2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[flowerbug]

@Bluejay77 i've also found out that beans are usually viable from the plump enough stage.

i also found out that Yellow Eye do not do as well as i'd hoped when i shelled a bunch of them out early instead of letting them dry down in the pods. it worked at times before but the pods were further along than this time so the beans don't look top quality as compared to the fully dried ones i've already shelled. they will cook up fine i'm sure they just are bit off. i'll still end up eating them sometime as i'm not going to throw half a pound of beans away (which would actually end up being fed to the worms).

 

[flowerbug]

Little miracle. Network bean Georgian Black & White has been drying down out of the ground. I had to pull it out at a pretty iffy moment since the pods were still all rather green. I got one pod awhile ago, which was a relief since I have no seeds left and this meant I could try again. But today, to my surprise I found more dried pods. I was expecting poor quality from whatever I got because they were pulled so early, but they aren't bad. Holy mackerel, this drying down out of ground stuff really works!

it's actually used to be a common agricultural practice in some places where beans are grown to go through a field with a ground knife type of plow which cuts the plant roots and then they would pile the plants in windrows to dry down before sending in the combines to thresh the beans from the plants.

now i'm not sure it is done that ways as some farmers may just spray the whole crop with a herbicide to knock it out.

 

[ducks4you]

It's not a good idea to continue to mis use herbicides for convenience.
I talk a good talk on using 2D-4, but I have only used it once this season and that was to kill off 3 tree of paradise's that were stubbornly growing at the edge of foundation walls.
It's like my talk about drinking.
I talk a big talk, have a little bit of wine in the evening, but it SOUNDS like I am a raging alcoholic.
When I sick in late August I stopped the wine completely and didn't miss it.
There has got to be a better way!

 

[Blue-Jay]

@Bluejay77 i've also found out that beans are usually viable from the plump enough stage.

You know those little immature brownish things you find in a bean pod that never developed into a seed. I have had pods that were kept moist by the weather and laying on the ground. I've seen those little immature structures sprout and show a bean root sticking out of them. This happened during my 2020 bush bean grow out when we had lots of rain at the time pods were drying. So bean seed viability happens very early. Probably earlier than the plump enough stage. However If I'm going to pick them green I like to get them when they are very plump so I can have decently filled out seed when they finally dry.

 

[Blue-Jay]

it's actually used to be a common agricultural practice in some places where beans are grown to go through a field with a ground knife type of plow which cuts the plant roots and then they would pile the plants in windrows to dry down before sending in the combines to thresh the beans from the plants.

now i'm not sure it is done that ways as some farmers may just spray the whole crop with a herbicide to knock it out.

Yeah herbicide is what is used on fields of dry beans these days to speed up the harvesting process. Round Up is usally the herbicide of choice.

 

[meadow]

Glad you mentioned this @heirloomgal. This idea of harvesting green pods is the other item I was going to post for @meadow as she asked if I had anymore gardening tricks for her in regard to dry bean seed. So if you are in the part of your season where you are now going to get freezing temperatures almost every single night because you had a late planting or the variety just simply matures later than your season allows. So your tempeartures will likely be cold enough to destroy seed that still has a high moisture content. Well if your bean pods have become swollen with seed and if they are still as green as a snap bean and you know the pods have been full of seed for awhile. Go ahead and harvest them green. I am doing just that this past few days because we are going to have a freeze cold enough to destroy any seed that hasn't been harvest yet and has high moisture content. Dry your green pods indoors. Spread them out on something. I use sheets of cardboard. They might take a month but you will get nice looking seed that grows. Below is the photo of Gila River that I thought I had forgotten to plant and have not had a single dry pod or even a yellow pod. I harvested these this past Monday October 3, 2022. They have lightened up a bit in the last three days. Some pods look like they are even starting to yellow. Yesterday I harvested Rio Zape pods that were as green as a snap bean, but I know they have been swollen with seed for a fairly good while now. In fact I have never harvested a dry Rio Zape or even yellow pod of this variety since I've grown it from time to time in the last 10 years.

Wow! Thank you so much for mentioning this about green pods! We've been fortunate to have entered into a period of very nice weather with plenty of sunshine. But it has become obvious that some varieties (like Bolita) may not be suitable for our climate. It sounds like Rio Zape may be one of those beans, sadly.

 

[ducks4you]

You know those little immature brownish things you find in a bean pod that never developed into a seed. I have had pods that were kept moist by the weather and laying on the ground. I've seen those little immature structures sprout and show a bean root sticking out of them. This happened during my 2020 bush bean grow out when we had lots of rain at the time pods were drying. So bean seed viability happens very early. Probably earlier than the plump enough stage. However If I'm going to pick them green I like to get them when they are very plump so I can have decently filled out seed when they finally dry.

@Bluejay77, your post is encouraging! Guess I'll check them next week to see if any are ready to be shelled and then I'll dry them out more before storing.
Definite frosts tomorrow night AND Saturday night, JUST IN TIME for my yearly party!!!
I harvested every bean in sight today. Bagged them and refridgerated. I will work on them Sunday. I still have to bring in the tomatoes and the peppers, so I left the largest on the vines for one more day of growth, then I will add them to the aluminum turkey roaster on a heat mat on the top of my inside growing shelving unit in the basement. This buys me time.
I do plan to cover 2 bean rows and see if any survive. I will know bc they will put out flowers. Maybe I will get another week, maybe not.
Nice to have someplace to do this and KNOW that mice wouldn't dare run the gamit what with the inside/outside cats!

 

[flowerbug]

You know those little immature brownish things you find in a bean pod that never developed into a seed. I have had pods that were kept moist by the weather and laying on the ground. I've seen those little immature structures sprout and show a bean root sticking out of them. This happened during my 2020 bush bean grow out when we had lots of rain at the time pods were drying. So bean seed viability happens very early. Probably earlier than the plump enough stage. However If I'm going to pick them green I like to get them when they are very plump so I can have decently filled out seed when they finally dry.

i've never seen anything like that grow, but i'll now start saving all my defective beans that i normally put in the worm food or me food containers of certain varieties because sometimes i'm not getting many seeds back from them and would still like to try them again. will give it a try sometime and see how it goes. i always thought that if a seed wasn't well filled out or had a lopsided end that it wasn't likely to start a very strong plant so best to just not keep it as then i'd be shorting the worms or me a snack too.

 

[jbosmith]

Yeah herbicide is what is used on fields of dry beans these days to speed up the harvesting process. Round Up is usally the herbicide of choice.

I'm not the most vocal champion of organic standards, though I follow them myself, but drydown herbicides sketch me the eff out. I don't buy conventional potatoes or grains anymore because I just don't like the idea.

 

[heirloomgal]

Me neither.