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

[Oxford]

Another new to me bean, 'Largo Verde A Cornetto'. It was sent to me from Germany, and I never did get to researching what the name means. The pods are really large, and so far I quite like it. It's Italian I believe.

It means:
Cornetto = a stuffed croissant (in Italy usually with jam or pistachio creme )
Largo = wide/ broad
Verde = green

"A cornetto largo verde" could literally translated as "like a green wide stuffed croissant".

 

[ruralmamma]

This is a much better picture of Wren's Egg but still doesn't completely capture the beauty of the pods.

Just happened to notice a yellowing Railroad pod and after looking closer, I found a handful of dried pods waiting to be harvested. That makes the fourth Network variety I've harvested to date

Nona Agnes, Meerbarbe and my saved seed from last year that was listed under both names all have pods now. Upon visual comparison, all pods are very similar with the same coloration and an average of six seeds per pod. Flower color on two looks similar as well and honestly It was hot and I forgot to observe the other. My goal was to determine which variety I actually grew last year while increasing two network varieties. Now I'm wondering if perhaps they're all the same? More observation is needed of course but this little experiment has become more interesting.

I grew San Fiacre as a trial last year and had a few pods that ended up being round and fat instead of long and flat and if course separated those seeds as there was a visual difference in the shape. So far every one of those plants is producing round, fat pods though it doesn't appear to be near as prolific as the original variety.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Taylor dwarf horticultural bush

A sequence of foggy, rainy days has some Rattlesnakes splitting their seed coats, so I am pulling the pods before they dry down completely.

Seeds with split seed coats have been germination tested by me and another grow I know in Iowa and found that the beans do grow.

 

[flowerbug]

...
"A cornetto largo verde" could literally translated as "like a green wide stuffed croissant".

now i want one for breakfast...

 

[flowerbug]

Seeds with split seed coats have been germination tested by me and another grow I know in Iowa and found that the beans do grow.

as long as they don't have a dried off root sprout coming out of them i'll give them a try if i don't have anything better...

 

[Oxford]

Nona Agnes, Meerbarbe and my saved seed from last year that was listed under both names all have pods now. Upon visual comparison, all pods are very similar with the same coloration and an average of six seeds per pod. Flower color on two looks similar as well and honestly It was hot and I forgot to observe the other. My goal was to determine which variety I actually grew last year while increasing two network varieties. Now I'm wondering if perhaps they're all the same? More observation is needed of course but this little experiment has become more interesting.

I have Meerbarbe / Blue Sea Barb and Nonna Agnes as well. But the pods are different.
My Nonna Anges has only green pods (with a little bit of red coloration on the top). Meerbarbe shows quite diverse pods. Most pods are purple (seeds are dark blue), especially, the earlier ones, some are beige with purple speckles (seeds are dark blue with a shade of brown) and the late ones become green with red speckles (seeds are either dark blue or dark blue with a shade of brown...). Some pods are also curved, some not - independent of the color.
Every year, I select for the darkest blue seeds, but every year I have that variability - also on one plant.
I still do not know which seeds or which conditions cause that.

Nonna Agnes:

Meerbarbe / Blue Sea Barb:

 

[heirloomgal]

It means:
Cornetto = a stuffed croissant (in Italy usually with jam or pistachio creme )
Largo = wide/ broad
Verde = green

"A cornetto largo verde" could literally translated as "like a green wide stuffed croissant".

Oooh! That actually sounds really good!

 

[ruralmamma]

I have Meerbarbe / Blue Sea Barb and Nonna Agnes as well. But the pods are different.
My Nonna Anges has only green pods (with a little bit of red coloration on the top). Meerbarbe shows quite diverse pods. Most pods are purple (seeds are dark blue), especially, the earlier ones, some are beige with purple speckles (seeds are dark blue with a shade of brown) and the late ones become green with red speckles (seeds are either dark blue or dark blue with a shade of brown...). Some pods are also curved, some not - independent of the color.
Every year, I select for the darkest blue seeds, but every year I have that variability - also on one plant.
I still do not know which seeds or which conditions cause that.

Nonna Agnes:
View attachment 77255

Meerbarbe / Blue Sea Barb:
View attachment 77256

View attachment 77257

View attachment 77258

My Meerbarbe pods aren't purple. All pods seem to be green with a bit of reddish/purple blush. Will have to go back and observe those plants again as it's possible one of the other varieties has crept over and is climbing with it.

I read somewhere that temperatures influence the seed color. The first seed I harvested last year was a dull gray but after the temperatures cooled down, I started getting gorgeous blue seed

 

[heirloomgal]

'Mazeppa' was one of the first network beans I ever grew.
I'm regrowing it this year because I've always wanted to increase the amount of seed I have in storage, having only grown a small number of plants back in 2021. It really is such a lovely bean, so delicate and pretty. Found the first dried pods today. So happy I finally got it replanted!