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

[Branching Out]

These hot pink pods of Jimenez pole beans catch my eye each time I am in the garden. I just love them and hope to get a lot of seed from them, but while I'm meticulous about keeping Network beans well isolated from others I am clearly not doing a great job of segregating my other seed crops. For example these Jimenez are growing on cattle panels alongside five other varieties of pole beans, and I am so wishing that I had isolated these plants. I also managed to plant Rattlesnake and Louisiana Pole side by side, and they each produce green pods with purple streaks that look almost identical. Heavy sigh. I have never been good at garden planning, and it is coming back to haunt me. In future I hope to do a better job of separating all cultivars that are intended for seed saving, maybe by growing fewer varieties each year and planting patches of other species like peas, sweet peas, or runner beans in between the pole bean cultivars.

But-- live and learn. Here is a beautiful patch of pole beans growing in a large raised planter. These beans start out on bamboo poles, and then continue to climb along a metal railing at the top. The foliage is gorgeous! (Note the Red Kaoliang Sorghum growing in front of the pole beans. I had planted the sorghum to act as support for the beans, but it was not a good match as the sorghum only grew 4' tall).

The last photo shows a Scarlet Runner plant twining up a string towards our living room window. Hummingbirds and bumble bees are constantly visiting the blossoms.

 

[Blue-Jay]

while I'm meticulous about keeping Network beans well isolated from others I am clearly not doing a great job of segregating my other seed crops. For example these Jimenez are growing on cattle panels alongside five other varieties of pole beans, and I am so wishing that I had isolated these plants. I also managed to plant Rattlesnake and Louisiana Pole side by side,

Planting your Louisiana and Rattlesnake is like planting two or three white seeded varieties right next to each other. Those two beans in pod and seed are I would say are nearly exactly the same. Anyway I couldn't tell them apart if the seed was mixed. Have you checked your Rattlesnake and Louisiana plants to make sure they haven't sent runners into each others growth. Otherwise your seed is likely to be mixed. I had grown two varieties that had the same seed but very far apart one season. However when I was harvesting seed I dumped one days harvest worth of seed into the other. So what I felt I had to do was the mixed seed was now just bean soup material. I couldn't give it out. I did manage to harvest some seed of those two varieties but not what I would have had, had I not accidentally mingled the seed.

I plant pole beans on poles 4 feet apart and when the growth starts becoming mature. I'm on the watch daily for beans trying to grow over to it's neighbors pole. I trim those runners off or sometimes train them back into their own vines.

Is Louisiana and Rattlesnake beans Network beans for returning this year?

 

[Branching Out]

Is Louisiana and Rattlesnake beans Network beans for returning this year?

Nope-- and thankfully my Network beans are well positioned away from others so they should produce true seed. I planted a second patch of Rattlesnake all by itself in a neighbouring garden so I will be able to confidently save seed from those plants-- but the Louisiana were just grown in the one spot, so I won't trust those seeds for sharing with others as they may well have fraternized with the adjacent pole beans. I received that one from you as a bonus bean Blue Jay-- thank you-- and good thing I still have some of your Louisiana Pole bean seeds in the packet for next year.

 

[Blue-Jay]

I have a fellow in Iowa growing pole beans for me this year. I sent him about 35 varieties that I was running low on. I'm having him grow another snap bean that I got from him last year. Below is a photo of it's pods drying. He will be harvesting some of the dry pods this weekend. I will purchase the seed crops of all the beans from him. In November he is going to bring all the dry pods of all the varieties and we will have a shelling fest at my house. So I still get the feel of shelling this years bean crop even though I didn't grow them myself. I recently drove to his place in Iowa to see the grow out of the beans. Most of them look great.


Connecticut Wonder - Pole Snap

 

[heirloomgal]

It went to 5C/41F last night! I hope that was a random, freakish event.....utterly shocking. Thankfully nothing was harmed in the garden. Mini Ice Age approaching?!

Found a really attractive cross in the Stevenson's Black Eye semi-runner beans this evening. I like it so much I'm going to put it aside for future grow outs to see what I get!

The real one did make seeds as well.

The Youdou #1 bean is finally starting to live up to the 'Youdou' title. Not near as big as last year's Youdou #2, but is still a good size.

First dried pods of Monachello di Esino Lario from Lecco, Lombardy, Italy.

Greek Multicolor pole bean- 1st dried pod! Just one, but it was still a thrill to open!

 

[flowerbug]

...
Greek Multicolor pole bean- 1st dried pod! Just one, but it was still a thrill to open!
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beautiful!

those look a lot like the beans i found here a few years ago in the mix, i called them watermelon beans in my head because they looked like watermelon seeds. yours are bigger, but when dried down i don't know.

 

[heirloomgal]

beautiful!

those look a lot like the beans i found here a few years ago in the mix, i called them watermelon beans in my head because they looked like watermelon seeds. yours are bigger, but when dried down i don't know.

Those beans are fully dried up.

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

Interesting bean collections. I had no idea there were so many beans. Any navy beans or black beans in the collection?

 

[Blue-Jay]

Interesting bean collections. I had no idea there were so many beans. Any navy beans or black beans in the collection?

I have several black beans in my collection. Crow River Black, Black Hawk, Black Coco, Black Horse. These are all dry bush types. I have several Navy type beans developed by Robert Lobitz. Eden Lake Pearls, Eagle Island White, Koronis White Oaks, And Bonanza Valley Navy. All of these white beans are also bush types.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Summer Bean Show 2024 Vol. #20

The South American Limas just are spactacular with their color and designs. I also like very much Bean #50. I believe it's a P. Vulgaris with a looks like a gun metal blue and a white stripe emanating from the eye.



Bean #45................................................................Bean #46


Bean #47


Bean #48


Bean #49................................................................Bean #50