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

[Blue-Jay]

"African Premier" Is a true bush and originates in Kenya. It was also part of the Wanigan Associates bean collection. I got a better amount of seed on this one that most beans. Enough to plant but again but not enough to fill seed requests. Total harvest on this bean was 1.4 ounces.

#129 - African Premier

 

[Blue-Jay]

"Topcrop" Bush snap commerical variety. I've always liked this reliable variety. A good one if you grow bush varieties. It was the All American Selections winner for beans in 1950. It's a cross of Full Measure & Refugee. My seed harvest on this one was 2.4 ounces.

#130 - Topcrop

 

[Blue-Jay]

"Littlefield's Special" A true bush variety resembles "Black Trout" I purchased this bean from Heritage Harvest Seeds in Canada in 2011. All the seed harvest on this one is in the photo. .35 of an ounce. One thing I found out about this place where I had this deer fence constructed around my big bean plot was that this soil will make beans like this one with a trout color pattern look very nice. They will display an nice amount of white to show off all the spotting in the seed.

#131 - Littlefield's Special

 

[Blue-Jay]

"Big Light Red Trout" A true bush in growth. This bean I once acquired from Wanigan Associates. The bean comes originally from a Wanigan member Ernest B. Dana of Etna, New Hampshire. I think the bean was one of Ernest's original beans that he named and discovered as an outcross. This bean is also the seed mother of "Candy". The seed of BLRT is larger than a Jacob's Cattle. Some almost as big as "Candy" I grew this bean last year in 2016 and wanted to increase the seed volume this year, but my entire harvest for this year is in this photo. Will replant most of these bush varieties next year. I wonder if I continuosly plant this bean next to a large seeded bush cranberry bean could I duplicate something similar to "Candy"?

#132 - Big Light Red Trout

 

[Blue-Jay]

"Bomba" A true bush variety that comes from the Ukraine. Joseph Simcox "The Bontanical Explorer" who travels all over the world looking for rare plants and seeds sent me this one in 2013. The Bomba grow out had nearly filled out the section of row I planted but all the plants were very stunted. To be grown again in 2018.

#133 - Bomba

 

[Blue-Jay]

"Cherokee Wax" A true bush and commerical variety since the late 1940's. I had two plants. One was yellow podded and gave me seed that looks like "Cherokee Wax". The other plant was a green podded semi runner with a mottle seed coat (Second Photo).

#134 - Cherokee Wax

Cherokee Was Off Type

 

[Blue-Jay]

"Long Lake Giant" A true bush, large podded snap bean, and an original Robert Lobitz variety named after Long Lake in Minnesota. Will regrow this one in 2018.

#135 - Long Lake Giant

 

[Blue-Jay]

"Alice Sunshine" True bush snap bean. Another of the many Robert Lobitz original beans. I harvested .70 of an ounce this year. All the seeds I harvest are in this photo.

#136 - Alice Sunshine

 

[Ridgerunner]

Russ

The beans are in the mail and supposed to arrive Thursday. I'm only sending six new beans this year. The first three are segregations from the Will Bonsall beans I grew last year, all three from his #27 packet. I had several others that also produced new segregations but I'm sure you'll understand I didn't get enough where I could send you any significant number and keep a few for myself. Mainly just poor production. I'll grow them again and see if I can get enough to make them worth following up on.

I called the first one Tranquility. I don't know what color it is, sort of a dull metallic brown with purplish hints. It's a relatively small bean too.

I called this one Rising Fawn. It's a segregation from Raspberry Ripple. The difference from Raspberry Ripple is only in flower color. This one is a pure white, the original has a pink blossom.

I called this one Tallulah's Treasure. It's also out of Raspberry Ripple. I had two plants that produced this black bean. Both were pretty productive but the #5 plant by itself produced over 1500 dried beans after sorting so I'm only saving seeds from the #5.

The next three are from that black bean I found in Blue Jay. All three of them were on very vigorous vines and produced well. Al had blossoms similar to Blue Jay, sort of a bluish pink color.

I'm calling this first one Ausmus Holler. The majority of the beans it produced were solid black but I'm selecting for the brown pattern. I think it will be a lot more interesting than just another black bean if it will produce that pattern.

I called this one Voodoo. It's my production winner this year, one plant produced over 2500 beans after sorting. It is solid black but has a purple tint to lt.

I called this last on Midnight at the Oasis. It's solid black. I did not see any hint of any other color than black even if I opened a pod before it was totally dry.

That's what you should see Thursday. I have tracking info if you need it.

My general plans for next year are to regrow what I harvested this year though for space reasons I may have to make some decisions. I want to grow the ones from the Will Bonsall group that repeated, it would be nice to stabilize them. I plan to grow the ones that segregated this year but didn't produce enough to send you, that's a fairly high priority. Find out one way or another about them. And of course grow some of these above.

I have one area that isn't suited to growing out these beans as I don't know if they will be pole or bush. That caused me some anguish this year. The pole beans just get way too jumbled to know what is what when I harvest them unless I really spread them out which would mean three plats at most. I think the area would be better suited to getting a couple of pole beans from you that need renewing. I'll look at your website next spring after you update the grown-by dates and probably ask you to send me a couple.

It's been fun, looking forward to next season.

 

[Blue-Jay]

"Shortwave Sunshine 2.0" Working title is a true bush and a segregation of "Shortwave Sunshine". This segregation found in 2016. It might be a snap bean but more grow outs and eating tests will tell for sure.

#137 - Shortwave Sunshine 2.0