2015 Little Easy Bean Network - Old Beans Should Never Die !

[journey11]

I know it's a bit early yet, but I think I'll go ahead and jot down here those that I am interested in growing out this year. Before I change my mind again! LOL It is incredibly hard to decide sometimes.

I'm feeling more confident this year, so I think I'll do more. Russ, if any of these were already chosen or unavailable, feel free to make whatever substitutions you would like, perhaps with any that you may be more concerned with increasing first.

From the Network list:

Solwezi #2
Wren's Egg
Panzaredda Nera
Aunt Jean's
Monachelle Di Norcia
Milk & Cider​

And the extras:

Blue Jay (of course I must have this one. )
Bosnian Pole
Bregenzer​

FYI, I've been working to list my bean collection online. I'm almost finished, just need to get some better pics of a few of them and complete my notes. I can't wait to show you guys.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

you might have better luck with the Milk & Cider since you're in a different zone than me. i found they did hold onto the green pods a long time and they ran late into the season. they still produced a lot of beans in the end but i was hoping to get lots more than i did in 2014.

 

[journey11]

you might have better luck with the Milk & Cider since you're in a different zone than me. i found they did hold onto the green pods a long time and they ran late into the season. they still produced a lot of beans in the end but i was hoping to get lots more than i did in 2014.

Thanks for that info, Chickie. I will make sure to start them early on then.

 

[VA_LongBean]

It could have been my conditions (last year alternated floods and drought in northern VA), but I found Solwezi to be slow to set pods for me. Once it set them of course it made plenty. I would not recommend it for growing in a really short season area, though your year might be long enough for it..

 

[ChickenMomma91]

Are we still doing small free packs of seed to increase the numbers of heirlooms? I've been absent from the site till recently. I'd love a bush bean to grow. I can grow 15 bush bean plants in the strawbale garden I'm experimenting with this year and can definitely send some seed at the end to whoever.

 

[journey11]

It could have been my conditions (last year alternated floods and drought in northern VA), but I found Solwezi to be slow to set pods for me. Once it set them of course it made plenty. I would not recommend it for growing in a really short season area, though your year might be long enough for it..

Thanks for letting me know. I will be sure to plant it promptly then. I'm sure it is used to having a very long season, being from Africa. As long as I get things in the ground before mid-June (and can go earlier), I have a good long season. Latest season bean I've grown so far was 'Long Tom'. It spent most of the summer growing like crazy, reaching over on it's neighbors and climbed to over 12 feet! Then in Sept. it finally started setting tons of long pods. I did end up pulling it, bamboo poles and all to dry down in the basement ahead of the killing frost.

Are we still doing small free packs of seed to increase the numbers of heirlooms? I've been absent from the site till recently. I'd love a bush bean to grow. I can grow 15 bush bean plants in the strawbale garden I'm experimenting with this year and can definitely send some seed at the end to whoever.

Keep your eyes peeled in early April for the new 2016 thread, which is when Russ will be back in action and ready to mail them. If you scroll back a couple of posts, you will find the network link to see what beans are needing grown out for this year.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi @Lori B,

I think those two beans will be avilable. Send me an email and I'll save your request in my 2016 seed request folder on my email server. Include your address where to send the beans. Then I can fill your request when I start sending out seed in April.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Are we still doing small free packs of seed to increase the numbers of heirlooms? I've been absent from the site till recently. I'd love a bush bean to grow. I can grow 15 bush bean plants in the strawbale garden I'm experimenting with this year and can definitely send some seed at the end to whoever.

Hi @ChickenMomma91,

I don't know how bush beans would work in a straw bale garden. Beans are rather shallow rooted, and I don't know if they will get any nutrution out of the straw to grow on.

Is there anyone among us here who could tell more about growing beans in strawbales?

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi Everyone,

I am also thinking about putting up a whole bunch of pole bean outcrosses I got from a fellow last year in Maine by the name of Will Bonsall. I would really like to see what might come out them before the seed gets too old to grow. He sent me about 52 seed samples and I grew out about half of them last year. Amazing the colors and patterns that came out of them. Some of the seed went back 10 years and more and most of the samples grew. I don't think I can get to most of these pole bean outcrosses grown myself this year and the seed is getting older all the time. In late March I'll do a germination test on all the samples I didn't get grown last year and put up a list of them that do grow on the new 2016 LEBN thread. Would everyone like to help on this project to get these outcrossed samples grown? You would have to return seed of anything that looked like the original plus any new segregations that showed up from of the original sample.

We have been through all the African beans that would grow one time around, and the other beans that are mostly Marshall's colletion I think are new enough that those can sit for another year without any problem.

Let me know what you think.

 

[aftermidnight]

@Bluejay77, sounds like fun. You've got me down for Witsa and another of your choice, as long as it's a pole bean I'll take one of these.
Annette