2025 Little Easy Bean Network - Growers Of The Future Will Be Glad We Saved

[Neen5MI]

Well, I took the plunge. I'm in mid-Michigan also, and forecast says no frost for the next 8-10 days, at least. My network beans are all planted in the garden. The rest of my pole varieties will be in this afternoon. I'm unlikely to get to the edamame today, but probably tomorrow. Tomatoes and peppers were planted out yesterday!

My garden fence, with chickenwire reinforcement at the bottom, has been very effective against rabbits and deer. My greatest risk of predation is self-imposed. I hatched 4 peafowl last spring, and they didn't develop adequate flight until the garden was nearly done for the year. Very different now. Even with trimming of wing feathers, they've been hopping the 6' fence easily. So I've extended the fence several more feet into the air on the portion adjacent to their pen. Thankfully, they lack any problem solving ability, so I'm pretty confident they won't escape their enclosure and then approach the garden from a different direction.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Sunday the llth of May I set up my 192 styro cups with potting mix and seeds. I watered them the next morning and by that Firday the 16th of May they were starting to come up so I took all 11 racks outside for a day of sun. 8 hours of sun for 3 days. I brought them in by 6:00 pm (1800). The same for Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday it was so cold I kept them in all day and going to keep them in the house today also. It's cold and rainy today. Two of the beans Bill Leach (lima) and Hobb's Goose (dry) I don't think are going to come up.

 

[heirloomgal]

Looking good @Blue-Jay! Can't wait to see mine up...

 

[Artorius]

Yesterday I put 27 pole beans and 10 semi/half-runner in the sprouter. Next week I will do the same with bush beans. So far May has been terribly cold, now the weather is supposed to change.

 

[Decoy1]

The season is getting exciting. We have had drought conditions here, but with much watering I have planted out young bean plants of several dwarfs:

Grumbliai,
Resistant Cherokee Wax
Poroto Huancabamba,
Purple Dove,
Valentino
Verdolino,
Porcelain,
Mor Kristin
Dior
Gold Rush
Mogette

A couple of semi climbers:
Hopi Black
Trevio Nun

And one pole variety:
Blue Greasy Grits

More scheduled to be planted out today. With great thanks to wonderful Canadian donors.

 

[Dahlia]

The season is getting exciting. We have had drought conditions here, but with much watering I have planted out young bean plants of several dwarfs:

Grumbliai,
Resistant Cherokee Wax
Poroto Huancabamba,
Purple Dove,
Valentino
Verdolino,
Porcelain,
Mor Kristin
Dior
Gold Rush
Mogette

A couple of semi climbers:
Hopi Black
Trevio Nun

And one pole variety:
Blue Greasy Grits

More scheduled to be planted out today. With great thanks to wonderful Canadian donors.

I am so amazed at how many varieties of beans there are! Before I joined this forum I thought the only beans that existed were pinto, lentil, blk bean, kidney beans, great northern beans, and garbanzo!!!!
Are these beans all ancient or are people breeding them and making new hybrids?

 

[Blue-Jay]

I am so amazed at how many varieties of beans there are! Before I joined this forum I thought the only beans that existed were pinto, lentil, blk bean, kidney beans, great northern beans, and garbanzo!!!!
Are these beans all ancient or are people breeding them and making new hybrids?

Many beans could be several centuries old. They are probably the product of stablized crosses that have happened over time. Some beans could be newer. When people in the western hemisphere began deomesticating beans from wild beans. How many kinds could there have been. Certainly not as many varieties as there are today. I bought a book back about 2015 on bean collecting. This was for people that go out in the wild and collect wild beans. The book stated there were 50 known varieties of wild beans today. Now look at the number of domesticated ones today. Some gene banks have beans in the 10's of thousands.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Looking good @Blue-Jay! Can't wait to see mine up...

I was able to put these emerging seedlings in the sun Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Exposed them to at least 8 hours of sun on these days. Then suddenly it turns cold and rainy and I didn't want them outside. Some of them have become very leggy really fast. I hope the weather turns sunnier really quick. This long slow rain is also vesry disappointing considering how dry it's been here since last July. So far only 3/4 of an inch (1.9 cm). I was hoping for 2 inches (5 cm).