2020 Little Easy Bean Network - An Exciting Adventure In Heirloom Beans !

[Zeedman]

i only have the date 2008 on those. i'm not sure if that was the year they were grown or the year they were acquired - they are not a bean i have grown before. we will see what happens. i hope they turn out well as i do like the shape and colors/pattern of them and if they are a wax bean that's even better.

2008 is the year they were grown. SSE had listed them as a runner bean, probably due to the bright purple on portions of the seed coat, and the smooth glossy appearance of the seed. It turned out to be a wax bean, not a runner bean. I informed SSE of their error, and the variety was reclassified. As a wax bean, I found it unremarkable... but it was not grown in the best location, which may have influenced that performance. It just left such a negative impression that it got pushed aside every year for other things, and I never regrew it. In retrospect that is too bad, because one of my projects is collecting pole wax beans with unusual seed coats (colors other than white or brown). Who knows, if I ever get caught up on my seed grow outs, I might even try it again some day... it is very unusual.

 

[Blue-Jay]

@Zeedman,

Thank you for the info on the bean I got from flowerbug. I've got them in the freezer now and might be able to give them a grow out next year. I took a few of the seed to see if and well they might germinate. It will take a few days to get the results.

 

[Artorius]

Black Good Mother Stallard is a half runner or pole bean? What height does the plant grow to?
I want to grow it this year, but I have divergent informations.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Black Good Mother Stallard is a half runner or pole bean? What height does the plant grow to?
I want to grow it this year, but I have divergent informations.

So far I have grown Black Good Mother Stallard one time. I think It climbed to not quite two meters high. I can't remember if it grew much further than that. Might be considered more of a half runner. When I grow it again I will still support it's growth like I do all other pole beans.

 

[Blue-Jay]

@Zeedman,

Got the Solwezi beans in the mail yesterday. Many Thank You's. Wow ! such a big sample. Will be able to deal it out to many growers if a bunch should happen to request it all at once.

In another note The Bean Collectors Window website is down for a little while. I canceled my Godaddy web hosting. Going to move the site to another website hosting service. Might be a couple of days before my site is back up again.

 

[cigarstoreindian]

Hi @Bluejay,
I saw your list with the request to grow some beans out and I would be happy to help you out since I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of Heirloom beans and just cleared a ton of land to expand the garden. I picked these below and would happily send you 60+ seeds of each. Please send me a PM with follow-up, you also have my email address and I sent you a new mail this morning with a request as well.
Imbotyi Imswi
Corn Planter Purple
Bird Egg #3
Red Marbles
Any Lima beans
Something else of your choice (2) you need help with

 

[flowerbug]

2008 is the year they were grown. SSE had listed them as a runner bean, probably due to the bright purple on portions of the seed coat, and the smooth glossy appearance of the seed. It turned out to be a wax bean, not a runner bean. I informed SSE of their error, and the variety was reclassified. As a wax bean, I found it unremarkable... but it was not grown in the best location, which may have influenced that performance. It just left such a negative impression that it got pushed aside every year for other things, and I never regrew it. In retrospect that is too bad, because one of my projects is collecting pole wax beans with unusual seed coats (colors other than white or brown). Who knows, if I ever get caught up on my seed grow outs, I might even try it again some day... it is very unusual.

i made sure when i selected the seeds to give away i tried to pick a good mix of colors and those seeds which had the most patterns of the white to them so that it should be a good starting point for working forwards (in several directions if someone wanted). i also packed those sample cups full that i gave away and also have a few left here that i will use for my own attempts. someplace in all of this i think there is a good chance we'll see some interesting results or perhaps out crosses.

 

[flowerbug]

...
In another note The Bean Collectors Window website is down for a little while. I canceled my Godaddy web hosting. Going to move the site to another website hosting service. Might be a couple of days before my site is back up again.

i hope the move goes easily for you @Bluejay77

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm waiting on phone calls and emails so I'll go through what I've planted so far. Yeah, it's that time down here.

First up is Voodoo Black, I found a segregation in my Bluejay bush beans a few years back so I planted them. I got three segregations from them, one a black bean with purple tones that I called Voodoo. It was a pole bean and I got about a quart of dried beans off of that one plant. I planted it again last year an got two segregations. One was a white bean and the other was this. This looks a little different than the original Voodoo so I'm calling it Voodoo Black to see i f it stabilizes. I'm not that crazy about another black bean but with that productivity I want to see where this one goes.

All the rest today are from the Will Bonsall outcrosses I got from Russ a few years back. I call this one TT-A as a working name. It started ith WB #27, became Raspberry Ripple, then became Tallulah's Treasure. When I planted it last year I got three more segregations. Every time I've planted it it has always segregated and has never looked like the bean I planted. It is generally fairly productive and in the past has been a snap bean.

My only other pole bean so far started with WB#39. I called it Jas. I've grown it three times previously and it has always been stable. If it is still stable I plan to offer it to Russ for his network beans collection. This one has produced reverses a couple of times. It's even produced reverse pods. The pods are typically green with purple stripes but a few pods were purple with green stripes.

Now the bush beans, all from Will Bonsall beans.

Another black bean, Banzala is a fairly large bean. I've grown it twice before and it has always been stable.

Same with Valley View, third time growing it.

It will be my second time growing Aksai. When fresh it was a porcelain white. I thought it was more interesting than attractive but after it dried it looks better.

Lastly Cock 'N Bull. When it was fresh it was more of a pink but it has dried a nice shade of red.

That's the only "network" beans I have in the ground so far. I still have three raised beds to plant but right now they have greens that we are eating. When the heat hits, which wont be long, those beds will get cleaned out and planted in beans.

 

[Artorius]

Ridgerunner, what happens to Tartan bean? I like it very much and I'm curious if you have stabilized it.
I will plant your Karachaganak this year. I will see how this bean will grow in my swamp.