2025 Little Easy Bean Network - Growers Of The Future Will Be Glad We Saved

Artorius said:

@heirloomgal, if the pods remain soft for a long time, check to see if the seeds are germinating inside. Last year, I had a large number of cracked and sprouted seeds inside Ohio Pole pods.

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Oh my gosh, thank you for telling me this @Artorius!
I just went and opened some of the older pods which are saggy and yellowing with fully formed seed inside, just in case. I didn't see any sprouted seed knock on wood. What do you think is the best way to deal with the drying pods, should I open them all? Those pods are really odd.

Blue-Jay said:

Is it from Catalonia Spain? I acquired the bean from heirloomgal and her information was that it was from Germany.
Mongeta de la Neu is this the Spanish name for the bean?

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I only know the Catalan bean Mongeta de la Neu but I don't have it.

Here are some pictures (the pages are in Catalan - which is different from Spanish).

There are the ones with pure white seeds and green pods and the ones with white and little rose speckled beans with red pods.

Seed bank from Vallès Oriental (white - green): https://www.llavorsvallesoriental.cat/especies/mongeta-de-la-neu-/
White: https://associaciolera.org/producte/llavors-de-mongeta-de-la-neu-del-front-mata-alta/

Slow food article (speckled - red): https://slowfoodcatalunya.cat/mongeta-de-la-neu/?lang=en
Speckled: https://boletspirineus.com/bp-wp/fesols-o-mongetes/

Both: https://vadegust.cat/productes/mongeta-neu-mes-blanca-totes-60541/

On the pages it's written that it is called snow bean because it's the most white one they have there in this region.

Maybe @Artorius knows more as he has this bean?

And I have a new project: getting both variations of this Mongeta de la Neu and compare it

There are other variations of the same bean in Catalonia. For example, the seed bank says that Genoll de Crist, Or i Plata, Calbeta, Sant Íscle o de Monistrol and Del 40 are genetically all the same - the name depends on the valley they come from - even though my Or i Plata and Genoll de Crist looks a bit different (and also in the pictures on the Catalan web pages). It seems that this shows the influence of the local selections and different preferences in different valleys in Catalonia

Artorius said:

@Oxford, Schneebohne and Mongeta de la Neu are two different beans. I'm sure of this because I have seeds from both and can compare them.

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Thanks for this information. I wasn't aware that there is a Schneebohne in Germany. I only knew the Catalan ones. I should then also add this one to the comparison project of the two one from Catalonia

Oxford said:

...
There are other variations of the same bean in Catalonia. For example, the seed bank says that Genoll de Crist, Or i Plata, Calbeta, Sant Íscle o de Monistrol and Del 40 are genetically all the same - the name depends on the valley they come from - even though my Or i Plata and Genoll de Crist looks a bit different (and also in the pictures on the Catalan web pages). It seems that this shows the influence of the local selections and different preferences in different valleys in Catalonia

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if every valley applied selection pressures for long enough you can certainly have a different looking variety and that they are all going by the same name would complicate things. it would be quite a project to collect them and to grow them out and document the differences.

@Oxford, If I didn't know better, I would swear the photo of your True Red Cranberry was actually my Arlington Red Cranberry as my harvest was pretty much identical.

heirloomgal said:

That 'Ohio Pole' bean is such an odd variety. Took a moment to look closely at them drying in the sun today. I really seemed to have gotten a nice big crop of beans from the plants; those pods are so big and squishy, almost like they're made of foam. Weirdest pods I think I've seen yet. And I can see that they take longer to dry than most pods because of that unusual texture/substance those pods are made of. I'd be curious for any other growers here on the thread what your impressions are of that bean? I think it's edible as a snap bean, has anyone tried it?

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I've grown Ohio Pole in at least three different seasons, though not this year. I never noted anything unusual about the pods. Tennessee Mountain Climber has huge, puffy pods at maturity, but dry down to typical thin, crispy pods. Rose has similar huge, squishy pods for me. I'm crossing my fingers that they dry in this lovely late summer. I actually think of Ohio Pole as having nicer-than-average pod characteristics. I'll be curious to see what you end up with. I've never tried it as a snap.

