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

[heirloomgal]

Todays' collected pods, 'Brutt Buon' and 'Buenos Aires Rojo'.

 

[Decoy1]

Thank you @Decoy1 @Artorius , so it sounds like it did fairly well for you @Decoy1. I wouldn't describe my vines as terrible looking, but they aren't nearly as filled out or lush as pole beans typically get so I don't really know if anything is wrong or its just varietal. @Artorius if you think of it, when you grow it out I'd be curious to hear what you think of the growth. It's such an utterly gorgeous bean, it would be nice if it's capable of doing better than the line that I have.

Are your bean pods sickly looking or is it just the foliage,@heirloomgal?

I agree that it’s a very beautiful seed coat.

 

[flowerbug]

Could be Potawatomi Lima maybe, from Wisconsin.

i can see that.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Does anybody recognize these beans? from a photo in one of our exhibits about a Dakota (Sioux) community garden.

The Red beans with the dark markings look like Potawatomi lima.

 

[heirloomgal]

Are your bean pods sickly looking or is it just the foliage,@heirloomgal?

I agree that it’s a very beautiful seed coat.

The pods are fine, and the seeds I've harvested are fine, it's just the vines do not get big, and lush. I can't quite describe it, but they just seemed to lack vigor. The leaf shape was correct, and there did not seem to be any pathology present except that it doesn't grow aggressively as so many pole beans do. Given how unique the seeds are I really wonder if when the person selected for that seed type it genetically steered the variety towards poor vegetative genes. I do find that there are some beans which seem to grow amazing every time, every year and other beans not so much. The breeding is not equal variety to variety. I don't know if that's the case with Fagiola but I wonder. Maybe it needs more selection work.

 

[Decoy1]

The pods are fine, and the seeds I've harvested are fine, it's just the vines do not get big, and lush. I can't quite describe it, but they just seemed to lack vigor. The leaf shape was correct, and there did not seem to be any pathology present except that it doesn't grow aggressively as so many pole beans do. Given how unique the seeds are I really wonder if when the person selected for that seed type it genetically steered the variety towards poor vegetative genes. I do find that there are some beans which seem to grow amazing every time, every year and other beans not so much. The breeding is not equal variety to variety. I don't know if that's the case with Fagiola but I wonder. Maybe it needs more selection work.

I’ve put it on my list of beans to grow next year to see if I find the same.

 

[Blue-Jay]

The pods are fine, and the seeds I've harvested are fine, it's just the vines do not get big, and lush. I can't quite describe it, but they just seemed to lack vigor. The leaf shape was correct, and there did not seem to be any pathology present except that it doesn't grow aggressively as so many pole beans do. Given how unique the seeds are I really wonder if when the person selected for that seed type it genetically steered the variety towards poor vegetative genes. I do find that there are some beans which seem to grow amazing every time, every year and other beans not so much. The breeding is not equal variety to variety. I don't know if that's the case with Fagiola but I wonder. Maybe it needs more selection work.

Seed Savers Exchange/Heritage Farm ocassionally will list a bean that it has grown and will put in the description that the cultivar is not a vigorous climber. So this is something you can run into from time to time with bean plants. If all the plants you have now are not vigorous you won't get more vigor out of the variety with more selection because you have what you have. What it probably needs is more breeding work to transfer some growth vigor from a variety that has that vigor. I'd breed it with Bigaradda Gris Negre. Then your bean will take over your whole back yard . No not really just kidding !

 

[ruralmamma]

Absolutely no dew this morning, so I went to work on the beans after I tended the chickens. Our area is classified as being in extreme drought once again but rain is expected for the next few days. Picked the last handful of pods from four varieties in the dry bush bed and went back a few minutes ago and pulled Cold Creek and Rosey's Red as they're loaded and practically on the ground. Picked any pods that were yellowing and/or spongy and have spent the day arranging flats and setting up a fan. Separated Avalon and the tan-striped off-type from the blue/black one as it's the only one that still has pods. I will say that it's definitely prolific and one I'll make room for next year just to see what it does.

Several varieties are finished but had the first harvest of Grandma Barnett yesterday and Rose today. Still no harvest of the purple-podded George Washington Fall, Coal Camp or Rio Zape though all have plenty of firm pods, except for the latter, which only has 10-15 pods total.

To date I know I won't be able to return Batumi Georgia 4 (few pods and an off-type), Woodboogie and possibly Pixie. Arlington Red Cranberry is iffy depending on how the rain treats the remaining pods. Cold Creek also has an off-type too and final harvest will depend on that and how the pulled vines dry.

Tonight I'm going to transfer all the bean notes off of my phone and get them in the notebook as I should have already done that. Decided that in the future I'm going to create a page for each Network variety and include the pictures from @Blue-Jay's site. I can't tell you how many times I've had to refer back to the site or even pull out the remaining packs of seed to double-check myself and having that information in my notebook would definitely be an asset. I am so glad I took seed color and type into consideration as I was planting too as Cave's Cove, Dean Family Greasy Cutshort and Headrick Family Greasy all have similar sized and shaped beans and would have been a nightmare if planted in close proximity. George Washington Fall and Lewis County Fall are also very similar.