2026 Little Easy Bean Network – Plant A Garden, Water Your Soul, Join Our Family

Blue-Jay said:

I think it really makes a difference which post office you are dealing with. A particular post office clerk might interpret what is required on customs labels differently. They just simply get picky. Sounds like your smaller post office is the place to go.

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heirloomgal said:

I find it really important to get an experienced person.

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The clerk at the larger post office has been there for years and is probably close to retirement. Evidently her purpose is to treat every transaction with the scrutiny of a drill sergeant.

I seldom go to to post office where my mail comes from because it's eleven miles away in a direction I only travel a few times a month and is only open a few hours a day. We had a post office five miles away but the building owner wouldn't renew the lease with USPS and the community has been promised a new location for two years now. I pass two others on the way to town but really limited hours on those too. I guess that's one of the downsides to rural living.

Triffid said:

Some bean photos for a rainy January day.
Last year I grew Rose for the HSL and two offtypes were identified.
First pic is the 'true' seed.
Offtype 1 produced tons of frosted seed, with blue-striped fleshy pods, a bit like Rattlesnake.
Offtype 2 didn't yield as much but had the earliest pods, which were curved and not fleshy.
Both offtypes were earlier than Rose and had pods without parchment.
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Are you planning to continue with either off-type? I’ve struggled with how late Rose is for two years running, so comparative earliness would be an advantage. But your true to type seeds are very bonnie.

Triffid said:

Some bean photos for a rainy January day.
Last year I grew Rose for the HSL and two offtypes were identified.
First pic is the 'true' seed.
Offtype 1 produced tons of frosted seed, with blue-striped fleshy pods, a bit like Rattlesnake.
Offtype 2 didn't yield as much but had the earliest pods, which were curved and not fleshy.
Both offtypes were earlier than Rose and had pods without parchment.
View attachment 79462
View attachment 79463View attachment 79464

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Bottom beans win the prize for most beautiful! I wonder which of these three wins for best flavor!?

Decoy1 said:

Are you planning to continue with either off-type? I’ve struggled with how late Rose is for two years running, so comparative earliness would be an advantage. But your true to type seeds are very bonnie.

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I have an issue with Rose germinating in the pods, so I will be growing out the off-types to assess them. I think they have favourable characteristics for our climate. I'm hoping they were mutations that will stay true, rather than segregating crosses, as I wouldn't have the space to make a selection. OT#2 produced over 900 seeds! You're most welcome to a packet of each if you'd like to try them too.

Dahlia said:

Bottom beans win the prize for most beautiful! I wonder which of these three wins for best flavor!?

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I have no idea how the latter two taste, but I'll find out in 6 months

Triffid said:

I have an issue with Rose germinating in the pods, so I will be growing out the off-types to assess them. I think they have favourable characteristics for our climate. I'm hoping they were mutations that will stay true, rather than segregating crosses, as I wouldn't have the space to make a selection. OT#2 produced over 900 seeds! You're most welcome to a packet of each if you'd like to try them too.

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Thank you. How can I resist! Would you say there are two distinct types in the bottom picture - one more frosted than the other?

Triffid said:

OT#2 produced over 900 seeds!

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I made a mistake here, I meant to write OT#1, i.e. picture 2.

Decoy1 said:

Thank you. How can I resist! Would you say there are two distinct types in the bottom picture - one more frosted than the other?

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Even though they appear to be a mix, they're from the same plant/s, with multiple colours found in the same pod. If you're referring to the frosted brown overlaid with darker speckles and stripes, then judging the seeds in front of me they're all like that, and the maroon seeds are the reverse counterpart.

Triffid said:

I made a mistake here, I meant to write OT#1, i.e. picture 2.

Even though they appear to be a mix, they're from the same plant/s, with multiple colours found in the same pod. If you're referring to the frosted brown overlaid with darker speckles and stripes, then judging the seeds in front of me they're all like that, and the maroon seeds are the reverse counterpart.

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Thank you, that answered my question. That one looks really interested, I've never seen that many reverses. And both of them very attractive. That could become famous if it stabilizes.

Triffid said:

I made a mistake here, I meant to write OT#1, i.e. picture 2.

Even though they appear to be a mix, they're from the same plant/s, with multiple colours found in the same pod. If you're referring to the frosted brown overlaid with darker speckles and stripes, then judging the seeds in front of me they're all like that, and the maroon seeds are the reverse counterpart.

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Ah yes, reverses. An unusually large proportion of reverses, as @Ridgerunner says.

Ridgerunner said:

Thank you, that answered my question. That one looks really interested, I've never seen that many reverses. And both of them very attractive. That could become famous if it stabilizes.

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I hadn't actually taken stock of the amount of reverses, so I had to go and check. But I'm right there with you - I've never seen this many either! The patterns are split about 50/50.