I'm still waiting for the SSE Yearbook to arrive. Then the problem is deciding what NOT to plant!

Looks like you really love your beans to grow such an abundance.

I'll be growing Rattlesnake pole beans, State Half-Runner, Insuk's Wang Kong runner beans, Cherokee Wax bush beans, Yardlong Beans and Red Noodle yardlong beans.

It won't be a huge variety, but I will plant quite a bit of each -- especially the State Half-Runners.

drloyd: I here ya, I spent two weeks trying to decide. Also, I have been wondering, do you get the seeds from the Yearbook from individuals, or the HQ for SSE. And do you just write to them saying you'd like seed? Or do you pay?
iam3killerbs: I love 'um! I want to try a variety, so instead of a whole bunch of Blue Lakes and Kentucky Wonders, I am doing one pole of each.

"I'm still waiting for the SSE Yearbook to arrive."

Ditto. My plans are only tentative until then.

SSE does send out a catalog/catalogue of seed that you can buy from them.

With the Yearbook, there are over 13500 varieties that you order directly from members. The Yearbook has a form that you fill out and it it has a suggested amount to include, normally as cash, for packaging costs and postage. Some members set a lower amount that they want sent. - Dick

OK, that makes sense.

Burpee's Stringless
Chinese Red Noodle Longbean
Driveway Bean
Fin de Bagnol
Greencrop
Hopi Orange Lima
Illinois Giant Lima
Jacob's Cattle Gasless
Jeminez
Lazy Housewife
Logan Giant (purple seed)
Mountain Climber
Painted Lady Runner
Painted Pony
Pink Tip
Provider
Purple Podded Pole
Rattlesnake Pole
Red Calypso
Red Peanut
Red Striped Greasy
Royal Burgundy
Tendergreen Improved
Tennessee Cutshort
Tennessee Stringless Green Pod
Turkey Craw
Uncle Walt's Vermont Cranberry
Unnamed (green pod pink stripe)
Violet's Multi Colored Lima
White Hastings
Yard Long
White Seeded Unknown

crnagora,
Why do you use bush beans as companions for cukes?

Abby

Wow, that's a huge list! I like the bush beans as companions with cucs because they both like the same soil (warm) and they both do well with radishes (I use those to keep cuc beetles away). I grow my cucs up a trellis, and therer is enough space to put the beans in front of them, so I get more out of the space.

An impressive list, Abby. Are you only growing small amounts of each?

Yeah, only a handful or so. Some I have more of, some much less (the Driveway bean is a singleton- I found it behind my tire in the Driveway. I think it might be a Yellow Eye.), but I'd like to grow all of them out this season. I have a couple of friends and neighbors that are going to help me out- I give them seeds and plants for free (and show them how to bag and save seed), they grow them and let me know how they liked them, then they give me the resulting seeds back to use for trading or selling. I'm trying to build up an inventory of sorts, so I can show people around here how cool heirlooms can be. I actually just got done with a free seed offer I did on Craigslist- had a really good response from first time gardeners.

I will need to get me some radish seeds... cuke and mexican bean beetles have destroyed any hope of beans or cucurbits for the past 3 years. Though, last year, in my search for something that would save my beans, I have found that cinnamon powder + DE w/ pyrethrum pretty much decimates any pest problem I have.

Abby

Well, I finally have a back yard area I can grow in, and I'll be putting lots of pole beans along the wire fence. I guess from what I'm reading here, I need to get my beans in, and quick!
(I'm in Atlanta, zone 7b)

I'll be growing:
Insuk's Wang Kong (FINALLY!)(P)
Italian cranberry beans (the giant ones)
Cranberry beans (smallish ones)*
Blue lake green beans*(P)
Yellow pole wax beans*(P)
Purple peacock beans*(P)
Random red beans from the farmer's market*(B)
Italian Farm House fava
Broad Windsor fava
Sugar ann peas
Improved golden wax bean
Sugar daddy peas
Zipper cream peas

I may add red and white kidney beans to the list, depending on growth habit. I'm seriously considering ordering a few varieties of beans from Rancho Gordo and growing out the ones I like the taste of. Nothing like try before you buy...

I've not grown very many of these before. If I've grown them before, I put an asterisk (*) after them. If I know the growth habit, I've put it: (P) for pole and (B) for bush. As you can see, I don't know the habit of most of these, and need to research that.

I'm not really sure what to do with all this garden area I have this year... I've never had that before! Trying not to go overboard, maybe 3 raised beds, a garlic and lettuce bin, a sweet potato row, and the beans along the fence. Maybe a potato bin, too. I don't want to get overwhelmed, and I have to re-adjust to Southern grow styles after 5 years in Southern California. I only need to grow for myself and my husband, and some to share with the neighbor.

Any thoughts on not over-(or under-)beaning myself? ;) I love beans, and would love to supply my own fresh and dried for the year, but not sure how much I need to plant.

