Little Easy Garden Bean Network

[897tgigvib]

Just now got an email from Russ Crow, our Wanigan Associate.

He tells me that soon as he gets some chores done in the next few days, including filling out orders from his Bean Collectors Window website, http://www.abeancollectorswindow.com/outcrosses.html

that he will then make us a selection of the Beans he still has available and post them here. Not sure the exact way it'll work, but he'll explain.

Also, somehow on his website he's making a part of it just for us here. He does not know what kind of response it'll bring but I'm thinking it'll be a pretty good little response.

Imagine growing a kind of snap bean that George Washington used to eat, or one that just appeared on its own in Russ' garden, the result of an accidental hybridizing cross done by a bumblebee in 1979, that very few have ever grown, and then got packed away for almost 30 years. Or maybe some snap bean that has such a light green pod some folks called it a wax bean, or maybe a variation of a Turkey Craw bean that is extra large...or a bean called Apache with stunning 2 colors brown and white and looks delicious for a ham hock soup. Some are varieties or variations of varieties that were in catalogs when the older of us were kids but are no longer found, some in catalogs our grandparents used to get seeds from. Some of these, well, can't be found anywhere else at all.

It is in the works! In a small way, a legacy of the Wanigan Associates is coming to life, right here!

I sure hope everyone will find a way to at least grow a small patch of pole or bush, or viney...dry or snap beans.

Ya know, once it gets going, and some gain other varieties from other sources, it means that as an entirety, the network can have more than any individual. I'm getting that it is a sense of unity.

 

[baymule]

That is so exciting! We have an opportunity to keep history alive in the form of heritage beans. Beans are so hum-drum in normal peoples lives....notice I said "normal"? Fortunately, that does not apply to most of us, and if it does, hang around here long enough and we'll rub off on ya'. It is outstanding that we are honored to be part of this. Thanks Marshall for bringing this to us!!

 

[897tgigvib]

We were just lucky that Russ is a regular person like we all are, and answered my first email to him. It'll be happening real soon!

 

[skeeter9]

And to think I've been looking forward to harvesting regular old pole beans this year! Maybe next year I can add some exciting "new" old beans to the mix! Sounds like fun!

 

[Blue-Jay]

Hi Everyone !

"The Little Easy Bean Network" is born today! So I guess next year on April 6th we can sing happy birthday dear "Little Bean Network" Happy birthday to you, and many more.......... Wow Marshall what a great post you wrote! You do a fantastic job of getting the excitement about the bean network rolling. So where are the normal people. I'm sure I don't qualify. When I go for something I really dive off the deep. What a healthy thing to go off the deep end for anyway. Gardening, beans and all the good things you like to grow.

I'll also probably put up another thread called The Little Easy Bean Network - Get New Beans Varieties For The Labor of Growing Them.

Well I have 100 varieties that could use some seed increasing. I think that's a pretty good selection to chose from. I hope there will be many someones to grow each of them. The way it will work is pretty simple. I'll post this list of varieties below and there will be included next to the variety name the number of seed samples available plus the number of seeds in the sample. Some gardeners might be able to grow only one variety. There might be other gardeners who chose more varieties feeling they can do a quality job on many varieties. There are also varieties on this list that I have collected from gardeners and organizations overseas.

Now next year other varieties will probably be added and some of these may appear again for some unforseen reason. This year beans of course include Pole beans, both snap and dry, Lima Pole beans, bush varieties, both snap and dry types. Semi runner types and viney types that don't climb but also don't stand up like most bush beans either. This year only one of my outcrosses from the early 80's is on the list, and a few of Robert Lobitz's beans are on the list. Robert Lobitz was a SSE member since the 80's who originally was very interested in potatoes and then got into beans later on in a big way. He remained a SSE member until his death at age 66 in 2006.

