2018 Little Easy Bean Network - Join Us In Saving Amazing Heirloom Beans

Bookmark we received at our local library yesterday. I'm sad to have missed out on Lima Bean Respect day. Much love for the lima bean!

@journey11 i have never had any lima beans other than the white kind we grow (Fordhook bush) and the fresh eating ones found in the frozen vegetables section - so i am looking forwards to seeing how the red pole variety turns out this year.

HmooseK said:

Well, the young fellow that was supposed to till up my garden, broke his arm, so I'm on my own. I'm not physically able, so all I can do is scratch a few spots in the ground around the yard. I'm disappointed, but I'll survive.

Today I planted three varieties. They are probably too close together, but it was the best I could do. They are about 15 feet apart.

4 Hoteko
4 Oaxacan Cream
8 Chestnut Flavored

Click to expand...

perhaps you can find someone else to do it? ask around, post a note at the local grocer's bulletin board/library/etc.

you can also try the smother approach, take chunks of cardboard and poke/cut a big enough hole in them that you can grow a bean plant through and then put them down and weigh them down with something so they won't blow away. then you only have to dig up where the planting hole is at and not that much. much easier to care for and the plants won't have much competition from weeds before they get big enough to cast shade. only problem with this approach is if it gets too dry out and you have to get enough water down through the holes, but it does work as a short term fix to weeds.

I love Limas both freshly shelled and dry in my bean soup mix. Two of my favorites are the large Christmas Limas and one called King of the Garden. King of the Garden has big white seeds. Unfortunately neither of those is productive for me most years, they are both large pole varieties.

I have a small dark red one, also pole that is very productive but the woman here does not like them very much. The historical society people gave me them for helping out at their pioneer homestead and supposedly Thomas Jefferson grew them, I don't remember their name. If any get lost on the ground they readily volunteer the next spring.

I also have another nicely productive one that I got at a seed swap down in Kentucky a few seasons ago. The seed I got looked like the one Russ calls Ping Zebra but they were apparently mixed up cause they produced a LOT of different seeds coats. Even number per pod and size had some variation. I tried a couple years to stabilize them for white seeds but they didn't care, just kept making all kinds. I finally just mixed the older seed back in and grow them like that as they are the most consistently productive for me.

Bluejay77 said:

@saritabee,

Is it warm enough where you live to plant outside already? I won't be planting here until late May or early June. Some of my bush bean plantings could even be pushed off as late as the 17th of June.

Click to expand...

Bluejay77 said:

@saritabee,

Is it warm enough where you live to plant outside already? I won't be planting here until late May or early June. Some of my bush bean plantings could even be pushed off as late as the 17th of June.

Click to expand...

It is warm enough to plant outside (this year, at least) -- it's been in the 70s or 80s all this week! Although I certainly wasn't expecting them to sprout this fast. I'm going to grow everything inside under the grow light until they have their first couple leaves, since we have a bit of a squirrel problem. Last year I planted them with about four leaves on 'em, and that worked great.

It really depends on the year, though... it's never super cold, but last year it rained straight from October til May, and the whole garden was a mud puddle until Memorial Day. So hooray! None of that this year.

Lady0Bug checking in for the fun. I thought I was going to be out of the action this year due to having a new baby boy in January, but I am finding time to garden while he naps. I can sign up for the following grow outs if they are still available. If these are not available, feel free to substitute any other Robert Lobitz bean you would like grown out.

- Amber Queen
- Comtesse de Chomboro
- Koronis Cream
- Paula
- Paynesville Amber
- Purple Dove

Also if you can spare a sample of any of the following seeds, I would be interested in the 2 for 1 grow out offer. I could also send back seed of any of these if you like to replenish their stock if that helps out.

- Cedar Lake
- Eden Prairie
- Golden Valley
- Great Lakes Special

Excited for the 2018 season. It has been a long snowy winter here in MN, but the first crocuses are up and spring is finally here.

Hi LadyObug,

How exciting and wonderful to have you back. So glad you can join our grow out again this year. Your beans will probably go into the mail tomorrow.

@Lady0bug welcome back.

Bluejay77 said:

Hi LadyObug,

How exciting and wonderful to have you back. So glad you can join our grow out again this year. Your beans will probably go into the mail tomorrow.

Click to expand...

Sounds good. I'll keep an eye out for them in the mail and let you know when they make it here. Safe travels little bean seeds.

@Bluejay77 , seeds arrived today, look beautiful. I'm chomping at the bit to plant but don't trust the weather this year, especially for Lima's. Probably better hold off at least a week, maybe more. We have had a few warm days but I don't think the ground is warmed up yet.