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

[897tgigvib]

The Wren's Egg I've ever known and grown, and did a real lot of selecting with are all bush.

It really is a very good variety! Real nice growing, tolerant and resistant to lots of problems, and, the kind of bush it grows as is vaguely upright, followed by leaning upright, with good stout stems. They can be grown closer together than average because the plants lean on each other pretty well.

The borlotti/waxy pods they make are beautiful enough to be grown in a flower garden.

Really multipurpose. Tender flavorful pods, the shelly beans are pretty in 3 bean salad, and the dry beans are good.

If the dry beans are harvested a touch too soon some of them may discolor a little, but are still good.

I think of wren's egg as a good variety to grow if the economy ever goes sour.

 

[teamneu]

@LonghornGardens - the ones I have are a bush bean.
I'm growing them by a trellis, and they are ignoring it.

 

[Blue-Jay]

In the 1988 Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook I found under pole beans. A Wren's Egg and the description had a similar seed coloring but nothing about it's ability to climb, and there was a Wren's Egg Improved which described the variety as being a vigorous climber and having dense voliage with the seed described about the same as the bean I sent to @teamneu. So there is very well likely to be found a pole Wren's Egg. I think sometimes some bean names might be used very genericly.

 

[LonghornGardens]

My pole Wren's Egg was acquired from an Amish Farmer in Lancaster,Pa. The seed coat appears no different from the bush to my eyes. It is a vigorous climber with dense foliage. It has reached the top of my seven foot trellis and wants to go higher. The flowers are light pink. This is my first year growing it. Thank you for the speedy replies to my query.

 

[PhilaGardener]

Several "heirlooms" seem to have pole and bush versions, like the Wren's Egg selections discussed above. Does anyone know what happens if a pole form is crossed with a bush form in an otherwise inbred background? What growth types are seen in the F1 and F2?

 

[Blue-Jay]

I will take a stab at that. The climbing characteristic in beans is dominate over the indeterminate or bush characteristic, and is controlled by a single gene. More than likely your cross between a bush and pole bean would result in beans that have the climbing characteristic. However future segregations would produce some bush types as the recessive genes for bush type growth pair up again.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've hesitated to write about it, waiting until things sorted themselves out, but last week I had 4.7" of rain one day, followed by 1.3", followed by another 1.3". The ground was already saturated. I'm not going to rip them out until the stalks turn brown everywhere but it looks like two of the five I was growing did not make it. The other three look OK though the Star 2000 are just hanging on. Hopefully they won't be too stunted to produce. Three plants are at least alive.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hang in there. I think most everyone except the west coast has gotten lots of rain this year. Too much moisture for normal growth and maturity. You will just have to keep a vigil eye out for your growings this year on a day to day basis, and your going to get only what you can manage to pull out of what mother nature throws at you.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I've been watering your beans with shower water, tossed down from 3 stories up. They are doing well! Must be my soap....

 

[teamneu]

I've been watering your beans with shower water, tossed down from 3 stories up. They are doing well! Must be my soap....

That's dedication!!! How do you collect shower water?