2017 Little Easy Bean Network – Everything Beans, Post It Here & Join The Fun

[Blue-Jay]

Some of the bean mail I've gotten this spring. The variety below is Veitch Wonder. I got it from a fellow in Belgium. It originates from France and I think it dates back into the 1800's. It's been grown very little in this country. If it warms up I'll probably be one of about two or three people growing it this summer. A tall bush. It think it's seeds are just stunning looking.

 

[baymule]

THAT'S PRETTY!!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Our grower count has hit a new record. We had another 16 year old from Pennsylvania join two days ago. We now have 21 bean growers this year. Would be neat if some more join. The window for planting pole beans up this far north is still open I would guess up to June 10th. I have planted a dry bush bean type as late as June 19th here in 2015 and got all the dry seeds from every single pod that each of those plants produced just before frost killed them in October. So hope we get a few more growers this year.

 

[reedy]

Hi, I'm new to posting here. I had trouble getting on as apparently I had made an account sometime back and forgot about it. Anyway I think I figured it out and wanted to report on some beans I got from Russ earlier this spring. I was looking for beans that grew as a short vine and came across his site.

Anyway I got three kinds. Refugee which sounded exactly like what I was looking for and Burgundy Bolita and Crystal Wax to grow out to increase seed. We had hot weather back in April and I put them in on April 16 except for a few I saved in case of later frost. Frost didn't come and I put the rest in a little while later.

I'm happy to report they are all doing pretty well and the later planted ones are just a little behind the others. They are a couple feet tall and holding on good to their supports. The Refugee are getting ready to bloom and I think soon to be followed by the Crystal Wax. Had a little problem with some small never seen bug eating a few holes in the leaves but the plants have shrugged that off.

There is a little variation to the Crystal Wax with two of about a dozen plants having slightly larger and slightly darker green leaves. Will be interesting to see what they turn into as all the planted seed looked exactly the same. I'll try to get a photo or two up soon.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Glad you joined us. It's always good to have others growing and sharing. I wonder if those bugs were flea beetles.

I didn't have your luck. I planted Bluejay Bush and Blue Lake Pole, my production beans, in early May and got great germination, so I thought the ground was warm enough and planted most of mine about when you planted yours. It set in wet and I got horrible germination, I'll be replanting. The days were a bit cool after I planted but I don't think that was the problem. I planted five beans in an area that had good drainage and all five came up. I had over 4-1/2" of rain over four days, plus a couple of days after that where it was really misty so the ground didn't dry up. I only got two of all the others I planted to come up. A few of them were old beans, but most were beans I grew last year so I should have had great germination. Did not happen.

We are supposed to be pretty wet for the next several days so I'll wait until that passes before I replant.

Once again,

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi Reedy, So glad you made to the thread. Hope you will enjoy yourself here immensely. Will enjoy all your postings you make.

I envy everyone who can already plant beans. We are going to be warm today here and for a couple more days. It's been the wettest spring in our recorded history. Weatherman is predicting over 2 inches of rain for this weekend. Then we are supposed to have a high temperature Monday of only 60 degrees.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I used to think that once I could get trial beans to come up the ground was warm enough to plant beans. I was chatting with the county extension agent earlier about something else and he said it was past time to plant beans. Wrong on both accounts. I think all that rain cooled the soil off which didn't help, but it staying mud for a week just when they should have been coming up doomed them. I don't know if they rotted in place or were not strong enough to push their way out of the mud, but other than the area with good drainage germination was horrible.

Our forecast is calling for wet weather the next several days though the amounts and odds are dropping, I'll still wait until after this passes to plant the rest. I have plenty of time.

I don't have enough to replant everything I originally planted with what I planted (though I have some), but I kept some spares of most of what I sent you last year just in case there was a problem with the mail. Now I have to decide which of them I want to grow. That's not an easy decision, there are some really interesting beans in that group too.

 

[Blue-Jay]

I think besides soil that is too cool very wet soils don't help germination either. I've got some lighter soil in my beds around my house. So I think this coming Sunday I'm going to set up some pole bean seeds in damp paper towls in ziploc baggies to presprout them. I think by the time they sprout. The weather will be warm enough for them to continue growth. Bush beans I can wait all the way to June 15th to plant. Pole beans I think my planting window will be closed after the 7th of June.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My season is a bit longer than yours. I like to start my production bush beans as early as I can. They start producing faster than pole beans so I have something to eat on while waiting on the pole beans.

Part of the reason I wanted to get the ones for your program in the ground was so I could replant any that didn't sprout. I just didn't expect to have to do it on this massive a scale.

 

[Tricia77]

I am going to try and get most of my beans planted this weekend. We have been having a decent amount of rain here, but I have raised beds which helps with drainage. I can harvest here up until mid October. Our highs right now are in the 70s and lows in the 50s.