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

[Ridgerunner]

I've already got the markers made for most of what beans I'll plant next year. They will come basically from what I grew this year, either trying to stabilize them or see how they diverge again. When I get the garden planted I'll go for a few extras depending on how much extra room I have.

I'll grow one or two from Russ to renew some of his seeds. I'll try to grow some with an unknown "last grown" date so at least that much will become known. Every time I look at his web pages I change my mind about which ones I'll ask him for. That will probably depend on the mood I'm in the day I ask him for certain ones.

I did a germination test on my purple hulled peas and got 6 out of 6 to sprout. I'm pretty comfortable those seeds are viable. I have a lot, if anyone wants some just let me know.

It doesn't seem like it but in two months I'll be looking for a dry enough window to get my cool weather crops in the ground. That's peas, potatoes, beets, carrots, radishes, cole crops, chard, kale, lettuce, and turnips. I have the ground ready for that, it will just be a quick till to kill any seeds that are sprouting and adding compost. I don't have to wait until the ground thaws, but that time of the year is often very wet. I have to be ready to jump on a dry spell to get that stuff in the ground as early as possible, otherwise it turns so hot the cool weather stuff won't grow. We all have our own advantages and challenges.

 

[flowerbug]

@Ridgerunner you got that right!

i'm off to a good start.

the late bulk beans are now repackaged and ready for eating whenever (lima, pinto, red and yellow eye).

the early bulk beans i still have to finish making seed selections for replanting. it's nice to have the seeds all selected and ready to go when planting time comes around.

what are the purple hulled peas? are they a cowpea/fieldpea variety (similar to blackeyed peas)?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, a black-eyed pea. They are supposedly a bush so you don't need to trellis then but they are closer to what I would call a half-runner. They may only grow two or so feet high but they really spread out. I normally grow them in two rows about 12" apart but they will easily need four feet on each side of that row. Not sure how they will do in Michigan but down here once they start bearing they are a reliable producer until frost.

The hull turns purple when they are ready to harvest. I simmered the hulls on water to get the color and flavor, I think it turned out really well.

 

[PhilaGardener]

..and so today i can start back in on sorting beans and thinking about what i might want to grow next season.

Unfortunately, with the temps we have been having recently, planting in the garden will have to wait . . . .

 

[flowerbug]

@PhilaGardener so true... i don't plant beans until towards the end of May. sometimes a week or two earlier if the weather cooperates and i feel lucky. later on i may go back and replant or poke other beans in places where other plantings haven't done well.

this morning i had good light for selecting out the rest of my other three main bulk seed plantings. nice to have those done early instead of having to do it when i'm in the middle of planting.

the real fun will be when i start back in on going through all the crosses and odd beans that pop up. i already have most of them pre-sorted, but i need to combine or figure out if they should be selected apart now for some groups. now that the seeds have had some time for the color to darken a little...

i can only sit for so long at a spell.

p.s. made separate thread for Lima Bean questions...

 

[flowerbug]

ok, the first Yellow Eye selections are done. these are all from the Yellow Eye harvest from a cross which finished earlier than the rest. i'm not sure if they finished earlier because of the drought or what, but it will be interesting to see how these selections do this coming season. i divided the harvest into four selections:

Regular (little to no speckling - regular shape):

Large Speckled:

Flat Speckled:

Round Speckled:

more verbiage on webpage (at the bottom):

http://www.anthive.com/project/beans/

 

[flowerbug]

Today's selections for pictures:

[for scale the E on the board is 1cm long]


Yellow Soldier

White End Pinto

Red White

White Black Small

 

[897tgigvib]

Those are great Flowerbug

 

[flowerbug]

Those are great Flowerbug

thank you.

i'm always excited when some new bean or cross shows up. the four from today were completely new gifts from mother nature.

i'm especially fond of the yellow soldier beans of that group.


yellow eye beans appeal to me a lot too, the rounder shape and pattern.


in this year's harvest i have four light olive colored beans (no pic yet). nothing i have ever planted is light olive. in the yellow eye line. will be interesting to see if i can get them to grow this year. with only four seeds...

 

[Blue-Jay]

Well Marshall is back. It's about time. What have you been up to? Growing any beans.