2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[meadow]

I had no idea those herbicides were being used to dry down beans.

 

[Jack Holloway]

I had no idea those herbicides were being used to dry down beans.

I've heard Roundup is also used to ripen wheat. Don't know that I could prove it though.

 

[Artorius]

You know those little immature brownish things you find in a bean pod that never developed into a seed. I have had pods that were kept moist by the weather and laying on the ground. I've seen those little immature structures sprout and show a bean root sticking out of them. This happened during my 2020 bush bean grow out when we had lots of rain at the time pods were drying. So bean seed viability happens very early. Probably earlier than the plump enough stage. However If I'm going to pick them green I like to get them when they are very plump so I can have decently filled out seed when they finally dry.

September was quite humid in my mountains and some of Grandma Gina's green pods started to rot. I ripped them off and opened them to check the condition of the seeds. They were not very big, but already well formed and gently starting to take on color. I took them to be burned, but I probably dropped some of them, because last Saturday I noticed three small bean seedlings in the grass. It turned out that these seeds germinated and in addition completely colored while lying in the grass.

 

[jbosmith]

I've heard Roundup is also used to ripen wheat. Don't know that I could prove it though.

Killing all of the plants at once with roundup, etc. makes them dry uniformly for combining. With potatoes, it kills the tops off all at once so that there's no stragglers to bind up the potato pickers.

You know those little immature brownish things you find in a bean pod that never developed into a seed. I have had pods that were kept moist by the weather and laying on the ground. I've seen those little immature structures sprout and show a bean root sticking out of them. This happened during my 2020 bush bean grow out when we had lots of rain at the time pods were drying. So bean seed viability happens very early. Probably earlier than the plump enough stage. However If I'm going to pick them green I like to get them when they are very plump so I can have decently filled out seed when they finally dry.

My worm bins regularly have foot long, pale, stringy bean sprouts from such beans, growing round and round and looking for light.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Killing all of the plants at once with roundup, etc. makes them dry uniformly for combining. With potatoes, it kills the tops off all at once so that there's no stragglers to bind up the potato pickers.


My worm bins regularly have foot long, pale, stringy bean sprouts from such beans, growing round and round and looking for light.

I once had the reverse, a seed that decided to send out it's shoot BEFORE it developed a root, making planting it REALLY hard (since there was nothing I could anchor it with).

As I have mentioned before, Lablabs seem to be an exception to this early maturity rule. I've planted lablab seed that was 90-95% mature and gotten absolutely NO germination, so it looks like those have to go ALL the way to be viable (its even possible they need some time post actual maturity to season before growing, so that if you planted them as soon as you got them off the plant, they wouldn't grow either.)

I think a major factor may have to do with preservation. Those young blebs of tissue in bead pods WILL germinate, but ONLY if they go into soil when they are still fresh. A lot of the later "maturing" seems to have less to do with making sure the embryo is mature enough to be viable, and more to do with making sure the seed coat is thick and durable enough to be able to keep the seed alive and healthy through the winter or off season. I just went through a lot of my old beans, and I wound up tossing nearly everything that wasn't 100% done when I picked it, simply because all of the insides had gone brown and dead since then.

 

[heirloomgal]

I think this is almost it for weights re: higher producing beans, might be a few stragglers. I'll only know once the last of the pods dry. Removed all pods from the poles drying under cover at night, and in sun during the day. It's feeling just too cold for them to be out there anymore at 5 C/ 41 F. I laid all pods on cardboard in front of a good fan. I'll admit, sheepishly, that the last 2 network pole preciouses - Sylvano's & Lazy Wife - I brought the full poles into the house. The upside is pretty incredible, perfect and rapid drying of pods, the downside.... that houseflies clearly lay eggs on that foliage.....nothing an old fashioned fly swatter can't handle though. Lol

For next year I will have a much better dry down situation. We renovated a lot this summer, including the sunroom, which will be a great place for the beans to dry. Next year we'll attach some metal poles across the ceiling for hangng bushes. In fact I've already improvised a little with what we've gotten done so far using twine. Almost a greenhouse effect, only perfectly dry, unlike my actual greenhouse that has much too high humidity. There'll be 5 windows in total I can open when needed. It's not done, but it's started. Works great so far.

Back to the dried beans.

Garafal Oro, pole, 4 plants.

Dr. Wyche, semi runner, 10 plants.

Schwarze Dalmatin, bush, 5 feet, not sure how many plants.

Soissons Vert, pole, 4 plants.

Solwezi & it's out crossed seed, pole, 3-4 plants.

Lippoldsberger, pole, 3 plants.

Ice, semi-runner, 10 plants.

Perona d'en Pep, pole, 3-4 plants.

 

[Paul G]

Hi,
I don't know where to start. First time here. I've introduced myself in the profile post section. Now I'd like to see if I can get seeds to multiply for next year.
For the past two years I have grown seeds (Hidasta red, Cherokee Trail Of Tears, Blauhilde and Gout De Chataingne De Echenans) that are on Network list and that I could ship.
I Hope you're all having a great shelling experience (near a fireplace or a wood-burning stove, that's better) and having a great time.
Paul

 

[Blue-Jay]

Welecome @Paul G to our wonderful bean network. You are going to have a nice time with all the great growers we have here. These are the nicest most generous people I've ever known in my life.

If you want to ship those beans to add to the Network Inventory then I would suggest 60 quality good condition seeds of each of them. I can make up small packets of either 5/12 count or 4/15 count packets and will store them in the freezer for the future. Let me know what year they were grown. It's always nice to know that information.

Blauhilde currently has 8/15 count packets in storage
Cherokee Trail Of Tears has 1/11 count packet
Gout De Chataingne De Echenans has 0 packets in storage. I believe the grower I sent them to in 2019 never returned new seed and I never updated the website to reflect that there was no seed here. I usually put "All Seed Is Out To Grower" under the beans photo is the indication that there is no seed here of that variety.

I will PM you and give you my mailing address.

 

[flowerbug]

...
My worm bins regularly have foot long, pale, stringy bean sprouts from such beans, growing round and round and looking for light.

i bury them down deep enough that they can't sprout, they end up rehydrating and then fermenting in a fantastically smelly mush that the worms love.

 

[flowerbug]

... I usually put "All Seed Is Out To Grower" under the beans photo is the indication that there is no seed here of that variety.

if you ever post a list of what you're out of perhaps some of us other's who've grown network beans can replenish your supplies?

i should have a nice return for you of many of the beans i grew this year but perhaps some others too.

i also had a few failures so i will have to try again for those, but now i know that perhaps some beans i've been discarding as defective might end up growing so i can try again with more seeds than in the past. we'll see how next season goes...