Neen5MI said:

I've grown Ohio Pole in at least three different seasons, though not this year. I never noted anything unusual about the pods. Tennessee Mountain Climber has huge, puffy pods at maturity, but dry down to typical thin, crispy pods. Rose has similar huge, squishy pods for me. I'm crossing my fingers that they dry in this lovely late summer. I actually think of Ohio Pole as having nicer-than-average pod characteristics. I'll be curious to see what you end up with. I've never tried it as a snap.

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It's funny you mention the Rose bean, because the pods you describe them having are exactly like my Ohio Pole, squishy and large. And those two bean seeds look very similar as well. Maybe there is more than one bean with the name Ohio Pole, because others I know who've grown it had the same pods as I have?

I have grown Ohio Pole and also grown it under the name Miami Ohio which is apparently the same bean (https://www.seedways.org/product-page/ohio-miami-pole-bean)
My note for Miami Ohio in 2021 goes “Quality of seed not of the best. Takes a long time to dry down” so my experience was obviously very similars to yours @heirloomgal.
And I agree that at this stage this is quite similar to Rose which I’m watching quite anxiously hoping it will dry in time but is still at the fleshy and squishy stage.

I'm still waiting on Coal Camp and Autumn Zebra but otherwise bean season is finished. Our first frost date is predicted to be the 14th and shouldn't have much to cover if it comes. A few varieties are blooming and forming small beans but they'll likely be headed for the dinner table.

I'm trying to get my indoor plants and any I'm planning to overwinter repotted and brought back inside. I'm determined not to spend the evening before frost is predicted running around for hours covering plants and bringing armloads inside as usual.

Oxford said:

I only know the Catalan bean Mongeta de la Neu but I don't have it.

Here are some pictures (the pages are in Catalan - which is different from Spanish).

There are the ones with pure white seeds and green pods and the ones with white and little rose speckled beans with red pods.

Seed bank from Vallès Oriental (white - green): https://www.llavorsvallesoriental.cat/especies/mongeta-de-la-neu-/
White: https://associaciolera.org/producte/llavors-de-mongeta-de-la-neu-del-front-mata-alta/

Slow food article (speckled - red): https://slowfoodcatalunya.cat/mongeta-de-la-neu/?lang=en
Speckled: https://boletspirineus.com/bp-wp/fesols-o-mongetes/

Both: https://vadegust.cat/productes/mongeta-neu-mes-blanca-totes-60541/

On the pages it's written that it is called snow bean because it's the most white one they have there in this region.

Maybe @Artorius knows more as he has this bean?

And I have a new project: getting both variations of this Mongeta de la Neu and compare it

There are other variations of the same bean in Catalonia. For example, the seed bank says that Genoll de Crist, Or i Plata, Calbeta, Sant Íscle o de Monistrol and Del 40 are genetically all the same - the name depends on the valley they come from - even though my Or i Plata and Genoll de Crist looks a bit different (and also in the pictures on the Catalan web pages). It seems that this shows the influence of the local selections and different preferences in different valleys in Catalonia



Thanks for this information. I wasn't aware that there is a Schneebohne in Germany. I only knew the Catalan ones. I should then also add this one to the comparison project of the two one from Catalonia

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@Oxford
The source of my Schneebone seeds is the Deaflora store. German shop, German name, so I assumed the bean came from Germany. When I was looking through the links you provided, I remembered the Gold und Silber bean which I also had from Deaflora. This bean eventually turned out to be the Catalan Or i Plata which Deaflora sold under the literally translated name. I did some digging on the internet and now I think that Schneebohne is a similar case to Gold und Silber. This may actually be a Catalan Mongeta de la Neu bean sold under a German name. I think I need to write to Deaflora again and ask about the origin of this bean.

I'm adding a photo of my seeds that I took out of the freezer for comparison.
Mongeta de la Neu del Front (L) and Schneebohne / Mongeta de la Neu? (R)



And since I have already taken these beans out of the freezer, I will plant them both next year.

@Oxford i just have to say i'm always amused at your handle as you are in Switzerland. i'm always doing doubletakes.