This year I am going to foot the entire bill on the packaging and postage to send out the beans. You will pay the postage for new seed you return in the autumn after your seed crop is harvested and dry enough to be stored. I am asking that you return "Two" good quality seeds for every one seed you receive from me in your sample. The rest of the seed crop is yours to keep, and I'm guessing that you have chosen some variety or varieties from the list that you don't have. After you grow them you have something new to enjoy and grow forevermore. Now some of the seeds you get from me are getting old and have darkened a bit with age and need to grown before they expire. I can't get to all of them some years. Last year I grew over 173 varieties and this years schedule is going to be just as stiff. The seed you grow will probably look 10 times more beautiful. The seed will be new and the colors will be so much brighter than what I'm sending. I think the oldest samples are three years old.

The way you can request these varities is to go to my website http://www.abeancollectorswindow.com and use my email address found on the footer at the bottom of every page of the webstie. I'm thinking that perhaps most of the beans should be requested and mailed out at least by the middle of May. If you are planting right now or soon you'll probably want to request right away.

I'm going to try in the next few days to put another page on the website for the Little Easy Bean Network that can only be accessed through an address which I will post on theEasyGarden forum. There will not be a link on the other pages of the website to the Little Easy Bean Network page. Nobody but the people on this forum will know about the network or that website page. Other folks who look at the website won't have any idea that the page is there. See how special you guys are! It's our own little club. Only you can get into the Great Bean Temple. Uh Huh! I hope we will have a good congregation big enough to grow all these beans. Anyway it will be what it's going to be, fun, and interesting too.

I hope that about explains it all. It's basically simple. Request beans on the list from me by email. Give me your address or place to send the beans. You grow them. In the autumn send back two quality seeds for every one I sent to you.

Ok Here is the list of this years 100 bean candidates!


