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

[flowerbug]

made it with this morning's planting of the last garden inside the fenced area. just started to sprinkle the last half hour, good thing i saved the easy planting for that row as it was all the bush fordhook lima beans. what takes me time is when i'm trenching and amending with the worm compost/worms. i had not done this for lima beans yet so it will be interesting to see if it makes any difference to them.

now it is time for a break, brunch and a shower. not sure what order i'll do those in. i guess a break is good for the moment as it feels good to lay here.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

That sometimes happens. In fact, for some of the smaller beans (like my rice beans) I'm not totally sure that some of them don't have the ability to be bush OR pole, depending on their environment. If this is possible it WOULD be a sort of evolutionary advantage (the ability to pick the form best suited to where the seed is growing)

The Ice Cream Sandwich beans are now planted outside, caged and banked.

 

[Ridgerunner]

@Ridgerunner are those good for snaps or shellies? i have a similar bean going to those here but the one i have has spots too. i also don't know if it is a bush or semi-runner yet. i'll find out this year if all goes well. i wasn't able to come up with a name for them but i asked Mom and she said Dominoes so that is my working title for these for the moment.

Dried beans only.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That sometimes happens. In fact, for some of the smaller beans (like my rice beans) I'm not totally sure that some of them don't have the ability to be bush OR pole, depending on their environment. If this is possible it WOULD be a sort of evolutionary advantage (the ability to pick the form best suited to where the seed is growing)

I'll plant it and see how repeatable this one is. It's my understanding that pole growth habit is dominant and bush is recessive but it's more complicated than that since you get half-runners and semi-runners. I'm sure there are many different genes that affect growth habit. And I may have it backwards. It will be fun to see what happens.

 

[ducks4you]

Hi Ducks,

My pole beans and semi runners that I plant will climb. Bush beans will stand up until they get heavy with pods then lean over a bit on their side. Then they will reorient their leaves to the sun.

Let us know how your 2012 beans grow. I've did a germination test on my 2012, 2013 and 2014 beans. When beans become 5 years old I think it's probably a good idea to test them. Maybe I should put all my results on another post.

Will do!

 

[flowerbug]

do you agree or disagree with this?

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2004794/anasazi-bean-confusion

specifically the comments about the 4 different types of growth habits?

"
Pole habit has climbing runners that typically grow 6 to 20 feet long.

Bush habit does not produce runners and typically produces plants less than 4 feet tall.

Sprawling habit produces runners up to 5 feet long but they do NOT climb.

Half-Runner habit is an intermediate type that produces climbing runners less than 6 feet long.
"

i was just checking out the anasazi bean descriptions to see if they were ok for shellies or not or only a dry bean...

 

[reedy]

@Ridgerunner, I'm also curious if the Karachaganak are good for snaps. I hope to find out but for network beans I save the first pods for seed. Once I'm sure I have return seed and some for me too I'll sample the rest. Unfortunately though, letting the first ones go to seed slows production. But, I have plenty of season and often once the seeds have been harvested they start producing again.

 

[reedy]

@flowerbug, I find descriptions of grow habit are generally unreliable. I'v grown a lot of beans, both pole and those described as 1/2 runner tend to be BIG vines in my garden. I have occasionally seen a bean that wants to vine but won't climb, I cull those out.

I never saw what I had wanted for a long time, a bean that does climb but only to 5 or so feet, until I found those that Russ describes as semi-runner. These solve the problem of muddy, moldy bush beans that are back breaking to pick and the problem of building big trellises for large pole types, I love em!

 

[Blue-Jay]

@Ridgerunner,

So far what I have of Karachaganack is a semi runner. They send out runners and climb about 3 feet maybe more. I'll have to see what they do this year. I'm going to start growing my semi runner beans in hog panels. I think that will keep them off the ground and give me more and much better quality seed. I have both the rounded and longer shaped seed. Now a true bush in that seed coat would be neat to have also. If they remain true through three grow outs they are considered stable. I wonder what you will wind up naming it. If I don't get any true bush ones without runners I would like to get some of your seed for the bush. Will see what happens as I do plan on growing it this year. Would be neat if the Bush one shows up here also. This year will be the third grow out of Karachaganack for me. Hope I don't get any off types except for a bush one. Perhaps I should only plant the rounded seed also.

 

[Ridgerunner]

@Ridgerunner, I'm also curious if the Karachaganak are good for snaps. I hope to find out but for network beans I save the first pods for seed. Once I'm sure I have return seed and some for me too I'll sample the rest. Unfortunately though, letting the first ones go to seed slows production. But, I have plenty of season and often once the seeds have been harvested they start producing again.

A little better description of what I've tried with Karachaganak for you and @flowerbug . I tried them as snaps, too stringy after cooking. Just horrible texture, you cannot chew them up. I have never tried them as shelley beans, where you harvest the immature seeds. The beans are a reasonable size, maybe they would work. I only use them as dried beans.