Yikes! The SSE Yearbook came and now there are dozens of must-grow beans on my list. So much for my resolve to mainly grow beans that have done well here in the PNW in the past. Some of the Yearbook varieties will need to be bumped from the list but I will always wonder what might have been. Or what might have bean. Why do I keep doing this to myself? - Dick

Well, after bumping a lot of candidates, the SSE requests are ready to mail. There is still the nagging feeling that some great beans got left off of the list.

2011 Bean List

Bush beans:
Clem and Sarah�s Big Bean, shelly
Crow River Black, shelly
Giant Red Tarka (USDA PI 507984), shelly
Serene, shelly
Stockbridge Indian, shelly

Runner:
Bond�s Orcas Lima

Pole Beans:
Big Bean (White Greasy) (eaten when seeds swell, as combination snap/shelly)
Borlotta Solista, shelly
Borlotta Stregonta, shelly
Bosnian Pole, Romano type snap and shelly
Brita�s Footlong, snap and shelly
Cornfield, Striped, shelly
Dolloff, shelly
Emerite, snap
Fortex, snap
Goose, shelly
Grady Bailly Greasy (eaten when seeds swell, as combination snap/shelly)
Kwintus, snap and shelly
North Carolina Speckled Long Cutshort Greasy (eaten when seeds swell, as combination snap/shelly
Ruth Bible (eaten when seeds swell, as combination snap/shelly)
Snowcap, soup bean
Tennessee Cutshort (eaten when seeds swell, as combination snap/shelly)
Tobacco Worm (eaten when seeds swell, as combination snap/shelly)
Uzice Speckled Wax, wax and shelly
White Simpson Greasy (eaten when seeds swell, as combination snap/shelly)

My list seems to be changing weekly which is OK as I have a ways to go before I can plant. The only ones written in stone are..
Bird's Egg #3(P) (fingers crossed)
Fort Portal Jade Bean(B) (this one will be a hit or miss too)
Insuk's Wang Kong(P)
Ma Williams(P)
Mr. Tung's(P)
Purple Italian Marconi(P)
Soissons Vert(P)
Swiss Landfruen(P)
Tennessee Cutshort(P)
Tobacco Worm(P)
possibly 6 or 8 more

Annette

Those are awesome lists. I which mine were even as close as interesting. I had to cut mine down, and added a few.

WAX:
Marengo
Uzice Speckled Wax (thanks drloyd!)
Barksdale
Gold of Bacau
ROMANO:
Baba's Pole
Bosnian Pole
Musica
SNAP GREEN:
Rose
Barnes Mountain Cornfield
Santa Anna
Blue Lake
Kentucky Wonder
Kukuruzar
MULTICOLORED/PURPLE:
Trionfo Violetto
Rattlesnake
BUSH:
Improved Golden Wax
Bosnian Bush
Dragon Tongue
Black Valentine
Kinghorn Wax
Cherokee Wax

And who knows, I might be tempted by another variety.

I definately have to join SSE next year.

Great lists! I wish I could see all of your gardens in the summer.

We have been deep in La Nina conditions since last summer but the equatorial Pacific Ocean has warmed over half a degree F in recent weeks and NOAA is saying that there is a 50:50 chance that weather conditions by May and June will return to normal. A normal or average summer would be nice. So Annette, this may be a good summer to try Bird Egg #3. Your micro climate appears to be warmer than mine. I plan to give it a try in 2012 if it turns out to be an El Nino summer. - Dick

Drloyd, I only have a few Bird's Eye #3s so I will be growing them in a very protected spot, hopefully they'll produce enough seed to grow next year. Yes, a normal summer would be nice but I'm not counting on it. Me thinks it's going to be another challenging year, sure would be nice if I'm wrong. I've got lots of different beans to choose from but the Seeds of Diversity seed directory is on its way so I can't really finalize my grow list until I have perused it :).

Annette

Does anyone have any thoughts on how many bean plants one needs to grow to get a significant amount of dried beans? I have my grow list (above), but I have no idea of how many of each plant to grow in order to provide for a family of 2, and to provide enough dried beans for at least a couple of recipes each (1-2 lbs of beans, dried).

Naturally, this varies by plant and yield due to growing conditions, but thoughts would be helpful.

-----Jenna

Jenna, I like to plant aleast one 14 foot trellis of each bean but then I operate on the idea that you can never grow too many!

Annette, have you ever started beans in peat pots? - Dick

Dick, I'm not a big fan of peat pots, I have better luck with plastic pots. Last year I started some of my beans in small yogurt containers, worked great. This year I'm going to start most of my beans this way, especially if it looks like a repeat of last year's growing season.

Annette

Dick and Annette: Do beans mind if their roots are handled? I know some people start their squash and cucs in peat pots so they don't touch the roots; wanted to know if that is why you use the peat pots. Or is that just to give a head start?

Nick

Crnagora, have you grown Marengo before, if so what is it like flavor wise, It's one I'm thinking of growing this year, it's supposed to be early for a pole bean.

Annette

Crn ~ I usually direct sow but last year I had to replace some, something was pulling out and eating my Bosnian Pole beans. I planted replacements in a community pot, shortly after they germinated I planted them out with no ill effects. I had to replace a couple Barksdale, these I planted singly in small yogurt containers, slipped them out and planted when they had their true leaves. This year I'm starting most of my beans in pots in the greenhouse to give them a head start. Beans really don't like to have their roots disturbed, needless to say I was and will be very careful.

