2017 Little Easy Bean Network – Everything Beans, Post It Here & Join The Fun

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome Eleanor. I like the dusting with inoculant. I checked my bean roots last year and did not have any of those nodes than means they are setting nitrogen, so I'm using inoculant this year. I hope it makes a difference.

Not sure where you are located. You might modify your profile to give us a general idea.

I planted a few beans a couple of weeks back, but only 7 out of 40 germinated. The ground was still too cold. As soon as the garden dries out I'll plant some more to see if the ground is now warm enough now. I think it will be. But with the rain we've had and what is forecast for tomorrow, it may be this time next week before I can work in the garden. I direct seed mine in the garden instead of pots or such.

 

[lcertuche]

I never plant beans until the grounds warmed up. I once planted a pack of Kentucky Wonders in mid-July and had plenty of green beans to can. Of course they did put more seed in packages then than they do now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

@lcertuche take some notes and photos when that is growing, like bush or pole, flower color, and pod color. Some of the experts on here might be able to identify it for you.

I plant bush beans as early as I can. They usually are ready before pole beans so I have something to eat on until the pole come in. My main canning crop is Blue Lake pole. I'm growing Bluejay as my early bush this year. It's a variety Russ developed and named as you can probably guess from his screen name.

 

[Eleanor]

Welcome Eleanor. I like the dusting with inoculant. I checked my bean roots last year and did not have any of those nodes than means they are setting nitrogen, so I'm using inoculant this year. I hope it makes a difference.

Not sure where you are located. You might modify your profile to give us a general idea.

I planted a few beans a couple of weeks back, but only 7 out of 40 germinated. The ground was still too cold. As soon as the garden dries out I'll plant some more to see if the ground is now warm enough now. I think it will be. But with the rain we've had and what is forecast for tomorrow, it may be this time next week before I can work in the garden. I direct seed mine in the garden instead of pots or such.

Thanks for the welcome . I prefer to direct seed too but I decided both to appease my itch to get planting despite Mother Nature's erratic mood and to pamper the smaller seed samples - that and if I wait til the ideal time to direct seed I was concerned I'd be overwhelmed given all that is going into the gardens this season.

Well, time to get back at it!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Our number of growers has grown a little larger this year which is very nice. In 2013 we had 10. I think in 2014, '15, and '16 we averaged about 12 or 13 each year. This year we have 18 so far and might be able to pick up number 19 tomorrow. We might still attract more the remainder of this month. Since I put the Network pages on the website it has attracted more growers. Our youngest grower is a 12 year old fellow in Ontario, Canada. Our second yougest is a 16 year old young man in Iowa whos parents are members of the Seed Savers Exchange. He requested 20 varieties to grow. Our Canadian growers number 3 in all so far. Our farthest away grower is in Bulgaria who is going to return 300 seeds of one variety.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My first planting of the Bluejay had horrible germination so it was too early. I plan to plant some more tomorrow to see what kind of germination I get before I start the ones I'm growing for you. I'm anxious to get started but I want to get it right. With my growing season I have plenty of time if I can make myself wait.

I don't know if your numbers include me or not since I did not ask for new seeds. I still consider myself one of your growers since I kept some seeds from last year.

 

[baymule]

Our number of growers has grown a little larger this year which is very nice. In 2013 we had 10. I think in 2014, '15, and '16 we averaged about 12 or 13 each year. This year we have 18 so far and might be able to pick up number 19 tomorrow. We might still attract more the remainder of this month. Since I put the Network pages on the website it has attracted more growers. Our youngest grower is a 12 year old fellow in Ontario, Canada. Our second yougest is a 16 year old young man in Iowa whos parents are members of the Seed Savers Exchange. He requested 20 varieties to grow. Our Canadian growers number 3 in all so far. Our farthest away grower is in Bulgaria who is going to return 300 seeds of one variety.

That is awesome! Is everybody a TEG member? If not, will they join?

 

[Blue-Jay]

Bay I suggest to them that they come here, but I don't know if they will join. Time will tell I guess.

 

[Blue-Jay]

We picked up our 19th grower of the year yesterday. A fellow who owns a business that grows bean seed for other farmers to grow beans for food. His company is called Gentec Inc. from Twin Falls, Idaho. He told me something I had no idea in the bean growing business that happened. He said in moister climates where they grow beans and the seed crop in nearly mature. They use a chemical desiccant to dry the beans down fast so they can be harvested before too much rain occurs and starts ruining the seed crop. He says it adds nothing to the beans. Does them no harm.

 

[Ridgerunner]

We had a recent discussion on here about doing that with grains, specifically wheat. Most places it isn't an issue, but in cool damp places it can be. Parts of Europe and Canada use that method. North Dakota got a mention but most other places in the US don't use it, they don't need to. It also kills weeds and dries them out so threshing is easier.

The crop cannot be considered "organic" if you use a desiccant. Supposedly after the wheat reaches a certain stage, based on moisture content if memory serves, the plant stops sending any nutrients to the wheat grain so none of that chemical makes its way to the grain. I'd imagine the same thing would be true for beans. Since that desiccant is probably an herbicide I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be using it for seed, thinking germination. But I guess they've considered that. Maybe it's a post-emergence so it should not have an effect on germination and growth, especially since it's supposedly not absorbed by the bean.

I can sure sympathize with trying to harvest dried beans when it sets in wet and they start rotting or sprouting in the pod. I'm sure the science is there to support that method but it's not something I'm going to try at home.