2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[meadow]

Good thing I'm behind schedule this year. The green beans planted earlier look pitiful in all of this rain and cool weather. And still the rain keeps coming! At least the peas are loving it. The snap peas have cleared the top of the 7-foot trellis and are loaded with pods.

 

[Jack Holloway]

Good thing I'm behind schedule this year. The green beans planted earlier look pitiful in all of this rain and cool weather. And still the rain keeps coming! At least the peas are loving it. The snap peas have cleared the top of the 7-foot trellis and are loaded with pods.

I feel for you. I planted the Network beans in starter pots two days ago, haven given up on getting the ground ready. Fighting blackberries is going much slower than I ever thought it would go and the weather isn't cooperating at all. So, I'm going to grow in pots this year. Once they've come up, I'll move them to bigger pots. Only planted 6 seeds of each. Saving the rest for next year. I think I got the last of some of the seeds, so don't want to risk it all this year. I'll send every good seed I do get to Mr. Crow, and then more next year.

 

[flowerbug]

I feel for you. I planted the Network beans in starter pots two days ago, haven given up on getting the ground ready. Fighting blackberries is going much slower than I ever thought it would go and the weather isn't cooperating at all. So, I'm going to grow in pots this year. Once they've come up, I'll move them to bigger pots. Only planted 6 seeds of each. Saving the rest for next year. I think I got the last of some of the seeds, so don't want to risk it all this year. I'll send every good seed I do get to Mr. Crow, and then more next year.

the goal is always to send back the 60 seeds of good quality. some years with certain beans i may not get that many so i keep trying and i'll ask him if it is ok to wait to return the full amount or i can send partial amounts if the supply he has is really low so at least i'm replacing what he sent to me.

i also try to grow some of the rejects or mishapen beans or questionable beans to see if i can increase my supply - sometimes those come through well enough the next time around. it depends a lot upon how old the beans were that were sent to me and if they've had trouble germinating. might as well keep a few of the newer beans to try to grow again too.

once i have a good supply that i will keep regrowing i'll keep offering to send them if he needs them - i consider it a repayment for all the beans and efforts he makes plus it just helps him out to know he has a steady supply available if he gets low. since i'm sending a package anyways i might as well top it off with things he might need. i do ask.

 

[flowerbug]

today planted bulk beans and got about 2/3rds of the North Garden planted and watered, Lima beans, Yellow Eye (some that i noted were easier to shell out as i was going through the bags of pods so i set those beans aside and will continue to see how that goes), Purple Dove. i asked Mom what she wanted more of Lima beans or Yellow Eye and she said Purple Dove so while i did plant another double row of Lima and Yellow Eye i also planted a whole double row of Purple Dove. i don't think i'm going to get any more planting done today - i need to run an errand for her after i rest a bit more and get a shower.

 

[meadow]

I like your Mom! What a great answer! @flowerbug

 

[meadow]

Good thing I'm behind schedule this year. The green beans planted earlier look pitiful in all of this rain and cool weather. And still the rain keeps coming! At least the peas are loving it. The snap peas have cleared the top of the 7-foot trellis and are loaded with pods.

On a brighter note, the replacement seeds I direct-seeded are already up and looking good. I was worried that they would have rotted in all of this rain, but the good drainage of Garden #1 pulls through yet again! HA!

 

[meadow]

I feel for you. I planted the Network beans in starter pots two days ago, haven given up on getting the ground ready. Fighting blackberries is going much slower than I ever thought it would go and the weather isn't cooperating at all. So, I'm going to grow in pots this year. Once they've come up, I'll move them to bigger pots. Only planted 6 seeds of each. Saving the rest for next year. I think I got the last of some of the seeds, so don't want to risk it all this year. I'll send every good seed I do get to Mr. Crow, and then more next year.

Blackberries are no fun! The pots are a good idea. If Dutch Brown Bullet doesn't arrive soon, it will be going into a feed trough so that it can be brought under cover (if necessary) at the end of the season. I'd sure hate to risk losing the crop to rainy weather.

 

[heirloomgal]

What an interesting start to the season in terms of weather. First super hot then super cold, hot cold, and now rain every other day. I was sad to find that every Victoria Brown Eye seed (1/2 dozen) I put in was killed by bean seed flies, luckily all the plants that went in are great. That was one network bean from last year that I didn't get to keep many seeds of - very few - so I wanted to regrow it to have more. Bad year for those flies due to the combo of wet and cool. So happy that I managed to get the network bean seeds in - which were not many since most went in as plants - at a time when it was warm and dry so all seemed to sprout without any kind of trouble.

@Zeedman you're idea to have potted extras in a season is just pure genius. If I had the forethought to keep my extras instead of put them for people at the end of my driveway I could have filled some of the holes I think I'll have due to bean seed flies. I assumed too early that all would work out perfectly. The upside is I'll know for sure next year to keep some set aside.

 

[Blue-Jay]

@meadow

This is an email I got yesterday from Karen Yoerger (Dutch Bullet Bean Lady).

Hi, Russ,

I mailed the Dutch Bullet seeds that you requested to the Washington address this morning. They are estimated to arrive on Monday. I hope they do well for your grower and for you.

Thanks, and best wishes for your growing season!


Karen

 

[meadow]

Thank you for the update, @Bluejay77 !!