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

[flowerbug]

Hard to tell with no scale... are those fairly large beans? And is this perhaps the same bean being offered by SSE as "Stevenson's Black"? The Yearbook description seems to match.

i've had that color show up in some Orca/Yin Yang grow outs, i've also had browns and olive colors show up at times. the one color that is not common so far for me is red. i have some red and red brown colors from this past season but they are not repeats yet to know if they have a chance of being stable.

O/YY has never been super productive here so i no longer grow them. Yellow Eye has done better and i am working with that to improve how easy it is to shell out. those pods are pretty difficult so even a slight difference is better. as noted in the seed saving thread though i don't want to go as far as too much shatter. however, too much development of the pod is a waste of energy for a plant so if i can direct the pods to a lighter thickness then that makes life easier when shelling.

 

[HmooseK]

@Zeedman


Mike Dutton from Victory Seed Company returned my email about Ralph’s Italian Heirloom. If there is enough interest they will do a grow out. I’ve been on the waitlist since 2018. If anyone is interested, I’d urge you to join the waitlist.

Ralph's Italian Heirloom Bean Seeds - Heirloom, Open-Pollinated, non-Hybrid Victory Seeds®

www.victoryseeds.com

 

[Zeedman]

@Zeedman


Mike Dutton from Victory Seed Company returned my email about Ralph’s Italian Heirloom. If there is enough interest they will do a grow out. I’ve been on the waitlist since 2018. If anyone is interested, I’d urge you to join the waitlist.

Ralph's Italian Heirloom Bean Seeds - Heirloom, Open-Pollinated, non-Hybrid Victory Seeds®

www.victoryseeds.com

I had gone back over the GW thread, to follow up on whether anything had changed. Ralph's doesn't show up on Victory's bean listings... but as you noticed, it does appear if you do a search from their website. "Out of stock until at least 2023"??? It doesn't take that long to grow a bean crop, unless no effort is being made to do so. You (and I believe others from that GW thread) already signed up a couple years ago, I don't know what they are waiting for. I like & respect Victory Seeds, but a variety hovering on the verge of extinction - with gardeners actively seeking it - should be given a higher priority.

 

[flowerbug]

I had gone back over the GW thread, to follow up on whether anything had changed. Ralph's doesn't show up on Victory's bean listings... but as you noticed, it does appear if you do a search from their website. "Out of stock until at least 2023"??? It doesn't take that long to grow a bean crop, unless no effort is being made to do so. You (and I believe others from that GW thread) already signed up a couple years ago, I don't know what they are waiting for. I like & respect Victory Seeds, but a variety hovering on the verge of extinction - with gardeners actively seeking it - should be given a higher priority.

maybe they forgot or couldn't find a grower, or worse would be if they sent seed to grow out and the person had a crop failure or some other issue. i have no idea how most seed companies actually manage to get by anyways. i do know that it's at times pretty tough to keep certain seeds growing regularly.

 

[HmooseK]

@Zeedman
I’d order several pkgs if they’d do a grow out, just to get fresh seed back in my possession.

 

[Zeedman]

maybe they forgot or couldn't find a grower, or worse would be if they sent seed to grow out and the person had a crop failure or some other issue. i have no idea how most seed companies actually manage to get by anyways. i do know that it's at times pretty tough to keep certain seeds growing regularly.

Yes, I suppose crop failure is a possibility, especially given how erratic my own bean production has been in recent years. If I wasn't so far behind in my own grow outs, I would offer to grow a seed crop of Ralph’s Italian for Victory, as a backup to their efforts.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Bluejay77's Big Bean Show
Day 30- The Beans I Grew This Summer​

Wanamingo - Bush Snap

Flattened kidney shaped seed black and white with a diagonal blend line through the middle of the seed. Similar to Magpie. A Robert Lobitz named and introduced variety about 20 years ago.


White Hawk - Bush Dry

First Dry pods in about 80 days. Productive with solid white, slightly kidney shaped beans. This variety produced a very nice quality of seed this summer. A Robert Lobitz named and yearbook introduced bean.


Wanamingo


White Hawk


White Robin - Bush Dry

Productive plants produce seeds that are large elongated white with a large light red almost reddish pink patch around the eye. Part of the Robert Lobitz legacy of beans.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Yes, I suppose crop failure is a possibility, especially given how erratic my own bean production has been in recent years. If I wasn't so far behind in my own grow outs, I would offer to grow a seed crop of Ralph’s Italian for Victory, as a backup to their efforts.

There also sometimes seems to be a problem with consistency. With the sheer number of different strains out there, it can be hard to keep track of what you have, and labeling mistakes can creep in very easily. For example I remember when I was getting Navajo Robins' Egg corn, if I ordered it from Sandhill, I got a TOTALLY different corn than the version I had originally gotten from some company in Canada. And now that Native Seeds has it, that is a THIRD different version (though closer to the Canada one)

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I may have gotten some new, interesting beans today.

I just received a large order of mixed tropical seeds for jewelry (though many are still viable, and I may plant them). And mixed in among them were a few common beans (as well as a few lablabs). I have put them away, and will try them in the spring.

 

[Zeedman]

2021 soybeans, continued:


GL 2216-84, from the USDA/ARS 2006, collected in North Korea. Short, very stout plants (under 12") that never lodge. Dull yellowish-green seeds (the color is not accurately shown in the photo), 90 days dry. Exceptionally high dry protein content, over 57%... nutritious, but just OK as edamame. The USDA lists it as low yielding in the field, but GL 2216-84 demonstrated that it has a higher yield potential in garden culture. Had poor germination (under about 10%) but still yielded 17 ounces of seed from a double 10' row.


Grande, from the estate of Robert Lobitz 2006, developed by the University of Minnesots. Medium-early, tall 36-40" plants that can benefit from support. The 2015 seed had outstanding germination, and needed some thinning. This is normally a high-yielding variety, with large seeds that can be used as edamame... but a chipmunk ravaged them, and harvested nearly everything before the pods dried. Only the pods which stuck out above the foliage remained, 4 ounces of seed. One of my biggest disappointments, given that the initial pod set was heavy & I expected about 2 pounds of seed.


Hokkaido Black, from Peace Seeds 2013. Mid-season, 16-20" plants. Large, semi-glossy, all-black seeds that according to the source, produce a lavender tofu (I've yet to try that). 2013 seed germination tested at about 50%, but fared far worse in the garden. Less than 10% germinated, and many of those late (perhaps due to heavy rains). This is not a heavy yielder even widely spaced, and seldom has more than 2 seeds per pod... but the surviving plants produced 8 ounces of seed. Not enough this year to try the tofu.