The Little Easy Bean Network - Get New Beans Varieties Nearly Free

[baymule]

Thanks for posting pics of your bean garden Bluejay! I didn't know that beans don't transplant well.....but mine did! I was afraid to trust them to the great outdoors as tiny little baby beans, so i started them under lights on the breakfast table in six-pack pots I bought seedlings in. I put them out during the day and brought them in at night. Then I trans planted them to big tubs outside. I've mulched them good with grass clippings and water regularly. This is fun!!!

 

[Blue-Jay]

The Black Coco beans will start giving you it's first pods in around 90 days then I think you will have most of the seed crop within about a month after that.

 

[the1honeycomb]

The Black Coco beans will start giving you it's first pods in around 90 days then I think you will have most of the seed crop within about a month after that.

Very Cool!!! I go out and check my beans every day and pull the little weeds that try to sneak in! I didn't mulch mine the grass clippings seem to seed grass into my garden.

Love your pics and the lessons that you post BlueJay, please keep them coming I could learn about gardening 24/7

Have a wonderful day bean friends!!!

 

[the1honeycomb]

my black coco beans are peeking out!!

 

[baymule]

I am so excited for you!! We're a bunch of bean farmers here! :tools

 

[the1honeycomb]

:tools I am very excited does anyone else have beens to show??

 

[897tgigvib]

Ok, I'll try to remember to take some photos tomorrow.

 

[the1honeycomb]

The Black Coco beans will start giving you it's first pods in around 90 days then I think you will have most of the seed crop within about a month after that.

So do I leave them all on the plant or harvest the first few and then dry them and leave the others on the plant???

Please spell it out for me this is my first!!!

(I do love this though and really appreciate this opportunity!!):watering

 

[897tgigvib]

Honeycomb, there are basically 2 ways to do the harvest dry beans.

1. As the pods finish drying completely on the plant, use 2 hands to pick each pod and gather them. Have a handy place to sit with your pods, shell them, and put them on a paper plate along with a tag or writing the variety name on the plate. After a week or so making sure they are good and dry, pour them into a jar or can. I set a paper towel on the bottom of a small coffee can, and put the definitely dry beans in it. I may switch to small jelly jars. This method is best if it is not raining, or if the season is about to end. The next method is for if it is going to rain on ripening pods, or if the season is about to end and you still have some pods almost ripe. No stress, it's easy.

2.A. It's raining and you have pods that are ripe or almost ripe. No problem, don't worry. It is just about almost as good to pick the pods before they are completely bone dry ripe. But, it'll take another fun little step, and a few days on top of the fridge or top cupboard, or maybe your sock drawer or linen closet.
Pick the good and fat pods that look real close to ripening. Each variety looks a bit different at this stage, but basically the pod will be as fat as it'll get, or sure almost. Pods lose some of their color and get lighter, golden maybe. The beans in them will be extra fat, with fragile seed coats that a sharp fingernail can pierce. Or just beyond that stage. Ok, got them picked. Hurry into the house ferheaven's sake. It's raining. Maybe you have those pods in your folded bottom of your t shirt. Flop them out onto a towel on the kitchen table, and kind of dry them some with the towel. Get another dry towel and set it somewhere dry and warm room temperature, and set those pods on it so they are not touching each other. Leave them there for a few days or a week. Don't forget to at least have a scrap paper with the variety name on it with them. Always that. Seed Savers always label. If in doubt, make a label. Especially if you are not in doubt, make a label. After a few days or so the pods will be almost a crispy dry as your normal harvestings. Follow instructions as above. (So I don't type it twice is all). Oh, these beans should be left on the paper plate extra days just to make sure they are dry in and out.

2.B. It's about to frost on your plants because your season is ending, maybe it's september or october. Put your sweater and coat on. Pick all pods. Those definitely not ripe enough can be cooked up...probably... but they may need to be stringed and snapped, maybe even julienned. Those anywhere near ripe enough set on a dry towel, separated, and give them an extra week. Then do as method 2.A. above. Some of the seeds even after this may well be wrinkled "premies". Ya know, I've found that premies can germinate, some better than others. I have also lost seeds, whole varieties, in a move before, so I keep a "stash" of emergency spare premies in a larger coffee can. Lost my true red cranberry variety in my move from montana some years back, oh, and my Succotash.

You can also come up with your own way Main thing is dry them then store them dry. Always label. Especially when you don't think you need to.

 

[journey11]

I've tried drying them both ways and have decided I prefer to harvest them when they are fully mature but the bean inside has not yet begun to dry. The pods will be dehydrated, like leather britches, and discolored...starting to turn yellow, some maybe with a touch of reddish-purple to them. The pod is drying up at this stage, but the bean is not. I shell them out and lay them in a single layer on a paper plate inside to dry completely...anywhere from 2 weeks to a month, depending on the humidity.

In WV, summer humidity is something you can count on and quite bothersome. I've found that bringing them inside to dry at this stage greatly reduces the occurance of moldy beans and also the beans will be smooth, shinier and rounded. Those I have let dry on the vine tend to shrivel and wrinkle and I lose a lot that have gone bad. So this is the reason for my preference.