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

Artorius

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Oh my gosh, thank you for telling me this @Artorius! :hugs
I just went and opened some of the older pods which are saggy and yellowing with fully formed seed inside, just in case. I didn't see any sprouted seed knock on wood. What do you think is the best way to deal with the drying pods, should I open them all? Those pods are really odd.

@heirloomgal, this year I only opened the pods a little from the top so that the moisture inside could evaporate faster. That was all I could do. Unfortunately, I did it too late, and quite a few seeds germinated in the Koronis Cream pods. I harvested them before they were completely dry, so I could get them before the frost, which ended my adventure this year. In the past I had trouble with seeds germinating inside with Ohio Pole, Melungeon, Awahsohs Bear, Grandma Gina's, Lengua de Lobo and other beans with thick and fleshy pods.
 

jbrobin09

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Did anyone else grow Gopher this year? It’s supposed to be light brown with slightly darker brown speckles and I got some of those but also plain brown and white with speckles. I only got a few ripe pods so small seed quantity to go by, but I’m wondering if it isn’t stable or it crossed? The white with speckles could maybe have come from another variety and got mixed in, I suppose, so I’m checking on that.
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Blue-Jay

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Did anyone else grow Gopher this year? It’s supposed to be light brown with slightly darker brown speckles and I got some of those but also plain brown and white with speckles. I only got a few ripe pods so small seed quantity to go by, but I’m wondering if it isn’t stable or it crossed? The white with speckles could maybe have come from another variety and got mixed in, I suppose, so I’m checking on that.
I think Gopher is not stable yet. Don't worry about sending any back this year. Grow them again next year. Gopher and Cleopatra came out of the Same packet. All the beans from Avalon page 10 to Yellow Point came to me in 52 packets of crosses from Will Bonsall of Industry Maine. Some of these beans look like they have stablized and a bunch of them are still of unknown stablity.
 

Blue-Jay

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We had frost on the rooftops of the houses around me this morning 41 degrees F 5 C, but nothing down near ground level. My snap beans on the south side of my house are still alive. Tilled my backyard bean nursery soil yesterday and the backyard flowerbed. Then I took the tiller over to my 2,200 square foot 204 sq. meters offsite plot and began tilling that soil will try to finish that plot today. Tommorow will take down the backyard tomato plants. Lots of small green tomatoes but I don't think they will ripen very well anyway. Actually I'm tired of the tomato plants time for them to come to the end of their season.

The tomato plants I grew this year are dehybridized Early Girl that I began to select in 2012. I believe the plants have been stable for about three or four years. My very own tomato variety called Woodstock Girl. They are very productive, early and sweet plus nice amount of acid. I grow them for the lady who cuts my hair and for a friend I knew in High School. The high school friend told me this was the best tomato year he and his wife have ever had. I also grow about a dozen plants for folks at our post office.
 
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flowerbug

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...The high school friend told me this was the best tomato year he and his wife have ever had. I also grow about a dozen plants for folks at our post office.

this year was certainly the sweetest tomatoes i've ever grown. i didn't water them at all the last month and lost a lot due to splitting but what we did harvest and can or eat were the best. :)

of course it did help that the plants kept green leaves on them and still have some - that also is probably a first in many years...
 

heirloomgal

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The first year I grew Grandma Gina's fully half of the pods sprouted seeds inside. Ever since if I grow a really fleshy variety there are a couple steps I've taken that seem to have helped. Of course, in really prolonged bad weather there isn't much that can be done I think. But in that last month I give no water to the plants, and if it rains I cut the vines prematurely at the ground. Those types do better for me picked early, slightly green or yellow, and dried off the vine. I do my best to dry them in the sun, or at least keep them somewhere super dry on cardboard. So far, with the Ohio Pole pods, this seems to have worked. And as @Artorius mentioned above, I cracked the pod seams a little to give them extra air. I also pulled up the whole pole out when the pods were just starting to turn lighter green, they weren't anywhere close to dry. When I shell them all I guess I'll see if it worked for all the pods.
 

heirloomgal

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My friend Scott wrote this article, I thought everyone would enjoy to see his pictures and read his piece!

 

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