2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[Blue-Jay]

So... what is the story/history on Frost bean?

Is it supposed to be the same bean as the UK Pea Bean? Or is it just that they look similar?

I don't know the full history of Frost. Perhaps one day I will find out. I know there are plenty of bean varieties that have that similar red and white pattern. I should try to look up the bean in a William Woys Weaver book I have. Will is a food historian.

 

[jbosmith]

I don't know the full history of Frost. Perhaps one day I will find out. I know there are plenty of bean varieties that have that similar red and white pattern. I should try to look up the bean in a William Woys Weaver book I have. Will is a food historian.

I don't have Frost in hand but based on the pic on the website, it looks a lot like 'No Name Pole (Ukraine)' from SSE. Bean 2291in their system.

 

[meadow]

So far I've tried 3 tried 3 different varieties - Othello Pinto (semi-runner), North Star Bush Pinto (a true bush! from @Bluejay) and I have a variety from Mackenzie seeds that was labelled 'Pinto' and seems to be a pole. I've liked them all.

It does seem to me that that, while there are truly productive pole types (Graines de Cafe, Meerbarbe come to mind), semi-runners still seem to be the most highly productive varieties. I couldn't believe how many beans I collected last year from Nicaraguan Black Turtle, Mayan Red, Mitla Black, White Horticultural - all semi-'s. Then again, I tend to put in 6 plants of those, and about 3-4 of any pole type so it might work out in the end to be similar. It just seems like semi-'s are huge producers for some reason. Possibly tied to some element of wildness in there? Beans probably began as a semi-vining plants and bush & pole types were selections. I hope to try someday 'Brauner Bar'. I have two full raised beds of semi's this year. I hope I experience an avalanche of production!

That is an interesting observation about semi-runners. This is the first year that I'm keeping records and I'm looking forward to comparisons.

Btw, there is also (apparently) a production difference based on spacing. I think it was @Zeedman that saw a dramatic increase in production off of one plant after some critter took out the adjacent plants. Sort of a forced spacing!

 

[Artorius]

So did I too (except the fungicide) this year and I found indeed that this a successful technique with older or poor quality seed.

What kind of fungicide do you use?

@BeanieQueen
It is a systemic fungicide, in the form of a powder, for treatment on dry or in the form of water suspension. In Poland it is called Funaben.

 

[flowerbug]

Yellow Eye as in the ones that come in big grocery store bags from Maine? I have a friend who will make sure to buy those in Maine each year and swears that they taste better than the ones that arrive here by the truckload.

Michigan has some areas of pretty good dry bean production and while i've not been able to verify recent amounts of which varieties are grown, they tend to lump the Yellow Eyes into the Other group for reporting.

 

[flowerbug]

finished planting another bean garden today and got it watered in.


my variety list for this garden is:

- Adzuki beans
- Andikove
- Appaloosa
- Baby Green Lima
- Conserva
- Early Warwick
- Gray Goats Eye
- Koronis Three Islands
- Mix (about 10 different fresh eating wax and green beans)
- Lavender
- Pizarecka Zlutowski
- Peregion (old seeds so co-planted with the Appaloosa)
- Purple Dove
- Sunrise
- Temporary Name #2 (red white 1st or 2nd growout)
- Venda
- Viola
- Yellow Eye (SP)
- Yellow Eye

 

[Boilergardener]

E

finished planting another bean garden today and got it watered in.


my variety list for this garden is:

- Adzuki beans
- Andikove
- Appaloosa
- Baby Green Lima
- Conserva
- Early Warwick
- Gray Goats Eye
- Koronis Three Islands
- Mix (about 10 different fresh eating wax and green beans)
- Lavender
- Pizarecka Zlutowski
- Peregion (old seeds so co-planted with the Appaloosa)
- Purple Dove
- Sunrise
- Temporary Name #2 (red white 1st or 2nd growout)
- Venda
- Viola
- Yellow Eye (SP)
- Yellow Eye

Early warwick is my favorite! Always the best emerger and fairly low amount of bean loss due to disease.

 

[flowerbug]

Early warwick is my favorite! Always the best emerger and fairly low amount of bean loss due to disease.

i like the shape of the bean and the pattern of the seed coat. i've not noticed it being more or less disease resistant than other beans. it doesn't like some of my garden soils - i hope this year i put them in a good spot. we'll see how it goes.

 

[jbosmith]

That is an interesting observation about semi-runners. This is the first year that I'm keeping records and I'm looking forward to comparisons.

Btw, there is also (apparently) a production difference based on spacing. I think it was @Zeedman that saw a dramatic increase in production off of one plant after some critter took out the adjacent plants. Sort of a forced spacing!

Semi-runners are my jam. Anything that will fill but not topple a 5' trellis and reliably ripen in about a hundred days is likely to make it into my rotation.

Michigan has some areas of pretty good dry bean production and while i've not been able to verify recent amounts of which varieties are grown, they tend to lump the Yellow Eyes into the Other group for reporting.

Oh I meant the actual 'State of Maine' brand. They're a goto soup and baked bean in New England, and an Eastern Abenaki (maybe Penobscot? I forget) heirloom. Even the most food deserty backwoods grocery stores here have them.

Early warwick is my favorite! Always the best emerger and fairly low amount of bean loss due to disease.

I've been meaning to try this bean for a solid decade and always forget until I see it in other people's grow lists. Mostly I want to see how similar it is to Johnson and Gross Brothers'.

 

[jbosmith]

Speaking of early semi-runners, @Bluejay77's "Red Turtle" did really, really well for me last year and I just planted my last 30ish of them in an isolated garden to make sure I get good seed!