2022 Little Easy Bean Network - We Are Beans Without Borders

[BeanWonderin]

Did you get my network bean return this week, @Bluejay77? I am hoping to get a good regrow of Blue Gold Star and Cappuccino Nano next season. I’m happy with how the others turned out, though. We enjoyed growing them!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Did you get my network bean return this week, @Bluejay77? I am hoping to get a good regrow of Blue Gold Star and Cappuccino Nano next season. I’m happy with how the others turned out, though. We enjoyed growing them!

I did get a couple of bean returns this week. Were you the one who returned the Striped Bunch? The person who returned Striped Bunch turned in very beautiful seed.

 

[BeanWonderin]

I did get a couple of bean returns this week. Were you the one who returned the Striped Bunch? The person who returned Striped Bunch turned in very beautiful seed.

Yes - that sounds like my return. Glad you received it! Just in time for Christmas, too. Too bad I didn't grow any Christmas Limas!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Yes - that sounds like my return. Glad you received it! Just in time for Christmas, too. Too bad I didn't grow any Christmas Limas!

There was in the package.

Bown Rice
Cappuccino
Cherokee Trail Of Tears
Evolutie
Fukuryu Chunaga
Label
Lucie
Marfax
Prince Purple
Striped Bunch
Sulphur
Globula
Mungungi

I used some of the Globula beans for a new photo on the Network beans. That was the prettiest Globula I think I've seen yet.

 

[BeanWonderin]

There was in the package.

Bown Rice
Cappuccino
Cherokee Trail Of Tears
Evolutie
Fukuryu Chunaga
Label
Lucie
Marfax
Prince Purple
Striped Bunch
Sulphur
Globula
Mungungi

I used some of the Globula beans for a new photo on the Network beans. That was the prettiest Globula I think I've seen yet.

Thank you. I love the Globula. Many pretty beans in that bunch. I'll post pictures soon.

 

[Zeedman]

There must be some way to get better visibility on your collection.

I wonder if the new owners of Victory Seeds might be interested if they understood what it is you are stewarding? They look like a young and vibrant family. Maybe they'd be willing to take it on, or help find someone that would.

@meadow , Victory already has much of my collection, apparently given to them by someone in Colorado who acquired seeds from me - then lost enthusiasm & gave up on them. Victory's soybean offerings have been steadily declining since. But if rather than browse the catalog, you do a search for "soybean" from the website, you will find all of their previous offerings - which were impressive. They even list many that I do not grow. Hopefully they still have stock for all of those, and could replenish their stocks if they chose to do so.

I & others have tried in years past to convince Victory to re-activate a dormant variety in their collection, without success. Perhaps new ownership might be more motivated? I'll have to try reaching out to them in the future... maybe they can begin a rotation, growing & re-offering a few varieties each year.

 

[reedy]

Alternatively, if your growing season is long enough, you could harvest snaps for a week or two, then let the rest go to seed. While that is contrary to the conventional wisdom of saving the earliest, it is one way to have your bean cake & eat it too. For bush beans, you could also succession plant several small rows rather than one large one, and let the first row go for seed.

I commonly harvest snaps from pole beans and then let more finish for dry beans. Even when I do that a few of the very first pods from several plants are left for seed, even before harvesting snaps. My priority in those we like both snap and dry, are seeds - snaps - dry. Of course, some are only for seed and dry. I don't think I grow any just for seed and snap.

 

[meadow]

Thank you. I love the Globula. Many pretty beans in that bunch. I'll post pictures soon.

Those ARE pretty beans!

 

[meadow]

But if rather than browse the catalog, you do a search for "soybean" from the website, you will find all of their previous offerings - which were impressive.

I would have never thought to search like that. WOW! They had a ton of soybeans! (I think that needs some more exclamations !!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!)

Hopefully the new ownership will be receptive! I wonder if the people that took over Kitazawa might be another one to try? Their name escapes me at the moment, but I think they may have a large network of growers/farmers to draw from.

 

[meadow]

I commonly harvest snaps from pole beans and then let more finish for dry beans. Even when I do that a few of the very first pods from several plants are left for seed, even before harvesting snaps. My priority in those we like both snap and dry, are seeds - snaps - dry. Of course, some are only for seed and dry. I don't think I grow any just for seed and snap.

I was thinking about what you'd written earlier...

A side benefit of the early pods for seed is that you're gently selecting for those plants that did well in the beginning of the season. That would be a trait that I'd like to encourage.