The 2014 Little Easy Bean Network - Get New Beans On The Cheap

[Blue-Jay]

Alright that's very neat about the Precott's Family Heirloom bean. I'm sure some of these beans are not going to grow. I think some of them are on the old side.

I got all my bush beans planted here in Illinois as of the 26th of May. We had about two inches of rain, earlier in the week and once the soil dries out a bit. I'm going to plant the pole beans included will be the Armenian Black Giant.

 

[baymule]

Almost all my beans are up and growing. There are a few blank spots, but not many. The Jugo and Bambarra beans sure have funny leaves. I got one regular looking bean, we'll see what it turns out to be!

 

[897tgigvib]

Alice Sunshine is the first bean to show visible flower buds. They are not yet open but I think in a week or maybe less.

I was busy making and setting bean pole/cages today. Finished off my second hundred foot roll of fencing doing it. Got most of them placed but 2 four footers and 3 eight foot tall ones. I'm going to need another roll.

All but the Laciniatus berries are flowering like crazy in various stages. Right now the Himalayan Blackberry is in full blossom!

 

[897tgigvib]

Field Notes for the Beans in Beds 1,2,3, and 4.
This is made while most of the plants in these 4 beds are in pre bloom stage, and surprised me to see that one plant among them had a freshly opened blossom on it already while making these notes:

5/30/2014

YELLOW BIRD
CLASSIC BUSH EXCEPT MAY BE FORMING SLIGHT POINTED RUNNERS.
NO BUDS SHOWING.

WONDERMERE
GOOD CLASSIC BUSH.
NO BUDS SHOWING.

SMITH RIVER SUPER SPECKLE RED
GOOD CLASSIC BUSH.
SHOWING BUDS.

BIRD EGG 2 RELATIVE
GOOD CLASSIC BUSH.
BUDS ALMOST SHOWING.

PEBBLESTONE
TALL BUSH.
NO BUDS YET.

RED EYED RANGER
TALL SPREADING BUSH.
POSSIBLE BUDS SHOWING.

FRAUENBOHNE MAIN
TALL SPREADING BUSH.
POSSIBLE BUDS.

LARGE FLAT ORANGE PAIUTE TEPARY
CLASSIC VIGOROUS TEPARY PLANT AT BEGINNING OF SMALL VINING STAGE.
NO BUDS YET.

AFRICAN PREMIERE DARK OUTCROSS
BRANCHING POLE, ONE PLANT IS RUGOSE LEAVED.
NO BUDS YET.

OWL'S HEAD 2
BRANCHING POLE.
NO BUDS YET.

BIRD EGG #2
SMALL STRONG BUSH.
NO BUDS YET.

MAGGIE'S CRESCENT
TALL BUSH.
NO BUDS YET.

I'll put this on several pages. This is page one of 5 that I have. The plants are 9" X 12" inches apart, mostly, and are for the most part, already in contact with each other, mostly very healthy so far. They were seed to soil in April, forgot which day, but I think I typed it in a message here somewhere...

 

[897tgigvib]

More field notes:

CHOCTAW
ONE IS DEFINITELY POLE, OTHER TWO LOOK TO BE INDETERMINATE ALSO. EACH HAS VARIOUS KINDS OF RUGOSE LEAVES. EACH PLANT LOOKS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT.
NO BUDS YET.

EDEN PRAIRIE
VERY BUSHY WITH SMALLISH LEAVES. GOOD UPRIGHT PLANTS THAT SEEM TO BE A NATIVE AMERICAN VARIETY.
NO BUDS YET.

FLAMBOYANT 2013 #4
BIG BUSH.
POSSIBLE BUDS SHOWING.

MROCIUMIERE
TALL BUSH.
NO BUDS YET.

LILA STUART
VIGOROUS SPREADING POLE.
NO BUDS YET.

AFRICAN PREMIERE BEIGE OUTCROSS
SMALL VINEY POLE. TWO ARE RUGOSE LEAVED. ALL VERY HEALTHY AND STRONG.
NO BUDS YET.

CHOCOLATE MAIN
ONE IS A DEFINITE POLE, OTHER TWO ARE TALL DETERMINATE BUSH.
NO BUDS YET.

ALICE SUNSHINE
GOOD CLASSIC BUSH.
THOUGHT IT'D BE FIRST TO FLOWER BUT I FOUND THAT MONEY BEAT IT TO OPEN FLOWER. ALMOST A COUPLE OPEN FLOWERS.

ORCA SPOTTED
MEDIUM SIZED LEANING BUSH.
NO BUDS YET.

OWL'S HEAD 2013 W/SWIRLS
2 ARE POLE. ONE IS A MEDIUM BUSH.
THE MEDIUM BUSH SHOWS BUDS.

MIDNIGHT BLACK TURTLE SOUP
SMALL BUSH.
POSSIBLE BUDS SHOWING.

(Page 3 of notes.)

BILLINGSGATE
LARGE AND TALL DETERMINATE BUSH.
BUDS SHOWING.

FLAMBOYANT #3
EXCELLENT AND HEAVY CLASSIC BUSH.
HAS THE MOST OF ANY VARIETY BUDS SHOWING.
(THESE PLANTS SHOW COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL).

MAINE SUNSET
TALL BUSH.
BUDS SHOWING.

TOBACCO PATCH
MEDIUM BUSH.
BUDS SHOWING.

MAGPIE
CLASSIC BUSH.
BUDS SHOWING.

CHOCOLATE 2013 #4
SPREADING POLE.
NO BUDS SHOWING.

