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

[heirloomgal]

@Blue-Jay I have a new respect for your dedication to growing beans. They're a difficult master to serve, and I'm on year 2 now of not having a great bean year. I'd think of giving up if I didn't enjoy growing them so much, it's amazing that you have persisted for all these years regardless of the challenges you've faced in various seasons. So many animals love to eat them as seedlings, voles easily destroy their roots, too dry is a problem, too wet is a problem. And they aren't always healthy plants. Virtually none of that is the case for tomatoes! Yet somehow, tomatoes are not nearly as satisfying to grow as heirloom beans.

I can't gripe totally, because I have had some plants do very well this year. Just not all of them, and for me, that's a problem. I like everything to do fantastically. August was so dry and hot, and now we're scheduled for - possibly - extended rain. The weather network shows 3 rain symbols for the next 3 days, so we'll see. The percentage of chance though is only 40%. I went out and picked a lot today just in case, and it did really rain hard this evening, but still I wonder if I should have harvested more or pulled out more plants by the roots. Decisions decisions.

When you harvest beans in anticipation of rain, what is it your looking for in the not yet dry pod? Today as I went through them I went mostly but feel and color. If I could feel distinct beans in the pods and the neck was a bit dry I pulled them, and if the pod color had changed like how the greens will sometimes get yellow or whitish, or really speckled pods where they weren't before. Of course I always pick what seems to have the most developed seeds, but I know you can get them quite early on and they'll still be fine, I'd rather err on the side of picking too early vs too late when it comes to moisture.

 

[Decoy1]

Annelino Giallo is my guess.

Sultan’s Gold Crescent came immediately into my mind. I was hoping I had a photo but unfortunately not. Perhaps later today.

 

[Oxford]

An elderly Italian gardener gave me seeds of a small crescent-shaped yellow pole snap bean. She told me that they're really good-- but she didn't know the name of the variety. Has anyone grown something similar to this? It would be helpful to identify them.

This bean exists in many varieties in Italy, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It is called Anellino Gialo (Italien - small yellow rings), Posthörnchen/ Posthörnli (German - a small post horn) or in Austria Kipfler (a name for curled bean pods). The color of the seeds vary per variety. My ones are dark-red with yellow speckles, other ones are purple with white speckles, or pure black or red.

 

[Decoy1]

Freckles (2025)(Network Bean)

I harvested some dry beans. Been struggling with growing this bean. My original sample is from 2013. Didn't get great germination and the plant that grew isn't making many beans, so not enough to send in returns. I am going to try to plant some more seeds now that I've harvested some seeds and hopefully with be able to get more seeds in the next round.

View attachment 77506

Also, relating back to the article I just mentioned, the temps have been 85⁰F/69⁰F (29⁰C/20⁰C) here and the seeds are showing a high amount of color vs white.

Picture and description from Blue-Jay's website for comparison
View attachment 77510

I also grew Freckles a couple of years ago from 2013 seed from @Blue-Jay . And had a similar or even greater contrast in seed coat colours but the other way round. I received very red seeds and produced much whiter seeds

 

[Decoy1]

Sultan’s Gold Crescent came immediately into my mind. I was hoping I had a photo but unfortunately not. Perhaps later today.

Sultan's Gold Crescent. Maybe not quite as curly as yours, @Branching Out ? So perhaps Anellino Giallo is more likely.

​

 

[Decoy1]

@Blue-Jay I have a new respect for your dedication to growing beans. They're a difficult master to serve, and I'm on year 2 now of not having a great bean year. I'd think of giving up if I didn't enjoy growing them so much, it's amazing that you have persisted for all these years regardless of the challenges you've faced in various seasons. So many animals love to eat them as seedlings, voles easily destroy their roots, too dry is a problem, too wet is a problem. And they aren't always healthy plants. Virtually none of that is the case for tomatoes! Yet somehow, tomatoes are not nearly as satisfying to grow as heirloom beans.

I can't gripe totally, because I have had some plants do very well this year. Just not all of them, and for me, that's a problem. I like everything to do fantastically. August was so dry and hot, and now we're scheduled for - possibly - extended rain. The weather network shows 3 rain symbols for the next 3 days, so we'll see. The percentage of chance though is only 40%. I went out and picked a lot today just in case, and it did really rain hard this evening, but still I wonder if I should have harvested more or pulled out more plants by the roots. Decisions decisions.

When you harvest beans in anticipation of rain, what is it your looking for in the not yet dry pod? Today as I went through them I went mostly but feel and color. If I could feel distinct beans in the pods and the neck was a bit dry I pulled them, and if the pod color had changed like how the greens will sometimes get yellow or whitish, or really speckled pods where they weren't before. Of course I always pick what seems to have the most developed seeds, but I know you can get them quite early on and they'll still be fine, I'd rather err on the side of picking too early vs too late when it comes to moisture.

I've had the same feeling this year about beans not being entirely straightforward or predictable. Not entirely the same weather patterns and less creature predation, but certainly some mysteriously reluctant to thrive.

But peculiarly addictive nevertheless - or perhaps because of some challenge.