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

[ruralmamma]

Now for the 2025 off-types:

Batumi Georgia 4 True to type on bottom and top is a beautiful speckled off-type. Beautiful coloring on both and believe it's productivity was hampered by drought and being planted too close to more vigorous varieties. Plan to grow both this year.

Cold Creek original on bottom, blue/purple off-type top left and variant with one end of bean being completely black top right. I'd like to regrow this one again but probably not this year.

Rosey's Red original on bottom, variant with varying amounts of white on one end on top. I refer to the variant as Rosey's White Rump. I hope to grow this variety again in 2026 as it was a good producer.

Avalon original on bottom, larger striped tan top left and black variant top right. The seeds of the latter were a bluish color at harvest and some seem to retain a bit of a dark blue tint in my eyes. The black-seeded variety was a vigorous climber while the other two were bush beans.

Avalon again! Original on bottom and purple-podded variant on top. I believe I only had one true-to-type plant of this variety and that the three purple pods appeared on that plant. I intend to do a planting of the remaining Network seed as well as growing a bed of the harvested seed that looks like the original. I'll likely make a spot for the purple-podded variant as well. Interesting note that only the purple pods produced any seed with reverse coloration. This variety kept me scratching my head the entire season.

Just realized I forgot the purple-podded George Washington's Fall variant and that will have to wait as I stored them separately.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Thank you! So glad they arrived safely. All of the blue beans were beautiful this year and I'm assuming it was due to the drought and extreme heat.

You got blue beans with drought and extreme heat. Usually blue beans produce tan seeds when it's hot. The blue in most blue beans comes when the seed forms in cooler weather. I've seen September Blue produce tan seeds before. If you shine a very bright flashlight on the seed you will see a few that have a tendency to be more tan. I need to grow out again the blue beans I got this coming summer as well as a few of your seeds. I will select beans that show truely blue.

 

[ruralmamma]

You got blue beans with drought and extreme heat. Usually blue beans produce tan seeds when it's hot. The blue in most blue beans comes when the seed forms in cooler weather. I've seen September Blue produce tan seeds before. If you shine a very bright flashlight on the seed you will see a few that have a tendency to be more tan. I need to grow out again the blue beans I got this coming summer as well as a few of your seeds. I will select beans that show truely blue.

I did get a few tan seeds but the majority vere blue. I'd thought I read that cool temperatures ultimately impacted seed color but I harvested more blue seed from my Meerbarbe/Nona Agnes mix this year than last year with similar conditions. I wonder how much nighttime temperatures affect coloration as it's possible we had some cooler nights around harvest time.

 

[flowerbug]

still shelling beans, down to the last few boxes... finding some fun ones as usual. all boxes from the same garden. not expecting too many surprises but we'll see...

 

[Dahlia]

still shelling beans, down to the last few boxes... finding some fun ones as usual. all boxes from the same garden. not expecting too many surprises but we'll see...

Whar was your favorite bean this year!?

 

[Dahlia]

I'm curious, what is everyone's favorite bean for beauty!? I know this is a difficult if not impossible question! It would be fun tho to hear the name of your faves and see a pic of that favorite bean!

 

[flowerbug]

Whar was your favorite bean this year!?

yes!

it's like asking me what my favorite food is or favorite music, or favorite song from my favorite band or ... it changes with mood and context.

five minutes after asking me a while ago if i'd found any treasures yet i found another Purple Dove outcross that is what i've wanted to see for years. i'll get pictures of them eventually and post them but this one in particular is a Purple Dove bean with some more solid stripes on one side. up until now i've seen hints of stripes and markings on some Purple Dove beans but nothing that's grown out much so far, but this looks like i have a better chance now as i have more than one seed to work with...

ok, here's one i can describe. it was the first year i've grown any of the UC virus resistant beans and the SW Gold one is very nice looking and will also fit into our shorter season. it has an Anasazi pattern to it, but is not a semi-runner climber so i prefer it and it also was productive so i'm going to keep including it in my grow outs for now on because that pattern is interesting and will be unique enough that i have a better chance of noticing crosses that happen through time and it won't hurt to have some virus resistent genes in the bean patches even if these particular beans are not very resistent to bacterial or fungal issues, but since i have other beans that are this mixing will have some good effects eventually...

i'm down to the last 1/4 of a box to shell out but i'm tired and taking a break so i may not get back to this today.