2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[meadow]

I'm beginning to think more and more when I deal out beans to Network growers and they have both bush and pole types or semi runners on their wanted list that we are going to get more and more corrupted beans in the bush category.

But couldn't a network grower have other (non-network) pole or semi-runners nearby?

One advantage of these crosses is that the cross is readily apparent.

 

[Blue-Jay]

But couldn't a network grower have other (non-network) pole or semi-runners nearby?

Yes a network grower could have previously grown pole or semi-runner beans and plan to grow them again when they request network beans. However that could be taken care of with some kind of verbage of explanation.

 

[meadow]

Yes a network grower could have previously grown pole or semi-runner beans and plan to grow them again when they request network beans. However that could be taken care of with some kind of verbage of explanation.

I'm just glad that I covered Marfax when you first mentioned concern about proximity to pole beans. It hadn't started blooming yet, so there is no chance of any crossing with GaGa Hut. They are also separated by more than 20 feet (I can't remember the measurement now) and have other trellised crops in between, but still. The other two network beans are also covered.

 

[Triffid]

Random question... there is a black & white seeded version of Turkey Craw right? Right?? I'm losing my mind in this heat..

 

[Blue-Jay]

Random question... there is a black & white seeded version of Turkey Craw right? Right?? I'm losing my mind in this heat..

I don't know if you are losing your mind, but there might be a bean that exists for every one you can conjure up in your mind.

There is Black Nightfall, but the seeds are smaller and the plants are more of a semi-runner. Maybe you are thinking of the outcross I have named called Black Turkey. I got this bean from a fellow in New Zealand. He told me it was an off type seed he found in Turkey Craw. So it is related. He sent it to me without a name so I started calling it Black Turkey. I've not listed it on my website. I think I sold a few packets of it at seed swaps I've attended. I don't think it's fully stable yet. It does produce some solid black beans. As far as productivity. Black Turkey produces a large volume of beans.

 

[heirloomgal]

@heirloomgal, this is definitely not Karachaganak. The pod and seeds are completely different.

Lol, sometimes I forget there are collectors here who like precision! What I actually meant was "these are beans I collected from a Karachaganack bean I planted". 🤣 I had mentioned that it didn't come true in a post a bit ago, that it was black not the original colouring, and the picture was just a follow up to that.

 

[heirloomgal]

This is an outcross. Yes Artorious said it too, not Karachaganak. Are you getting any seeds that look like Karachaganak? Well there is still plenty of Karachaganak seed around so if yours are completly different it's not a big problem. If this occured in my Karachaganak I would be weeding out the off type seed and putting the beans in my soup bean cannister. Unless of course there was something so compellingly interesting that I wanted to grow the new seed out again. I find a lot of black beans in my off types. Must be a very dominate color or there must be plenty of genes for black within the gene makeup of many bean varieties that we get a pairing up of the genes for black a lot.

The good news is only one or two plants have these speckled pods, the rest are plain green so there may be some true ones in the bunch yet. I did notice when Mandy posted photos of her K grow out results, they didn't all come true either. There were off types in her bunch I think.

Well, the grow habit is a tall semi, and the vines are gorgeous. Deep green and really healthy. The production of this off type is amazing too. And the quality of the seed, so far, is great. I quite like the Jelly bean shape. We'll see I guess as the season goes on whether it might be worth regrowing. I've never had a cross in my bean gardens yet, so whenever I see one (even if it isn't my own cross) I sorta wanna hang on to it! 😂

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Has anyone heard from @seakangaroo recently? Or failing that, did anyone get any of those odd purple blue and green mottled beans he found in his Fort Portal Jade population before he vanished from the forum? I'd love to try and grow some of those.

 

[heirloomgal]

In my grow out this year @Bluejay77 nearly every single plant grew true to type, with 2 exceptions. And they aren't bush beans that are climbing, but rather a pole and a semi that aren't climbing. Pale Gray Lavender and MB both grew similarly, as bushes though it seemed one branch in each plant was a bit longer than the rest, but not by much. I'd still call them bushes. However, the seeds seem true to type on both. PGL and MB had a full pod set and no more flowers by the time the poles started to flower. Other than these, each growth type was isolated with its own kind and they all lived happily homogenous.

Collected some more dried pods today! I'm growing Buckskin Girl, Victoria Brown Eyes and African Cave again (network beans from last year); they all really had a hard time last year. I'm happy to report it's going much better this year for all of them. I hope to build up more seeds of these varieties as last year I didn't collect a whole lot. And one of the bonus beans that I've wanted to grow for many years now, that I got from you this spring - Minnesota 1940's - is doing very nicely it seems. Harvested my first dried pods today! August 12th! I love the deep chocolate brown.🍫

Minnesota 1940s

African Cave

Buckskin Girl
The purple tones were a tad darker than last year, I love it! And some of the grey tones were a bit more intense, with almost a navy blue-purple tone in there. What a special bean! There is the faintest, barely visible white swirl on a few of them too.

 

[HmooseK]

Great job @heirloomgal !