2024 Little Easy Bean Network - Growing Heirloom Beans Of Today And Tomorrow

[Decoy1]

@Decoy1
I looked at the Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center website and it also shows Old Joe Clark seeds in various shades. I guess this bean is like that. Were all the ripe pods red?

Yes, SMAC seeds are exactly so. Were your seeds originally from SMAC?
I’m afraid I didn’t keep a close enough eye on the pod colour but I believe they were all red. They took me by surprise rather by drying down so early. I’ll be more aware this next year.

 

[Decoy1]

Someone else grew Freckles and they found outcrosses. Typical mottled pattern I wasn't crazy about them so I am now eating them in this most recent pot of bean stew I made a couple of days ago. I guess if you grew it again I could just replace the same number of the older seeds with new ones you grow. I don't know how many more outcrosses would be found in the current lot of Freckles. I wonder if even something more interesting would be found among them. Maybe not.


My grow out of Freckles produced seed all the same but with quite a lot more white than your original seed, but that often seems to be the case.

I wasn’t quite sure what you were saying about the instability which had occurred. But I’ll reckon to grow Freckles again from my saved seed and hope to send more back to you.

 

[Decoy1]

The original seed you sent, Russ, for comparison.

 

[flowerbug]

The original seed you sent, Russ, for comparison.

View attachment 63111

that looks like a normal variation due to different soil/climate conditions. i've seen that in several varieties (Money being one of them which looks a lot like the more heavier covered pattern and less white background). i have seen beans like Freckles in my garden grow outs of Money. i'm not sure of what crosses with what here though so it could have happened that Money did cross with something else. but it also being a larger bean i often had trouble getting it to finish or provide reliable good quality seeds so i've not grown it much in recent years.

 

[Blue-Jay]

@Bluejay77
Is Black Soldier one of Ernest B. Dana beans? It's on the list you made for me once. If so, will it ever be in your commercial or network catalog?

If I could ever acquire Black Soldier. Yes I think I would put it on my commercial catalog.

 

[Blue-Jay]

The original seed you sent, Russ, for comparison.

The seed I sent to you was grown here in 2014 and kept in the freezer all the time. It probably germinated like brand new seed. I had acquired it from a Canadian member of Seed Savers Exchange. Often times a bean with this pattern grown here doesn't display as much white but more red. What I am curious about what does your new seed look like now that you have grown it out.

 

[Ladyreneer]

Happiest of New Years to everyone!
I have a beautiful new-to-me bean kindly provided by Branching Out. Aren't these beautiful?! I can't hardly wait to grow these Ugandan Bantu beans.

 

[flowerbug]

Happiest of New Years to everyone!
I have a beautiful new-to-me bean kindly provided by Branching Out. Aren't these beautiful?! I can't hardly wait to grow these Ugandan Bantu beans.View attachment 63129

lovely for sure!

 

[Blue-Jay]

My grow out of Freckles produced seed all the same but with quite a lot more white than your original seed, but that often seems to be the case.

I wasn’t quite sure what you were saying about the instability which had occurred. But I’ll reckon to grow Freckles again from my saved seed and hope to send more back to you.

My Gosh those are beautiful ! I certainly wish my beans of those patterns could look that all the time

 

[heirloomgal]

Happiest of New Years to everyone!
I have a beautiful new-to-me bean kindly provided by Branching Out. Aren't these beautiful?! I can't hardly wait to grow these Ugandan Bantu beans.View attachment 63129

SO pretty!