Algarrobo 1 sample @ 18 seeds Bush
Alice Sunshine 1 sample @ 26 seeds Bush
Amber Pearl 3 samples @ seeds Bush
Anasazi 2 samples@ 18 seeds Bush
Appalooosa 1 sample @ 13 seeds Bush
Big Soldier 1 sample @ 23 seeds Bush
Black Coco 2 samples @ 24 seeds Bush
Black Nightfall 2 samples @ 15 seeds Bush
Bobolink 2 samples @ 9 seeds Pole
Brauner Bar 1 sample @ 23 seeds Bush
Brejo 5 samples @ 12 seeds Pole
Carre de Caen 3 samples @ 13 seeds Pole
Early Warwick 2 samples @ 28 seeds Bush
Early Yellow 6 Weeks 2 samples @ 20 seeds Bush
Flor de Mayo 4 samples @ 20 seeds Bush
Gauk 3 samples @ 13 seeds Bush
Gila River 4 samples @ 15 seeds Pole
Glamis 4 samples @ 25 seeds Bush
Goose Cranberry 2 samples @ 20 seeds Bush
Goose Liver 3 samples @ 20 seeds Bush
Greencrop 3 samples @ 20 seeds Bush
Horsehead 2 samples @ 23 seeds Bush
Ice 2 samples @ 23 seeds Bush
Illinois Snap 1 sample @ 21 seeds Bush
Improved Golden Wx 2 samples @ 15 seeds Bush
Irenes Russian 3 samples @ 22 seeds Bush
Italian Rose 3 samples @ 30 seeds & 1 @ 22 Bush
J. Carrolls W. Virginia 2 samples @ 15 seeds Pole Lima
Jacobs Cattle Alders 1 sample @ 25 seeds Bush
Jeminez 2 samples @ 13 seeds Pole
Johns Best 1 sample @ 11 seeds Bush
Kebrakia 3 samples @ 20 seeds Bush
Keneplys 40 Bushel 2 samples @ 23 seeds Bush
Kilham Goose 2 samples @ 12 seeds & 1 @ 10 Bush
Kornonis Purple 2 samples @ 23 seeds Bush
Large Navy 2 samples @ 18 seeds Bush
Lina Sisco Bird Egg 2 samples @ 25 seeds Bush
Littlefields Special 2 samples @ 25 seeds Bush
Lizzie Miller 2 samples @ 17 seeds Bush
Long Tom 1 sample 25 & 1 x 24 Bush
Maccarone 2 samples @ 20 seeds Bush
Maine Sunset 2 samples @ 25 seeds Bush
Maries Experimental 4 samples @ 13 seeds Pole
Marvel Of Nictaux 2 samples @ 11 seeds Pole
Mary Isons Little 1 sample 15 & 1 x 18 Bush
Miglliorrucci 6 samples @ 15 seeds Pole
Milk & Cider 5 samples @ 12 seeds Pole
Missouri Wonder 3 samples @ 15 seeds Pole
Molasses Face 1 samples @ 12 seeds Bush
Mostoller Wild Goose 2 samples @ 10 seeds Pole
Neabels Ukranian 4 samples @ 12 seeds Pole
New Mexico Bolitas 7 samples @ 15 seeds Pole
Norchino 4 samples 20 & 1 @ 19 Pole
North Pole 2 samples @ 12 seeds Pole Lima
Nuns Belly Button 1 sample @ 16 seeds Bush
Ohio Pole 6 samples @ 15 seeds Pole
Old Time Fence 5 samples 15 & 1 @ 9 Pole Lima
Oregon Giant 2 samples @ 12 seeds Pole
Painted Pony 1 sample @ 24 seeds Bush
Papa de Rolla 4 samples @ 12 seeds Pole
Parson 1 sample @ 18 seeds Bush
Paul Bunyan Giant 2 samples @ 10 seeds Pole
Peregion 3 samples @ 22 seeds Bush
Pergatorio 11 samples @ 15 seeds Pole
Peta Luma Gold 4 samples @ 12 seeds Pole
Piatelle 3 samples @ 20 seeds Pole
Pima Orange 2 samples @ 13 seeds Pole
Piros Feher 2 samples @ 28 seeds Bush
Prince 2 samples @ 16 seeds Bush
Purple Amazon 2 samples @ 15 seeds Bush
Purple Diamond 2 samples @ 26 seeds Bush
Purple Rain 3 samples @ 25 seeds Bush
Purple Rose 3 samples @ 25 seeds Bush
Purple Stardust 3 samples @ 16 seeds Bush
Ramshorn 4 samples @ 10 seeds Pole
Red Calico 3 samples @ 12 seeds Pole Lima
Red Sport 1 sample @ 13 seeds Bush
Red Valentine 2 samples @ 19 seeds Bush
Robe Mountain 10 samples @ 12 seeds Pole
Rose D Eyragues 3 samples @ 21 seeds Bush
Sadies 2 samples @ 10 seeds Pole Lima
Scarlet Beauty 5 samples @ 25 seeds Bush
Scotts Choice 3 samples @ 30 seeds Bush
Selugia 3 samples @ 9 seeds Pole
Smith River Super Speckle 1 sample @ 13 seeds Bush
Snow Cap 4 samples @ 8 seeds Pole
Snow On The Mt. 4 samples @ 12 seeds Pole Lima
Tanyas Pink Pod 2 samples @ 18 seeds Bush
Tarahumara Capriame 2 samples @ 21 seeds Bush
Tenes Bean 4 samples @ 20 seeds Bush
Thibodeau de comte Beauce 2 samples @ 15 seeds Bush
Tobacco Patch 2 samples @ 14 seeds Bush
Topcrop 3 samples @ 23 seeds Bush
Turkey Craw 4 samples @ 12 seeds Pole
Ukranian 2 samples @ 24 seeds Bush
Uncle Willies 2 samples @ 25 seeds Bush
Victoria Brown Eyes 2 samples @ 25 seeds Bush
Volga German Siberian 2 samples @ 25 seeds Pole
Wadena 4 samples @ 27 seeds Bush
Winterfare 2 samples @ 15 seeds & 1 @ 14 Pole

 

[Blue-Jay]

Oh ! I spoke too soon there are two of my stable outcrosses on the list from the early 80's. Red Sport - a red kidney type bean, and Illinois Snap - a black seeded green poded snap bean. I think it's related to Cherokee Wax and Contender.

 

[897tgigvib]

Russ, I have a couple others to send you that I missed sending. One is a red seeded borlotto bush with those red stripy pods. I'll start getting it together.

Ah, got some tunes going, a nice british invasion set!