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

[heirloomgal]

The earliest network bean this year, and one of the earliest pole beans of them all - 'Barry Island'. I usually start the beans in pots about 3 - 4 weeks ahead, but this year I couldn't do that because it was too cold. These got only a little head start in pots. When I noticed the plants yellowing I felt the adrenalin chest thump of 'oh no what's wrong with it' and then I realized, with huge relief, that it's just drying down.

Network bean 'Lambada'. My first try in 2024 was not great, but this year it's doing really fantastic. Funny how that works. Just love this bean.

'Pink Tip Greasy'. Little worried about the lack of developed beans on it at this point. The plants are super healthy though, really nice growth and vigor. I'm hoping for a fall like I had last year, no frost until late October.

'Ohio Pole', it's late but at least some of the beans are a fair size. I guess it'll depend on how much of summer is left if I'll get some seeds. I have none left, this is it. The leaves of this variety are so large, maybe the largest I've ever seen. Much larger than my hand. It's almost like a tropical jungle plant.

Wax bean 'Loipersdorfer Butterbohne'. A very nice little wax bean, doesn't have the wide and long form of 'Karntner Butter' but the yield is similar. Most of the wax beans have faired pretty well. I've really liked all of them. I seldom grow these really, but I thought I'd give them a try this year.

 

[Artorius]

This is Mohawk pole (not a Network bean). Is this common for this variety? Does too much watering cause this? Should I be picking these split pods now, while still green to let them ripen? My goal is for seed saving, but will gladly eat them if not viable seeds for next year.

In my case, such damage to the pods occurred after heavy rains following a period of drought. Too much water at once.

Is your Mohawk a pole variant of Early Mohawk ?

 

[frijolymoly]

I sowed 5 "Gold of Bacau" network beans. 3 of 5 sprouted

One plant did not look like the other two though. It had some purple coloration in the stem instead of being all green. "Gold of Bacau" is supposed to be a wax pole bean, and the plant was not making wax beans, but they definitely looked pretty cool to me! This plant also performed better than all the other beans that I planted this year!

Wasn't sure how to label it, thus the "???".

Also forgot to take a better picture of the flower, so sorry that's blurry.

Since the forecast said it might rain tomorrow, I cut off a few of the more mature dried up pods at the bottom of the plant. I could hear the seeds rattling inside the pod, so I decided to open it up. WOW! I wasn't expecting the seeds to look like this! What a fun surprise!

 

[flowerbug]

I sowed 5 "Gold of Bacau" network beans. 3 of 5 sprouted

One plant did not look like the other two though. It had some purple coloration in the stem instead of being all green. "Gold of Bacau" is supposed to be a wax pole bean, and the plant was not making wax beans, but they definitely looked pretty cool to me! This plant also performed better than all the other beans that I planted this year!

Wasn't sure how to label it, thus the "???".

Gold of Bacau Outcross is what i would use.

the seed coat pattern is pretty common from what i've experienced and also the beans that come from crosses tend to perform really well their first year after the cross happens - when you replant those seeds you may have different results than what you see there... some may even revert to the parental wax type (but there may be some different genes in the mix).

Since the forecast said it might rain tomorrow, I cut off a few of the more mature dried up pods at the bottom of the plant. I could hear the seeds rattling inside the pod, so I decided to open it up. WOW! I wasn't expecting the seeds to look like this! What a fun surprise!

i've never seen a wax bean with any kind of purple in the flower.

it is always fun to see something show up that may be unique.

 

[frijolymoly]

Gold of Bacau Outcross is what i would use.

the seed coat pattern is pretty common from what i've experienced and also the beans that come from crosses tend to perform really well their first year after the cross happens - when you replant those seeds you may have different results than what you see there... some may even revert to the parental wax type (but there may be some different genes in the mix).




i've never seen a wax bean with any kind of purple in the flower.

it is always fun to see something show up that may be unique.

Ok cool, good to know!

I'm curious to see what results I'll get when I eventually try planting these!

How are outcrosses usually handled for the Network beans?

 

[Blue-Jay]

How are outcrosses usually handled for the Network beans?

I would say that the grower of the outcross usually can keep the outcrossed seed. Sometimes the grower will send some of the outcrossed seed back if the seed coat is really something different or unique.

 

[flowerbug]

I'm curious to see what results I'll get when I eventually try planting these!

me too! likely pole beans (a dominant trait) but it really depends upon how many traits of Gold of Bacau were recessive instead of dominant and who the daddy was. green pods are dominant, yellow pods are recessive, etc.

there are many genes that play a role in seed coat colors and patterns, to give you an idea of the complexity check out:

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1523745/full

i am very much interested in all of this, but my brain does not retain certain details very well so i remain an amateur.

 

[flowerbug]

interesting tidbit came across variety of bean called "Trionfo Violetto", but very few pictures of seeds of this variety. has anyone here grown it or found a good picture of the seeds themselves?

of course this is related to my search for the parents of Purple Dove...

the seeds appear to be pale to white and about the right shape and seed eye of a possible PD parental unit...

 

[oxbow farm]

Fresh shelled seed from dry pods of Dolloff and Golden Lima. If they aren't one variety with two names they are so close of sister varieties that they are indistinquishable. Vines and pods are the same, and flower and set dry pods at the same time. Very productive and early for a pole dry bean. They are a cranberry type sort of, but the pods only barely show pale pink streaking after they turn yellow and are close to drying down. It is easier to see now that most of the leaves are dropping off, I think the extra sun on the pods helps them turn pinky streaky. I don't have a picture of that though.

 

[Neen5MI]

interesting tidbit came across variety of bean called "Trionfo Violetto", but very few pictures of seeds of this variety. has anyone here grown it or found a good picture of the seeds themselves?

of course this is related to my search for the parents of Purple Dove...

the seeds appear to be pale to white and about the right shape and seed eye of a possible PD parental unit...

I'm growing this bean this year and already have dry pods. I also have Dow Purple Pod and Purple Pod Pole as network beans. All very similar growth and appearance. The network beans just a bit behind Trionfo Violetto.