2015 Little Easy Bean Network - Old Beans Should Never Die !

[VA_LongBean]

The Piet Special (bush) and Solwezi (pole) are coming up. Still waiting on the Mammoth Golden and Admire Snitbonen, but this gives me hope. And there are two seeds left each of Piet and Solwezi.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi @VA_LongBean !

Things are looking up for your new little beans. If the Mammoth Golden and Admire Snitbonen don't come up. I've got more Mammoth Golden someone just sent to me recently. I could give you something else in place of the Admire Snitbonen if that one doesn't grow.

 

[flowerweaver]

Just two varieties of beans yet to sprout, one of them being the Nyimo. Besides the control pot, I planted more at the end of the towers where they will receive late afternoon shade, hoping to further mimic the light on the equator. I will plant one more group in the full sun.

The 8 foot trellis in the back row is now up and ready to plant, and irrigation is laid for the towers. The tepary beans in another field--and the ones I scattered as an experiment in the wash--have come up in with the spring rains. It will be interesting to see if the latter come to fruition, if they will need supplemental watering (not an easy possibility without rain in that location), or if they will be eaten by mugwumps.

The Lima beans are getting their first true leaves. I will restring the wooden trellises at the end very soon.

 

[teamneu]

How do you use fence posts for trellises?
I found some at mom's house, confiscated an area next to our driveway, hammered them in about 3' apart (as I read that @Bluejay77 did), and planted my excess KY wonder beans around them. But it isn't clear to me from the pictures if I need to add twine to make a teepee shape the beans will climb or if they will climb the poles and that is enough.
Thanks!

 

[flowerweaver]

I don't use twine on my t-posts, I stretch welded wire fencing between them and let the beans climb on that. At end of season I just pull everything off, and any thing that lingers can be torched. I have seen bean growers in Appalachia use twine between t-posts, though. It looked like they created horizontal strings, and then went up and down in V's between them.

The twine is for stringing my wooden trellises, they are not fence posts. These are the bean trellises I designed and built over a decade ago when I just grew a few beans. I wish I could afford to build something this nice for all my beans!

 

[teamneu]

@flowerweaver

That is beautiful!
I might see if I can rig something with my leftover bamboo pieces. ( I also made several bamboo teepees.) Zip ties are my subsitute for duct tape, they solve almost every problem.[/QUOTE]

 

[Smart Red]

Great job, Flowerweaver. I like your bean trellises.

 

[flowerweaver]

@teamneu instead of using zip ties I use metal rebar ties and a tie tool. You can find them at building supply stores. It's cheaper (if you use a lot like we do) and I don't like putting used plastic into the landfill.

 

[teamneu]

@teamneu instead of using zip ties I use metal rebar ties and a tie tool. You can find them at building supply stores. It's cheaper (if you use a lot like we do) and I don't like putting used plastic into the landfill.

Thanks - I'll look into that. I do use a lot.

 

[VA_LongBean]

@flowerweaver I just noticed in your last two photos the enormous patch of (seemingly) well behaved goosefoot. Are you cultivating a variety or developing one? That would be very cool, if time consuming.