PALE FACE
COMPACT SPREADING BUSH.
BUDS ALMOST SHOWING.

RED ADZUKI
SMALL BUSH, SMALLER THAN VULGARIS, GOOD AND HEALTHY.
NO BUDS.

FLAMBOYANT 2013 #1
VIGOROUS POLE.
NO BUDS YET.

MONEY
>>>>>FIRST OPEN FLOWER!
EXCELLENT CLASSIC MEDIUM SIZED BUSH.

FLAMBOYANT 2013 #2
TWO ARE WHAT I CALL TENDER POLE. (THIN STEM). ONE IS A GOOD BUSH.
NO BUDS SHOWING.

 

[897tgigvib]

Some photos showing some of the bean cage/poles made from wire roll fencing.

 

[897tgigvib]

I didn't hold the flower up high enough to see in this photo. One of the campers is a big deal in the world of Wakeboarding and is also a wakeboard photographer. He took this photo using my camera. He said something about the composition not being quite right after he took it. Now I see it was one of the twine ties for the 4 foot bean cage/pole for the variety next to it which is running. I was ready this year for surprise runners! I can increase the height of these with more fencing if needed.

 

[journey11]

Still it's a very good pic of you, Marshall, despite the string. Your bean plants have grown so much since your last pics and look so healthy! I like those cages. I am still thinking on how to do mine. I always do teepees for my pole beans. Think maybe I'll do mini teepees with 3 sticks of bamboo since they'll each need their own space for each set of 3 plants. I'll have to shove them in the ground really good for stability. My BIL has a bamboo forest, so it's the most readily available material I have.

 

[buckabucka]

Marshall's whole bean system is impressive!

I have 3 seeds of Cape Sugar#2, and 6 seeds of Solwezi. My plan is to direct seed them tomorrow around poles set up in the hoop house. Our last frost is expected tonight.

I do start many seeds in paper towels, especially peppers and eggplant, but at this point I think the hoop house will be warmer than any appliance in the house. Normally, the heating bench of our masonry heater is a perfect place, but we aren't heating at this time of year.

 

[897tgigvib]

Page 4 of the field notes.

DALMATIAN OUTCROSS #2
CLASSIC BUSH SO FAR.
ALMOST SHOWING BUDS.

AFRICAN PREMIERE MAIN
DENSE AND HEAVY TALLISH BUSH.
ALMOST SHOWING BUDS.

CHOCOLATE 2013 #3
TALL AND HEAVY BUSH.
BUDS SHOWING.

PURPLE HULL TOP PICK PINK EYE COWPEA
SO FAR SMALL BUSH.
NO BUDS SHOWING.

PURPLE FACE
COMPACT LEANING BUSH.
NO BUDS SHOWING.

MINNESOTA 1940'S
SMALL UPRIGHT BUSH. PLANTS HAVE CLASSIC BEAUTY.
NO BUDS SHOWING.

CHICKASAW OUTCROSS #2
CLASSIC MEDIUM SPREADING BUSH WITH NICE SEMI-RUGOSE LEAVES.
ALMOST SHOWS BUDS.

SEEDO'S BUMBLEBEE
BIG BUSH.
ALMOST SHOWING BUDS.

CORBETT NOT
THEY ARE EITHER BEGINNING TO RUN TO SPREADING POLE PLANTS, OR WILL BE MAKING THAT RARE OPEN ARCHITECTURE. BEARS A CLOSE WATCH.
NO BUDS SHOWING YET.

CHICKASAW OUTCROSS #1
CLASSIC UPRIGHT BUSH.
BUDS ARE SHOWING.

STEVENSON'S BLACK EYE
POLE PLANTS.
BUDS ALMOST SHOWING.

FLAMBOYANT 2012
CLASSIC BUSH.
BUDS SHOWING.

(Page 5 of the field notes finishes the front section).

CHOCOLATE 2013 #2
MEDIUM BUSH WITH SLIGHT LEAN DEVELOPING.
BUDS SHOWING.

DIGIT'S NORTHWESTERN ADAPTED SOLDIER
LARGE CLASSIC BUSH.
BUDS SHOWING.

GREAT LAKES SPECIAL
TALL BUSH.
BUDS SHOWING.

DALMATIAN OUTCROSS #1
2 PLANTS ARE LARGE AND SPREADING LEANING BUSH. ONE PLANT IS A POLE PLANT.
BUDS SHOWING.

BEI SOYBEAN
SO FAR SINGLE STEM UPRIGHT PLANTS. VERY PRETTY FUZZINESS ALL OVER, AND NICE SHADES OF GREEN. 3, 5, AND 7 INCHES TALL.
STILL BABY PLANTS WITH NO BUDS SHOWING.

CANNELINNI COCCINEUS
FASTEST RUNNING POLE OF ALL THIS YEAR.
SHOWING CLUSTERS OF BUDS.

FRAUENBOHNE HORTICULTURAL
TALL BUSH.
BUDS SHOWING.

=======

What I call a Classic Bush is a plant with a generally upright stem, a central stem that is making some side branches, has medium large leaves, and generally looks similar to a bush blue lake, classic in the sense of what many old fashioned gardeners would expect to see from a bush bean plant.
Lots of bush plants would not seem classic in growth. Some make a stem that grows upward and then stops. Others lean over and crawl along or above the ground, all the while growing upward at the front. Some more than others. Dapple Grey grew like that last year with nice heavy and healthy plants that produced a lot to season's end.
Grow 120 plus varieties of beans, and then describe the growth patterns of what seed catalogs simply call bush or pole.