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

[Oxford]

I had a similar experience. Succotash is a late-flowering bean, but I ended up harvesting a lot of nice seeds.

I also heard that it is late-flowering. However, they are always mid-late flowering in my garden and I have already some small pods.

I have varieties that bloom much later, such as the blue-white of Bernarda, Schwarze Kugelbohne (literally translated as Black Ball Bean), San Michele Rosso, and the Tuvagliedda Marrone and Tuvagliedda Rossa.

 

[ruralmamma]

I'm currently growing the network bean "Rose". Its development is way behind my other varieties. I finally found early blossoms yesterday. Can anyone share their experience with Rose?

I'm growing Rose this year too and it's just starting to flower. Should have approximately two months until first frost, so keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[Artorius]

I have varieties that bloom much later, such as the blue-white of Bernarda, Schwarze Kugelbohne (literally translated as Black Ball Bean), San Michele Rosso, and the Tuvagliedda Marrone and Tuvagliedda Rossa.

I have a Schwarze Kugel this year. It has been blooming for quite a while now and has a lot of pods.

Tuvagliedda is just starting to bloom, as is Bonel di Fonzaso. I had all the Tuvaglieddas and of them all, the Tuvagliedda Marrone was the earliest to bloom. Correction, I didn't have the Tuvagliedda Scura whose seeds I'm looking for.

So far, only Hallados Grandos and Pink Tip Greasy don't have any flowers.

 

[Million Bells]

Noooo, bee, no!

 

[Oxford]

Noooo, bee, no!

I also observed a bumblebee over the last few days that is busy working on flowers. But it only goes for three varieties: Blue Adliswil, Rossa de Son Marcía and Blue Sea Barb. And these are all about 20 meters/ 65 ft apart. Lukeily, it ignores all the others. At least the seeds of these three varieties are very different.

And my garden and around the bean plants is full of flowers especially for bumblebees and violet carpenter bees, so they shouldn't get any ideas about bean blossoms...

 

[Oxford]

I have a Schwarze Kugel this year. It has been blooming for quite a while now and has a lot of pods.

Tuvagliedda is just starting to bloom, as is Bonel di Fonzaso. I had all the Tuvaglieddas and of them all, the Tuvagliedda Marrone was the earliest to bloom. Correction, I didn't have the Tuvagliedda Scura whose seeds I'm looking for.

So far, only Hallados Grandos and Pink Tip Greasy don't have any flowers.

Do you have the Schwarze Kugel bush bean or the Schwarze Kugelbohne pole bean?

I have the pole bean for the first time. It is a variety discovered in the Lake Constance region, on the border between southern Germany and Switzerland.

The plant grows to about 2.5 meters/ 8 ft, the leaves are quite small, a single leave is of a length of about 10cm/ 4 inch, the leaves have a rough surface and the front leaf is always tilted upwards at an angle of approx. 45 degrees. It should have green pods and I just found a blossom.

 

[Branching Out]

Last year I tried growing a Lima bean for the first time, and it didn't go well. After many months Network Lima Grandma Rivera produced a small quantity of the ugliest seed I have ever set eyes on. This year I tried again, and had a lot of difficulty right from the start. There were multiple attempts at germination, but most of the seeds just rotted instead of sprouting. Thankfully one seed made it in the end-- but by then I was so frustrated that I ceased to care about it. If it lived it lived, and if it died it died.

Well, oddly enough that lone plant turned out to be quite remarkable. It's growing in a large container against a very hot wall, and each afternoon it bakes in the sun. The 20' (6 m) vines are hanging heavy with pods, and they just keep coming. Now I definitely care about it. Heck, I LOVE that Lima bean plant! And I am cautiously optimistic that I might harvest some pretty Limas come September.

 

[Artorius]

Do you have the Schwarze Kugel bush bean or the Schwarze Kugelbohne pole bean?

My Schwarze Kugel is a bush with short runners. I got the seeds from Austria. I didn't know there was a pole variant.

 

[Decoy1]

I'm growing Rose this year too and it's just starting to flower. Should have approximately two months until first frost, so keeping my fingers crossed.

I grew Rose last year and found it to be late. I failed to harvest any good seed. I’m trying again this year and sowed it particularly early. I’ve been away for a couple of weeks so can’t report on progress but hoping for a good surprise when I return!

I also found Succotash to be late but it just about made good seed in time here.