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

[flowerweaver]

@marshallsmyth @sea-kangaroo @ninnymary
I am originally from the Bay Area and still have relatives there.

 

[897tgigvib]

White Coco, African. I'll have plenty of these to send Russ! This is one of the varieties I was worried about only a few weeks ago.

This is a pole variety to 8 feet or more, with the thin kind of stems. It is somewhat late at getting into full production. Makes pretty rounded pods that are small. Some of the pods have faint purplish markings on them. Once it gets to full production it is very productive of these small pods. Two of my five plants passed on in the heat. For awhile there I thought four of them were goners. The three plants I'm getting seed from are good survivors of that. The heat of August probably slowed their production some.

 

[buckabucka]

"'ll send you the Buxton Buckshot, and to, was it bucka up in Maine? I'll miss those little beauties but they are just not liking my climate and conditions."
@marshallsmyth
Yes, it was me. Seems like I ought to try seed with Maine origins.

Yesterday I had a chance to check my two African beans, and I finally have pods that are drying. It is hard to believe we haven't had a hard frost, but I'll take it!

 

[897tgigvib]

This is Black Supernova Dry Pod.

Black Supernova appeared after the original Nova Star as one of the descendents of Nova Star. Now, Black Supernova is doing a FINE TUNING segregation. This one is making pods of the type one wants for dry bean producing for easy shelling.

 

[897tgigvib]

This one I'm naming

By God

It is another segregation from Black Supernova, which itself was a segregation from Nova Star. (The fun continues for several generations when working with outcrosses.)

I know, I know. It looks at first like another variety called Black Turkey. This one has dark all around the hilum, and its pods are not anywhere near as colorful as Black Turkey, and this one has larger beans. Grows exactly like Black Supernova.

 

[897tgigvib]

And for comparison, this is
Black Turkey

The pod developed at the same stage for comparisons. These have a softer pod that is much darker.

 

[Hal]

Hal, you can cross pollinate beans???

Which ones you crossing?

The main ones are that I'm crossing some yellow podded snaps with purple podded snaps. I am also trying to introduce the color from a purple like Blooming Prairie into a pattern like Jacob's Cattle.
I am also trying to make a purple and also a yellow version of the super thin CdC.
There are more than that but I'd take a page just writing all the crosses in both directions.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

The main ones are that I'm crossing some yellow podded snaps with purple podded snaps. I am also trying to introduce the color from a purple like Blooming Prairie into a pattern like Jacob's Cattle.

It's probably none of my business, but if you are trying to make a purple Jacob's cattle pattern bean, wouldn't it make sense to start with a bean that had a SOLID deep purple seed coat, rather than the purple wash that Blooming Prairie and it's kin have?

 

[Hal]

It's probably none of my business, but if you are trying to make a purple Jacob's cattle pattern bean, wouldn't it make sense to start with a bean that had a SOLID deep purple seed coat, rather than the purple wash that Blooming Prairie and it's kin have?

A fair question and simply put I'd rather a lighter purple than a dark purple or I would have used Anderson's Wonder which is a large Aubergine purple seed, plus Blooming Prairie and the others have purple pods which is another trait that would be nice.
I want to see how the color is inherited because I've only seen that type of purple in that group of beans and also seeing how it turns out might give me more information for other possible crosses.

Interestingly under my conditions the seed coats on Blooming Prairie are quite a vivid purple.
I'll try taking a photo during the day.

 

[sea-kangaroo]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

@TheSeedObsesser I'm partial to sea-K myself. Sounds like a hip hop name, or a cereal. Kang makes me think of Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

@ninnymary I'm on the other side of the bay in Mountain View. I feel you on the limited space. There's a lot of things I like about California, but land prices are not one of them!