2019 Little Easy Bean Network - Come And Reawaken The Thrill Of Discovery

[flowerbug]

sorted list of most of what i planted this year:

Adam's Family 6 Weeks (pole, snap) (N)
Anasazi (pole) (N)
Blaugraue (pole, dry) (N)
Bomba (bush, dry) (N)
Conserva (bush, snap) (N)
Cranberry (bush, dry, shellies) (O)
Cranberry Spritz (?) (P)
Dapple Grey (bush, dry) (N)
Dark Beans from mix (bush, snap) (O)
Dominoes (?) (P)
Early Warwick (bush, dry) (N)
Fisher (bush, dry) (N)
Flossie Powell Lima (pole) (N)
Fordhook Lima (bush) (G)
Fortex (pole) (S)
Fort Portal Jade (semi, dry) (N)
Golden Spot (bush?, dry?) (P)
Green Savage (pole, snap) (N)
Grey Pink Pinto (bush?, dry?) (P)
Hidatsa Shield (semi, dry) (N)
Improved Golden Wax (bush, wax) (N)
Kahnawake Mohawk Pole (pole) (S)
Lemon Slice (?) (P)
Monk's Beard (pole) (S)
Monster (bush?, dry?) (P)
Orange Spotted Yellow Eye (bush?, dry?) (P)
Ottis Stuart (pole, snap) (N)
Pale Big from mix (bush, snap) (O)
Purple Dove (bush, snap, dry) (N)
Purple Pod (pole, dry) (S)
Reddish Pere (bush?, dry?) (P)
Red Lima (pole) (N)
Small Light Yellow Eye (bush?, dry?) (P)
Solid Long Red, Brown, Tan from mix (bush, snap) (O)
Spotted Half (brown red black) (semi?,dry?,early?) (P)
Spotted One Line (bush?, wax?) (P)
Spotted Tan/Brown (?) (P)
Sunset (bush?, dry?) (P)
TN Big Seed (bush?, wax?) (P)
TN Mostly White (bush?, wax?) (P)
Top Notch (bush, wax) (G)
Victoria Brown Eyes (bush, snap) (N)
White Big from mix (bush, snap) (O)
White Long from mix (bush, snap) (O)
White Refugee (bush, wax) (N)
White Round from mix (bush, snap) (O)
Yed (bush?, dry?) (P)
Yellow Eye 1 (semi?,dry?,early?) (P)

 

[BeanQueen]

Last year I grew Fort Portal Jade for the first time and only got two seeds from two packets to germinate--never had such low %. Others said they experienced the same from Baker Creek seeds, too. I saved my seed last year and presprouted this year. Only one did not germinate, but we'll see how everything fairs with this rain.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I think part of the problem is that Fort Portal Jade, being Ugandan, had some trouble adapting to US climates. I remember getting only one to germinate back when I got my packet from Ricter's Herbs (before Baker Creek got them)*. It is also possible that, if Baker Creek got their seed direct from Joe Simcox, it was old/not well preserved (I had a lot of trouble with ALL seed zoo seeds Ricter's offered. I always assumed it was Ricter's fault, but I could have been wrong.) We are now growing the descendants of the survivors of those original samples so germination is better.

*Technically two, as there was the off color purple seed I ended up growing with my Bantu beans (which subsequently all came back purple, so I can't tell one from the other.)

 

[flowerbug]

Last year I grew Fort Portal Jade for the first time and only got two seeds from two packets to germinate--never had such low %. Others said they experienced the same from Baker Creek seeds, too. I saved my seed last year and presprouted this year. Only one did not germinate, but we'll see how everything fairs with this rain.

i don't know how they did this year yet, i think ok. i mixed some of last year's crop of seeds with a few of the packet that i had left over from before. the learning for me was that last year i expected them to hold up to the heat better being from Africa, but then learned that they are a cooler season preference bean so they weren't super productive in our clay/heat/climate. i also expected them to climb a little but they were overgrown by everything around them so i only had a few spindly plants putting on flowers once in a while and then pods. none of the beans i harvested looked like the ones i planted. oddly shaped. we'll see what happens this year. ... t.b.c.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

the learning for me was that last year i expected them to hold up to the heat better being from Africa, but then learned that they are a cooler season preference bean so they weren't super productive in our clay/heat/climate.

Fort Portal is nearly on the Equator yes, but it is something like 5000+ feet in elevation. That makes the area very cool.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Baker Creek got their start of Fort Portal Jade from me. I sold them about 6 pounds as I had a huge crop of them in 2015. Baker Creek I assume has gotten all their seed stock from everything they have multiplied up from what I sold them. The beans has done very well for me every time I've planted it.

Joseph Simcox originally aranged for a shipment of Fort Portal Jade when he discovered and named the bean for Ritchers in Canada. However I believe that has been a very long time ago. When Ritchers Seeds sold them out they never got anymore of the beans again. I got mine from Jaanes Aalders in the Netherlands. I think he bought them from Ritchers when they were still available.

 

[flowerbug]

Baker Creek got their start of Fort Portal Jade from me. I sold them about 6 pounds as I had a huge crop of them in 2015. Baker Creek I assume has gotten all their seed stock from everything they have multiplied up from what I sold them. The beans has done very well for me every time I've planted it.

Joseph Simcox originally aranged for a shipment of Fort Portal Jade when he discovered and named the bean for Ritchers in Canada. However I believe that has been a very long time ago. When Ritchers Seeds sold them out they never got anymore of the beans again. I got mine from Jaanes Aalders in the Netherlands. I think he bought them from Ritchers when they were still available.

i'll be interested to see how they do here their 2nd season.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I actually feel a little guilty about Fort Portal Jade. If I hadn't written them that message when I got my packet from Richter's and noticed some off color beans, they wouldn't have refined the packets to ONLY have green ones. Then we'd still have the Purple ones (as I said, I might have them, but as they are mixed in with the purple Bantu beans I have no way of separating them again) and the Blue ones (I had a blue seed, but lost it before I got a chance to plant it.)

 

[BeanQueen]

French Pole Beans starting to send out vines

 

[BeanQueen]

Mbombo Green pot