the little wild kingdom

[Mini Horses]

Little bits here and there will get things done. That works here, too

 

[flowerbug]

it's been one of those days for sure. last night when laying down i kept hearing something that sounded like something under the house was running, but after talking to Mom she said it wasn't (she can hear the sump pump and the well pump in her room, but i can't really hear them over here that easy in this side room). so this morning, just to be sure, i put on my dusty clothes from yesterday that i'd used to crawl under the house and took out the trash and then pulled the cover off the crawlspace entrance and checked it out with the flashlight, listened, nope, everything is all right down there. which is good and as it should be. *whew!*

this morning called the guy about the lawnmower and he said it was ok to bring it by tomorrow. called other friends to see if they'd be home so i could drop off ash buckets and lids. all set other than the weather and making sure Mom didn't need to do something tomorrow afternoon. don't think she does. so another adventure in the out-and-about.

other than that took naps (did not plan on waking up at 3:30am but there i was) and did dishes. very exciting. i'll start back on shelling more beans tonight sometime.

 

[Mini Horses]

These long dark hrs before bed are boring!! I wandered over to garden site and have some questions.

Blu-Jay. Has beautiful pics of soooo many beans & scanning posts it appears he has a website to sell bean seed. Fine... Some threads mentioned " network seeds" and I get the idea that he has these seed to send to "growers" to produce seed for him. I get the impression he sends a number of seeds, with agreement to return some number back from those produced. May be simplified, only scanned threads. Am I seeing that somewhat correctly?

Anyway, many of these he's never eaten, just is a dealer. Well, nice to love beans but sorry there's not much in the way of use, taste input. Sad. I plant to use!

Next.... I see that these are often only 3-10 plants the producers are growing. Not garden production quantities. So, how far apart are you guys placing to restrict cross pollination? What other methods are used? i.e. Bloom stage, plant dates, bagging, etc.

 

[flowerbug]

These long dark hrs before bed are boring!! I wandered over to garden site and have some questions.

yay! i like questions. and i also like questions about beans. twofer!

Blu-Jay. Has beautiful pics of soooo many beans & scanning posts it appears he has a website to sell bean seed. Fine... Some threads mentioned " network seeds" and I get the idea that he has these seed to send to "growers" to produce seed for him. I get the impression he sends a number of seeds, with agreement to return some number back from those produced. May be simplified, only scanned threads. Am I seeing that somewhat correctly?

yes, if you read the first post of the bean threads you'll see some mention of his website and specifically the network bean pages. what you're not seeing is that if you select two beans from his needing to be grown list is that you can then select a bonus bean from any other place on the website. the other nice thing is that he sends these all free of charge, so you are not buying anything if you don't want to. the return package you send at your own expense. he includes packets, labels and mailing labels. he's pretty organized.

the network bean project is a separate thing aside from his selling of the other bean varieties.

Anyway, many of these he's never eaten, just is a dealer. Well, nice to love beans but sorry there's not much in the way of use, taste input. Sad. I plant to use!

of all of the various beans i've grown (and i've now grown several hundred varieties and selections from crosses that have shown up here). i've not had a single one that wasn't edible as a dry bean. i've also had some that are edible as fresh beans, but those are not guaranteed due to genetics and how things combine during pollination when you have a cross happening. you can increase the odds of having edible fresh beans by only growing edible fresh beans, but even that isn't always a sure thing.

i also think you're a bit mistaken about how many he has eaten. he may not eat a large batch of a single network bean variety, but he does mention at times that he puts the reject beans from sorting into a container that he then uses for cooking. and then of course you could ask him. we don't mind questions at all from people in the bean threads.

Next.... I see that these are often only 3-10 plants the producers are growing. Not garden production quantities. So, how far apart are you guys placing to restrict cross pollination? What other methods are used? i.e. Bloom stage, plant dates, bagging, etc.

it is purely up to each grower to isolate and select beans to return, but also you need to understand bean genetics and reproduction. yes, it is possible to have crosses show up from different events happening, but beans are self-fertile in most cases. so you are ok with not worrying too much and then culling afterwards.

the packets of seeds he sends are not 3 - 10 plants. he sends more than that depending upon the size of the seed and if you are worried you can probably request more than one packet or additional seeds. these grow outs are to refresh the seeds, not to grow production amounts of food, not for your first year. however it does give you a chance to sample a lot of varieties of interest and see which ones you do want to continue growing for larger quantities.

in my case i've found some great varieties this way and have grown them for years now (the best so far that works great here in this climate and in the various garden soils is Purple Dove), but there are others i also grow on a regular basis for bulk bean eating as fresh and as dry beans.

ok, for more details you can search on TEG for Little Easy Bean Network and there are threads back at least to 2013. that's a lot of bean reading and pictures. enjoy! once in a while i go back and reread those threads myself.

i hope this clears up a few things... keep asking. i like bean talk.

 

[Mini Horses]

Thanks! I was curious as much as anything and you cleared up the conditions nicely. The bean pics are very pretty, as well as nice to grow. He says maybe 1400 or so he has. That's a lotta beans!!

Here, I grow to use -- but, it's fun to see pretty, too. Eye candy, as we say. My plans are to put out several varieties for dry cooking, mostly pole types. Two will be limas -- one colored "Christmas", as I remember them from many yrs ago that a neighbor grew. Yeah, always wanted them & will have this yr.
My focus is for planting what I'll eat -- or animal feeds. There's only so much time & labor I can contribute. Of course, he has a business for selling! I'm still raising & selling livestock. As I age out, it may be veggies & seed At least the bean seed doesn't need to be fed & watered all winter. Harvest, dry & store...sounds

 

[flowerbug]

...
ok, for more details you can search on TEG for Little Easy Bean Network and there are threads back at least to 2013. that's a lot of bean reading and pictures. enjoy! once in a while i go back and reread those threads myself.

for grins here is the link to the first bean thread...

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

Hello Everyone On The Easy Garden Forum ! I have a large bean collection and have talked to some of the active members of this forum about the bean network formed by a fellow named John Withee back in the 1970's called Wanigan Associates. He had a network of gardeners ( about 400 ) that would...

www.theeasygarden.com

 

[flowerbug]

for this bag of beans i'm shelling i tried something different and found out that it made a lot more work and annoyance for me. so i sure won't do it again.

normally in the past i would shell out each pod by hand, one at a time. this time i put my hand in the bag and scrunched the pods to release the beans and then remove it all to another flat for double checking and getting rid of things i don't want. it generates way too many little bits of stuff that flies all over at the slightest movement of the air. this doesn't happen so much the other way...

i could solve the problem if the weather was warmer by going outside when there is a breeze and letting the chaff fly away, but it's too cold for that now. i'm almost done, but i won'd make this mistake again...

two more bags to go after i get done with this flat of beans i'm ignoring for the moment.

 

[flowerbug]

i did get them all sorted from the chaff and quickly scanned for rotting or mishapen beans. on to the next bag tomorrow.

 

[flowerbug]

started next bag this morning. ooh, this is nice! so much faster! snap, crackle, plops...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

i'm almost done, but i won'd make this mistake again...

Proves that you can still teach an old dog new tricks!