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

[journey11]

Thanks! I actually discovered the CIAT site first, and then found this forum after google searching for people who might have access to beans from CIAT. #G26650 and #G27313 are crazy! I ran a library workshop for kids last summer where they got to make little planters and try out different kinds of seeds. I think they would have fun with these colorful beans.

On that note...on the 2013 Easy Bean forum there were some posts about sending requests to CIAT, did anyone have success?

Mike

Welcome to TEG, Mike! I'm about 3 hours due east from you.

Tell us more about your library workshop. Do you work for the library or is it volunteer? Any experience with Seed Libraries?

 

[Blue-Jay]

Just discovered this forum, and I have visions of beans in my head! Is it too late to participate in the Easy Bean network this year? (I probably only have space for 3-4 varieties)
Cheers,
Mike

Welcome ! Sorry I can't put on my best looking dirty gardening clothes on for this occasion of welcoming another bean grower to the network. Garden clothes have all been washed an put away until spring.

Hey if you got room for three or four varieties that is just fantastic. If we keep adding a few new participants from time to time. That is what makes it all happen. You know strength in numbers with more helping hands. Everybody does just a little and it sure adds up.

On the subject of the CIAT website. I never did anything myself so far. First you need an import license from the USDA to bring those beans into the country. I'm sure the country of Columbia won't even ship them to you without a USDA number. I tried contacting the USDA through an email address on one of their websites recently over a month ago, but never heard from them. I might have to ask Joseph Simcox about getting an import license. He travels all over the world bringing in seeds and plants from everywhere he travels. A guy like that doesn't do what he does without a USDA license.

Anyway in just about three months our bean fun begins again. To quote the Beach Boys a little bit. We'll have Fun Fun Fun til the frost takes our gardens away.

 

[MikeySci]

Thanks for all the welcoming messages

Tell us more about your library workshop. Do you work for the library or is it volunteer? Any experience with Seed Libraries?

Nope, no experience with Seed Libraries! great concept though.

The seed planter project was a volunteer thing. I'm a member of Hive13, which is a nonprofit "makerspace" in cincinnati...kind of community workshop for woodworking, 3D printing, electronics. We did some science/DIY related projects for kids at libraries last summer. including the planters which I headed up.

The planters were a sub-irrigated design using plastic cups and old t-shirt strips for wicking. We put together a bunch of materials and 10 or so varieties of flower and veggie seeds so the kids could assemble them and try growing something. The planters made 2 appearance at libraries, 1st time not a lot of kids were there, 2nd was at a "camp wonderopolis" event at Kenton County library where we went through ~50 planter kits. I also made a slideshow about transpiration and capillary action for the nerdy plant science connection. Overall it went over well, hoping to do it again this year!

Here's a link to some pictures from the event, I'm the gangly guy in the green shirt.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-FLvDmrWYmUM3VnOXpPNFFmMEk&authuser=0

Maybe I can put together a request to CIAT from Hive13. Makes sense since this planter project is my main motivation for colorful seeds, and maybe USDA and CIAT would be willing to pay attention to a request from a registered nonprofit.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[sea-kangaroo]

I bet Joseph Simcox has a fancier import license, but the USDA has a permit that's free and easy to apply for, and created specifically for hobbyists and home gardeners:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/porta...ucts/sa_plants_for_planting/ct_smalllots_seed

That permit is for seeds and mail only, so you can't use it for plants/tubers or to hand-carry things across the border. I applied for the permit a couple years ago and have used it to mail myself a variety of overseas seeds. They confiscated a pack of sorghum once (an impulse purchase I forgot to check against the allowed species list), but everything else has made it through unscathed.

 

[baymule]

Welcome @MikeySci to the forum and to the Easy Bean Network! Growing the beans for Russ is fun, you get new varieties you never heard of and you help Russ keep his collection viable and fresh. This forum is the best bunch of friendly folks you will find anywhere and we are glad you found us!

 

[Hal]

@Hal How's summer treating you down in Australia?

Myself fine, the garden not good at all. We started of swinging between cold and inferno then we got about 2 weeks of daily rain and heavy stuff then a week of lighter stuff. If the mites were not killing the beans in the dry the rain had them sprouting in pods and nothing I could do about it. I am replanting in a month or so.
Looks like the hot weather is coming back. I have some good cheap planters for folks lacking space but wanting to renew bean seed, I'll have to show them later. I'm falling behind on contacting people at present.

 

[Blue-Jay]

Myself fine, the garden not good at all. We started of swinging between cold and inferno then we got about 2 weeks of daily rain and heavy stuff then a week of lighter stuff. If the mites were not killing the beans in the dry the rain had them sprouting in pods and nothing I could do about it. I am replanting in a month or so.
Looks like the hot weather is coming back. I have some good cheap planters for folks lacking space but wanting to renew bean seed, I'll have to show them later. I'm falling behind on contacting people at present.

Hal,

If your bean plants are at the stage of dryng pods couldn't you have pounded some long stakes (as long as a man stands tall) in the ground with a couple of 7 centimeter screws sticking out of the wood up and down the length of your stakes on both sides and pulled the mature plants up by the roots and hung them to dry off the wet soil. Plus since their roots are no longer in the ground they dry their pods even faster. On a rainy day they drain the water off fairly well. I had this rain problem in late August and I did this and it works like a charm saved most of my seed crop this way.

 

[PhilaGardener]

@Hal - sorry to hear your weather hasn't been very good this season (SH). Humid/wet weather and sprouting in pod have been problems for me too (NH). Maybe the weather will turn and dry out; the variability in all our growing seasons continues to be challenging. Good luck!

 

[the1honeycomb]

hope you received the last set of beans I sent.

 

[flowerweaver]

My husband tilled up the bean fields for me yesterday, so the anticipation of 2015 is growing! Wishing all my bean-y friends a Happy New Year!!!