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

[Blue-Jay]

Cliff Dweller - Pole Lima. Left Photo. The name would suggest that the bean may have been grown by the Cliff Dwelling people of the southwest U.S. Otherwise I can not find any history of this bean. Sent to me in 2019 by a man who had a lima collection while he lived in Iowa. This years grower is from Mediapolis, Iowa

Lois Archer - Pole Lima - Right Photo. Another lima that I can not find any history. The name to me would suggest a woman's name of Lois Archer who may have grown this bean for a good part of her life. Otherwise not know history of this lima bean. Send to me in 2019 by a man who had a lima collection while he lived in Iowa. This years grower is from Albion, Indiana.


Cliff Dweller..............................................................Lois Archer

 

[Neen5MI]

I see the curse has been lifted from the Frost bean .
I also got some good seeds this year. Unfortunately, only a small handful. The plants were badly damaged by the storm, took a long time to recover and only a few pods managed to fully ripen. This was my third attempt at growing Frost and I am making progress

I'm the Michigan grower of Frost this year. I had no trouble with germination, vigor, weather, or pest damage, but it does require a noticeably longer season than most beans I grew. I was able to plant at least 2 weeks earlier than most years, in a very uncharacteristic spring. And still I doubted the beans would mature before cold weather arrived. Desoto, Wisconsin, the location of the other grower, is about the same latitude as me. I wonder what their experience was regarding time to maturity.

 

[flowerbug]

I'm the Michigan grower of Frost this year. I had no trouble with germination, vigor, weather, or pest damage, but it does require a noticeably longer season than most beans I grew. I was able to plant at least 2 weeks earlier than most years, in a very uncharacteristic spring. And still I doubted the beans would mature before cold weather arrived. Desoto, Wisconsin, the location of the other grower, is about the same latitude as me. I wonder what their experience was regarding time to maturity.

we did have an extended season here too (in mid-Michigan) and that helped my own harvest results as i got a bumper crop from the beans i planted last.

 

[flowerbug]

sorting beans...

 

[heirloomgal]

@heirloomgal
Did you find out which region of Germany Braune Tereza comes from? In my notes I only wrote in general - Germany. I would like to have more information about the origin of this bean.

No, but I was sent a link to that seed co-operative in Germany where they're calling it a 'regional' variety. Maybe that means local to those particular growers in that area? Now, where are they though? It's possible too that google translate gives me the word 'local' but it might not be a good translation?

 

[Blue-Jay]

Blue Spitball - Pole Dry - I was at the 2019 Appalachian Seed in Pikeville, Kentucky. After the swap all of us vendors met in the hotel lobby that we were staying at to socialize. Joseph Simcox was there that year and he brought a bag of beans that a lot of people were picking seed out of. I didn't pick any seed out of Joe's bag. About a year later I find out that the bean that a lot of vendors were picking and growing was this Blue Spitball. Joesph's brother Patrick was the peron who coined the name for this bean. In 2020 I acquired a seed sample from one of the vendors that was from Catasauqua, Pensylvania. The bean is productive with lots of 4 inch (10 cm) pods and the bean always seemed stable so I doubt the bean was a cross. This years growers are from Freiburg, Germany and Sudbury, Ontario.

Batumi Georgia #4 - Pole Dry. This bean was brought back to the U.S. from the country of Georgia by Joseph Simcox. World traveler and collector of rare seeds and plants. I don't think this is the actual name of the bean but was probably found in the area near Batumi, Georgia. I don't know how productive the bean is but I would bet that it produces a good amount of seed as do most varieties of beans. This years grower is from Freiburg, Germany.


Blue Spitball............................................................Batumi Georgia #4

 

[Blue-Jay]

Louisiana - Pole Snap - Left Photo. I have grown this bean as far back as 1979. It's been one of my favorites since. I have gotten small amount of snap pods to pick as early as 62 days. The real harvest starts at about 75 days. Green round pods with purple streaks. I pick these up to about 7 inches long (18 cm). I have listed this bean so far in the SSE yearbook 19 times. This years grower is from Blyth, Ontario

Lucie - Pole Dry - Right Photo. I don't know about this beans history. It's very productive of beautiful seed. I got the bean from a grower in Drevhostic, Czech Republic in 2020. This years grower is from Indianapolis, Indiana.


Louisiana................................................................Lucie

 

[Blue-Jay]

Menenga - Bush. Left Photo. Maybe a snap bean. This years grow out was the first since I acquired the bean in a 30 pound (13.6 Kilos) bag of beans that Joeph Simcox collected in many places. I believe this is an African variety from Kenya. This years grower is from DeSoto, Wisconsin.

Milk And Cider - Pole Dry - Right Photo. My spreadsheet has this bean marked as a snpa bean for fresh eating. I acquired this bean from a grower in Claiborne County Tennessee in 2012. This possibly could be an Appalachian variety. This years grower is from DeSoto, Wisconsin.


Menenga................................................................Milk And Cider

 

[heirloomgal]

Louisiana, which I got from you @Blue-Jay is one of my favourite beans too! It did amazing in my climate despite the southern origins.

A little more network bean shipping update; I went to the post office yesterday and spoke with the postal woman. This is a lady I deal with a lot and is my most trusted counter person when I ship seeds, there are many who aren't as knowledgeable and she's helped me a lot over the years. She told me that for right now there is no sense in bringing parcels to mail as the backlog is in the millions nationwide. It will only sit on a storage palette if it goes in now, better to wait until January when things start to flow. So, if that's okay with you @Bluejay I'm thinking to wait. I'd rather have it put in the system when things are actually moving, as opposed to sitting somewhere.

 

[Blue-Jay]

A little more network bean shipping update; I went to the post office yesterday and spoke with the postal woman. This is a lady I deal with a lot and is my most trusted counter person when I ship seeds, there are many who aren't as knowledgeable and she's helped me a lot over the years. She told me that for right now there is no sense in bringing parcels to mail as the backlog is in the millions nationwide. It will only sit on a storage palette if it goes in now, better to wait until January when things start to flow. So, if that's okay with you @Bluejay I'm thinking to wait. I'd rather have it put in the system when things are actually moving, as opposed to sitting somewhere.

Yes you should wait before sending your packages. We don't want things sitting so long that they get lost and forgotten about forever.

The U.S. post office is not accepting packages or mail to go to Canada. I'm sure the backlog is known about here.