2021 Little Easy Bean Network - Bean Lovers Come Discover Something New !

[Artorius]

Of course, I have grown the Cornplanter Purple last year. I haven't got used to the new one yet.

 

[heirloomgal]

@Zeedman My dog was attacked inside our carport when I tied him out one evening this December. He is not large, and has a very docile and gentle disposition. His only understanding of small furry animals is his friend, our guinea pig, who is in an open enclosure, so they visit daily together. The stoat was being territorial in our carport/front yard partly because we have a room built in there where we keep our household waste until garbage day. It has a hook and eye closure so the fit leaves a gap, and the mice get in there if they are around. There are also a couple recycle bins with empty food containers in this space - another location mice gravitate to. So for the stoat this is a high value area, and my dog is inexperienced with small animals that might want to do him harm. He may have approached him at first, anticipating a friendly response, and in return the stoat really bloodied up his muzzle. Even I was surprised at the boldness of it given their size differences. My dog for the next month would become very afraid when he picked up the stoat's scent in the yard, and want to leave right away.

I've always been of the understanding that the weasel family is elusive and seldom seen, but in the past decade this has not been my experience of them. When one moves in, they stake a territorial claim and proceed to kill everything, and I mean everything, edible within a two or three month stretch. They've killed things right in front of me while working in the garden in broad daylight, in the middle of the afternoon. They look cute as anything, but ferocious predators they are. When they vacate the yard, there is not a squirrel, chipmunk or rabbit to be seen for a long, long time. This, even though we have a towering pine tree that hosts thousands of pine cones which has always been a draw. When the stoat is gone, it's complete silence! Total depopulation.

In this regard, I guess it's fair to say I live in an area (Northern Ontario) that has a large share of predatory animals, the most aggressive being the stoat. We have had several foxes appear regularly, occasionally with a rabbit in its mouth or chasing one down. Both of these help me to be critter free almost entirely. I've never had meaningful losses to animals. Those Agate beans were the first more serious casualty, but I still collected a jar full. The only other animal of note I deal with regularly in the garden are bears; they don't hunt, but they also don't bother my garden much. They squash things, and occasionally dig up a potted tomato plant but nothing more. I will say though that bears seem uniquely drawn to bean planting - for years there was hardly a bean planting session where a bear did not quite soundlessly arrive as I knelt on the ground. I could count on it like clockwork in late Spring early summer, and I eventually became aware of even the slightest whisper of a twig breaking in the distance. It was certainly strange. Not implausible I guess since in spring/early summer bears are daily visitors, but the timing was uncanny.

 

[heirloomgal]

But I only tried one variety of fava, and it was 25 years ago... I've learned a lot since then. Maybe they are worth another try. I'll talk to SSE's garden staff, since their climate is similar to mine, and they might be able to make recommendations. It frustrates me when there is a bean I can't grow, and I'd love to knock favas off my "won't grow here" list.

I tried Crimson Flowered fava beans as it is a decorative nitrogen fixer And it was a very pretty flowering plant. It could easily go into a flower bed I think, as it continues to flower if you don't nip it. From a mere ten plants I harvested a near full 375 ml jar full of seeds. I like that the beans tell you with blackened pods that they are mature, and that frost is not a concern for them either. I'm so curious to know why it grew well, since by all logic, it shouldn't have. Maybe because I put it in a part shade position. I wonder if that variety is a tiny bit more heat resistant?

 

[heirloomgal]

In Poland, the cultivation of favas is very popular. We have many nice varieties adapted to the climate of my country. I don't grow it because I prefer beans, but I have a lot of friends who do it. They plant seedlings at the end of February, and transplant it into the ground in March, when the threat of severe frost has passed. Of course, in plantations, seeds are sown directly into the soil. Mostly at the end of March.

Does this mean that Poland has cooler summers, generally?

 

[heirloomgal]

I have a good day today. I have received two parcels. Beans from the USA and tomatoes from Russia. I feel like a bridge between East and West.

I collect heirloom beans, but I collect all kinds of other heirloom seeds as well. Tomatoes were my first visit to the heirloom asylum SO many amazing Russian tomatoes out there I think they are truly some of the best in the world!

 

[Artorius]

Does this mean that Poland has cooler summers, generally?

In Poland, normal summer temperatures are around 25 C (77 F), but for the last few years summer has been quite hot. Temperatures above 30 C (86 F), something terrible.
Fresh, green fava bean seeds are on sale from June. Cooked and covered with garlic butter, they are a great snack for me.
If you would like to try some Polish varieties I will send you samples. Just give me the address on priv.

 

[Artorius]

Tomatoes were my first visit to the heirloom asylum SO many amazing Russian tomatoes out there I think they are truly some of the best in the world!

They are also more resistant to cold, especially Siberian selections. Most of them are also resistant to gardeners.

 

[flowerbug]

a normal summer temperatures of 77F would be great! those are late spring and early fall temperatures here. mid-summer tends to hang in there between 85-95F most of the time with a few days that can get up to over 100F, but thankfully not too many days of that.

 

[heirloomgal]

They are also more resistant to cold, especially Siberian selections. Most of them are also resistant to gardeners.

@Artorius ! Gordost Sibiri, Sibirskiy Surpriz, Shapka Monomakha, Sibirskiy Gigant, Moskvich, Olga's Yellow Chicken! C'mon!

 

[heirloomgal]

Ummm... a dim-witted question, but - how do you 'pm' someone on here?

On a sidenote - this is the Tarahumara Purple Star bean I planted a couple days ago:

I guess this means it's not a runner bean, right? @Bluejay77 I see a bean in your 'window' called 'Nigel', do you think there is a possible relation between this one and that bean? 'Nigel' is a P. vulgaris right?