with ten one with the fifty. Are these envelopes meant to be like this so I put all 60 seeds in the one packet?

 

[Beanmad Nanna]

Apparently one of the phone "security updates" disabled my USB preferences, which were set to 'photo transfer' by default. Now the default resets automatically to 'file transfer', and a notification pops up which allows me to change back (temporarily) to 'photo transfer'. The problem with smart phones is sometimes they're smarter than those who update the programs.

But heh, this is a bean thread... so more photos. The cowpeas & yardlong beans are blooming.

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Yardlong "Galante". I sent out nearly all of last year's seed, so had to grow it again - it's looking MUCH healthier than last year. A very productive variety from the Philippines, with firm pods.

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Yardlong "3-feet-plus". Later, just beginning to get pods now, but will bear heavily just before Fall (when snap beans have mostly quit). One of my longest yardlongs. Ironically, it always seems to end up in the same location (next to the pole building) but does well regardless.

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Cowpea "Pink Eye Purple Hull". Grown on new ground, the vines are somewhat restrained this year; they are usually more rampant (as "Kirby" is this year, which I'll post later).

As you can see, the differences in flowers between different varieties are subtle. If Phaseolus beans were blooming this late, dry seed would be "iffy"; but Vigna beans go from flower to dry seed so quickly, they seldom fail even in my short summers.

Helpful to know. I've not tried Yardlongs, but am more tempted to grow a few now

 

[flowerbug]

i want a bean to be productive but i don't want a bean to be so productive that it depletes the garden soil of nutrients. i want a balance and sustainability and then if i amend a garden once every several years with wood ashes and some worm compost and i still see consistent improvement through time is how i measure it.

rotational planting and amending with worm compost for the heaviest feeding crops i plant works really well. low-till or no-till and using whatever organic materials i can is also a part of it. so far it all seems to be working. we get crops when others don't. we've never had a tomato crop that didn't produce, i have had some pea or bean varieties that did not produce but i give them three tries before i give up on them completely so i have found beans that are much more reliable than others and i have them in my collection and planting rotation. i have too many...

 

[Beanmad Nanna]

i want a bean to be productive but i don't want a bean to be so productive that it depletes the garden soil of nutrients. i want a balance and sustainability and then if i amend a garden once every several years with wood ashes and some worm compost and i still see consistent improvement through time is how i measure it.

rotational planting and amending with worm compost for the heaviest feeding crops i plant works really well. low-till or no-till and using whatever organic materials i can is also a part of it. so far it all seems to be working. we get crops when others don't. we've never had a tomato crop that didn't produce, i have had some pea or bean varieties that did not produce but i give them three tries before i give up on them completely so i have found beans that are much more reliable than others and i have them in my collection and planting rotation. i have too many...

" I have too many" a worrisome squirm in the pit of my stomach - involuntary reaction when I read that )