2016 Little Easy Bean Network - Gardeners Keeping Heirloom Beans From Extinction

[Tricia77]

I found another segregate from my #34 pole beans! They are blue and beige. Very pretty beans and the pods are green with no splashing like the others.

#34 Outcross by Tricia Rosamilia, on Flickr

 

[Blue-Jay]

@Ridgerunner, there are names for the various seed coat patterns on beans. I ran into that information once long time ago. I don't remember wheather it was on the internet or in a library book. Now that you have mentioned it I want to find that info again.

 

[Blue-Jay]

How's this for color display on red splashed pods. The bean is "Lambada". Got them for Soren Holt 4 years ago of the Danish Seed Savers. Will probably be harvesting dry pods from this one in about a week or so. Very productive bean also.

 

[Blue-Jay]

"Major Cooks" splashed in purple. Another very productive variety.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It's a shame those bean pods don't hold that color when they dry. Crafters would come up with a whole new craft. I've had some yellows that were pretty striking too.

I have four different beans with that general pattern. The two at the top are 39's, the bottom two are 38's. Of course the seeds I planted look nothing like these.

 

[Blue-Jay]

All four of your different beans basically have a patch of coloring around the eye while the bottom part of the seed is white. The bean in the upper left corner of your photo looks similar to "Mostoller Wild Goose". Although Mostoller Wild Goose is a shorter more rounded seed. I think it was great that we could get all the old outcrossed seed grown this year before it got too old and could see everything contained in this box of chocolates. There will probably be further segregating yet next time they are grown.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, I'm disappointed I had such germination problems with my 32's and 39's. I'm pretty sure I would have had some more very interesting beans but you said you had low germination rates with those as well. The 38's and especially the 27's did great. If they did not get planted, the other old beans you have need to be grown out. But I won't be doing it. I'm going to be deciding which of the ones I grew this year to plant again to try to stabilize them. It's not going to be an easy decision, I have many more to choose from.

Out of these four I'm currently thinking I'll only grow the black and white at the top right with a working name of Karachaganak. I'll see what they look like next year. The others shown above I'll send back to you, but at least they will be fresh seed.

It's interesting that Annette is getting at least some that look like the bean she planted. Maybe hers were a bit further along the segregation path. Looking at photos Tricia has posted I think she will have a real box of chocolates, like me. We're the only ones I've noticed photos from. I'm sure there are going to be a lot of interesting bean shows at the end of the season.

 

[aftermidnight]

One of the reasons I'm so addicted to growing beans along with the fact that beans are one of our favorite vegetables is they really are like opening the lid on a jewellery box. Although a lot of bean seeds are just plain janes they have other qualities, flavor for one.

Others really are little show offs and really strut their stuff, colorful pods that dance in and out of all that greenery. Sometimes they might be outer cloaks for the little plain janes hiding inside their colorful coats or... the pods look really interesting as they start to dry down and you can hardly wait to see what little jewel might be inside like...

Uzice Speckled Wax'
Colorful pods hiding plain janes...this is the color of the dried pods

Purple Italian Marconi Stringless and White Hull Pink Tip

Plain pods holding sparkling gems.....

Berta Talaska and Blue Greasy Grits

Colorful Pods and not so plain jane seed...

Flamingo and Dried Seed

Annette

 

[aftermidnight]

Hmmmm, don't know what happened there I did have the names under their corresponding pics. The files at the bottom I thought i had deleted, the one on the right is of Blue Greasy Grits in the shelly stage. Small but so tasty, when shelling these I recomend doing it inside a box with sides, they seem to fly everywhere. I'm still finding these in the oddest places

Another colorful pod that produces large colorful seed...

Bird Egg #3 and Dried Seed

And these, mutation or just reversed seed coat color....

Found in a pod of Red Eye Fall and Found in a pod of Candy

I find the world of beans fascinating, there always seem to be a surprise just waiting around the corner.

Annette

 

[Hal]

@aftermidnight Those Uzice Speckled Wax are quite interesting, you've got a flat yellow podded bean that develops purple pigmentation. Certainly a stunner!

@journey11 Sorry for the late response, I've not been around too much. At this point I'd be more inclined to say deficiency for those two plants, could be all sorts of causes and no easy answer.