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

[Zeedman]

If there are weevils in your area and you are sharing bean seeds with others freezing is very important, so hitchhikers don't tag along. And if someone is kind of enough to give you legume seeds, popping them in the freezer for 3 days is a very good idea. (Ask me how I know!)

C'Mon, fess up! I wanna hear your tale of woe!

I think everyone who collects beans has had at least one encounter with buggy seed. For me, once from exchanged seed, TWICE with commercial seed (from two well-known heirloom seed sellers ). Fortunately, I always quarantine new seed, so the infestation was contained. I was only able to save one of the infected varieties... and it turned out to also be misidentified (the wrong species). I have not done business with that company since.

The commercial seed was most disturbing, since they could potentially infect many other people's seed stocks - or even permanently introduce the weevils to someone's garden. I informed the companies involved.

 

[ducks4you]

There are a Lot of new seed companies. I got on an email list of one of them, I clicked on a link to one of their gardening products, Then I read their reviews, which were AWFUL!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Chocolate - Bush Dry. Left Photo. This bean comes from a school gardening project in Belfast, Maine in 2012.

Coco Sophie - Pole Dry. Right Photo. 6-7 foot vines. Pods 4-5 inches long, flattened and straight to slightly curved. Flowers white. 5-6 white, egg-shaped seeds per pod. Dates to 1700's, probably from the U.S. east coast originally and refined in Germany and France.


Chocolate.............................................................Coco Sophie

 

[Branching Out]

I LOVE this stepping stone with the smooth stones in it!
View attachment 71070
Where did you find it? AND, the nasturtiums are lovely, too. Now, I am Sold on Lacy blue Phacelia flowers. If they spread Half as well as the purple columbine that some bird dropped as a seed and as spread around my front walk and steps, I could be well pleased.

I would suggest planting a few small patches of Phacelia the first year, so you can learn about its growth habit. At maturity each plant is rather large, so if you let it run rampant it can be a lot of work to remove come June (it can be a bit scratchy too). This stepping stone was made by my grandpa using beach pebbles about 50 years ago. I remember watching him work, as he patiently waited until the surface of the cement was just firm enough; then he would meticulously press in the stones one by one with his massive thumb. He really enjoyed making benches and stepping stones with cement, and they have lasted very well.

 

[ducks4you]

What a blessing!
I Know what you mean about removing plants, BUT, if I had had the energy, I would have had the turnips spreading Everywhere this last year!
Where they filled in was so helpful, like in between my tomato fencing.
I will start the Phacelia in my wildflower bed and in DD's weedfest, that is separated from the other lawn's by cement sidewalks. We were hoping that the mint would take off there but it hasn't really filled in, probably bc it isn't as sunny as where I have mint growing at my place.