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

[reedy]

All three of my network beans are producing well. I'm leaving the first of Crystal Wax and Burgundy Boiltas to go to seed and looks like will still have plenty to try them out for flavor and save some for me too. Don't know that either one is known for use as green beans but gonna try it anyway.
Expect I'll also be trying Refugee out as green beans in next few days. Cook em up with with a little bacon, maybe throw in some new potatoes for good measure.

 

[Blue-Jay]

@aftermidnight,

I didn't find anything in the book "Beans Of New York" that would come even close to identifying the bean that the Cottage Gardener has obtained. I think they should name it and take credit for it's discovery.

 

[aftermidnight]

@Bluejay77 , just received a little more information from Shirley which she got from the person who originally contacted her to see if she knew which variety it might be.

"The beans originated in the Ukraine. They were brought to Canada on the boat with my great grandmother and my grandmother who was a young girl at the time. I know the beans were grown by my great great grandmother in the Ukraine as well. My grandmother (in Thunder Bay) kept this bean until she died and left my mother with explicit instructions not to lose this bean. So she grows an amount every year to keep the seed going. Now my mom has sent me out seeds to keep them too as we have freed up garden space. It is the only beans my mothers family has grown as it is good fresh and dried. It is a yellow bush bean and easy to grow. I've looked myself on the internet and see what you mean about the orca although its colouring is more distinct. On the soaked beans you can see a goldish brown around the hilum which I noticed in some other beans. To me the black seems to have some purple in it which shows up also in the soaked beans more so than in the dried. Thank you for you help in our little bean mystery. Let me know if there is anything else that might be helpful."

Shirley wrote..
"Okay, so we may not be able to match this one - it may be unique. I've told her that.
It seems it is a yellow bush bean - so interesting.
I'm going to do some further searching now."

Maybe I could wangle a sample if I say pretty please. I'll ask Shirley if that might be a possibility.

Annette

 

[Blue-Jay]

@aftermidnight,

Well that's neat now we know the country where the bean originates. I wonder if anyone in the Ukraine still grows this bean and would know what it's called. Shirley would have to find a gardening or agricultural contact there.

 

[LocoYokel]

Hi, Pole Bean grower here. Seven years ago I was given 10 Scarlet Runner beans, I have gotten enough seed to grow a privacy wall for my patio for five years now. Some of the seeds are albino's (creamy white base with dark mottling, instead of the purple) which flower with a paler shade than the purple seed. They produce both color beans. Was wondering if anyone knew if that is a common thing for them. I did try to grow the white ones separately last year but they easily could have been cross pollinated with the others.
It's too late in the year for me to plant, short season for pole beans and my pots are already planted, so I have lots of time to study and plan for next spring... and now I have seen the beans here!

My Bean and Nasturtium Wall (2014, a good year):

What's under all that... (2015):

(2016, not a good year, no pic)

I think it would be fun to have a different type bean in each pot (6 to 8 per pot), would this work? I know they would grow but would there be any hope for any 'true seed' for the following year? I can see even self-pollinators having a problem with cross pollination with this kind of density...
It is just a 'hobby wall', privacy is it's main function and the honey bees/hummingbirds do love the red flowers. I grow Kentucky Wonder pole beans in the veggie garden.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi @LocoYokel,

Neat bean pictures. The beans work for your privacy wall, and fun to watch them grow each season. With your planting density I'm sure you might have some cross pollination. Most of your seeds will probably be pure. All depends how many of the unopened blossoms the bees actually manage to pollinate with pollen from another variety. Then there would be the odds of you selecting the seed to grow that has the new DNA. On top of that the new outcross won't show up in the seed coat until the seed is grown for the second season. The year the cross pollination occurs your seed will look like the seed mother's seed, and the following year it will look the same again. The second year is when you will find new seedcoats. Now traits in the plants themselves can show up the very next year if you are sharp enough to notice them. I work with a lot of outcrosses as I find them a lot of fun.

 

[aftermidnight]

Sadie's Horse bean is one variety of scarlet runner that I know of that is grown as a mix, there's is even more colors in the mix than I have.


Scarlet runners are notorious for crossing, those darn bumble bees, so I only grow one variety a year to be on the safe side.
P. vulgaris is pretty safe as a rule if grown with a few feet between each variety but not foolproof. If you want to keep a few seeds from each variety grown in close proximity like in your wall true to variety, bag a few flowers as soon as you see the flowers developing, don't forget to take the bags off as soon as you can see the beans developing, these should not cross. (ask me how I know this)

I use wedding favor bags for this, work like a charm.


Bag at this stage or sooner if possible.


By the way love your privacy screen, it should also give a cooling effect on a hot day.

Annette

 

[LocoYokel]

@Bluejay77, I checked out your network... I had no idea, so many pretty beans! Count me in next year, I fear it is too late for a seed crop here in N. ID. I have another spot I could devote to an heirloom solely for seed sake by then too. I love my Scarlet Runners not only for the red bloom but the pods get so huge, that stage of growth is striking as well, and pretty beans, let's not forget the BIG, pretty colored beans! Maybe just one variety alternated with the SRs on the wall to play with, something with at least one or more of those qualities: pretty bloom color, unusual pod, seed color... Looks like I have a LOT of research ahead of me. Is there an "Outcrossing Beans for Dummies" book? I did take some botany in college, playing with bean genetics sounds like a blast!

WoW! @aftermidnight, my original 10 beans were the standard Scarlett Runner color and are the base for all my beans and they have been producing those types of colors, more every year. I thought the brown ones were deficient or diseased in some way,
The small gene pool must be taking effect. Bagging is a wonderful idea, Thanks! (and thanks for the heads up on removing said bag...)

 

[ninnymary]

@LocoYokel, I love that privacy bean wall. It's amazing that they do that well in pots. I hadn't thought of being able to grow a whole wall of them in those.

@aftermidnight, I have 4 of those gauze bags about that size and 2 larger ones if you'd like them. I can send them to you.

Mary

 

[aftermidnight]

@ninnymary , thanks for the offer that was very thoughtful of you but I have more than I need, have several dozen, some have never been used.

Annette