Annette

Annette and Crnagora, I use plastic pots for cukes, squash, peppers and tomatoes as the roots do not seem to penetrate the pots well.

For beans, I use 3 inch peat pots and start them two weeks before they can be planted outside. This gives the season a much needed earlier start and makes seed saving far easier. The peat pots are placed in plastic trays with drain holes and 1 inch of potting soil in them. They need full sun so as soon as they germinate they go into the greenhouse or they will get leggy. The roots very quickly bore through the pots and continue growing in the soil below. They can planted out with minimal damage.

The bottom of the peat pot is left intact. If the rim sticks up out of the soil, it will wick water away from the roots so I tear the rim off.

Zeedman got me started with this method and hopefully he will comment in this. He uses sand in the trays and I think he treats common beans differently from some others
- Dick

Along with sunspots, the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the main mover of our climate here in the Pacific Northwest. At http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/indices.shtml you can follow the current temperature in the equatorial Pacific. The 3.4 is the main one that I watch.

In 2008, La Nina conditions made for the most difficult gardening conditions ever experienced in the northern half of the USA according to reports by many. Then El Nino conditions in 2009 made for a great season for many including us here in the PNW. Last year, we were entering La Nina conditions in the spring and it was the coldest and latest spring ever recorded here. The gardening season was very difficult for many of us but some in other places reported a great summer. You may be able to determine what ENSO conditions are best for you. For us, we do best in El Nino summers or at least neutral.

We have been in deep La Nina condtions this winter but the recent trend according to the above website shows warming. The folks at the link below are boldly stating that there is a 50 percent chance of either an average spring or a La Nina spring! Average would be nice for us here.

So this summer may be a fairly good time to try out Bird Egg #3 and other long season beans. Or, it may be a good time to grow lots of cabbage and peas! - Dick

Here is a link that might be useful: ENSO info

Well we'll find out, I only have half a dozen or so Bird's Egg #3 to play around with and, since I only grow small amounts of anything here at the 'Bean Boutique' I've come up with a plan on how to protect them if the weather doesn't cooperate. It's a little funky, if it works I'll post a picture, if it doesn't mums the word :).
I'm off to the local seedy sunday this morning, don't know if I'll find anything interesting in the swap, the Cherokee Trail of Tears I took last year were a big hit and went fast.

Annette

Here's the varieties I have in my collection. Don't know if all of them will manage to get planted this year or not, but I'll try.

Pole Beans:
Blue Coco
Cherokee Trail of Tears
Rattlesnake
Turkey Craw

Bush Beans:
Dragon Tounge
Calypso
October

Tepary Beans:
Cocopah White
Yoeme Brown

Cowpeas:
Monkey Tail
Mt. Pima Yori Muni
Pinkeye Purple Hull

Lima: Jackson Wonder

Yardlong: Red Noodle

Last year the ground stayed cold and wet until late June and I had a crop failure of Oregon Sugar II and Oregon Giant. Too many weeks of wet feet.

Cascadia (Bush snap pea), Serge (bush shelling pea) and Canoe (bush shelling pea) all did great. This year I decided to go with just those three and today I planted out almost 3 quarts of sprouted seeds.

Cascadia is fine for steaming and stir frying. Serge and Canoe are mostly eaten raw but they are good cooked too.

Summertime is on the way!! - Dick

I decided to add Golden Valley which is a bush shelly that is listed at 60 days. That would be nice. Dick

I made more changes...again! Here it is:
WAX:
Marengo
Uzice Speckled Wax
Tisa
Barksdale
Gold of Bacau
ROMANO:
Baba's Pole
Bosnian Pole
Musica
Sumadinka
SNAP GREEN:
Rose
Barnes Mountain Cornfield
Santa Anna
Blue Lake
Kentucky Wonder
Kukuruzar
Missouri Wonder
MULTICOLORED/PURPLE:
Trionfo Violetto
Rattlesnake
BUSH:
Improved Golden Wax
Bosnian Bush
Dragon Tongue
Black Valentine
Kinghorn Wax
Cherokee Wax
Scharenchich

Also, Annette, I have not grown Marengo before. I all I have heard is that is the best wax for freezing.

Dick, I have to second Cascadia peas. They are my favorite pea in the world. I just pulled the last of peas out now and dug in the vines to get ready for summer planting. Can't wait to get the beans, and tomatoes and peppers and squash and melons and cucumbers and basil in!

Well, I got my Cherokee Trail of Tears, Blue Coco, Turkey's Craw, Dragon Tounge, Ocotober, Jackson Wonder Limas, and Purple Hull Pinkeye Cowpeas planted.

Looks like I probably won't have room for the Rattlesnakes this year. I would like to squeeze some of those teparies in somewhere though, since I've never grown that species before. It would be nice if they're really as drought tolerant as people say and I could get away with just never watering them and let them get all their water from rain.

"I would like to squeeze some of those teparies in somewhere though, since I've never grown that species before. It would be nice if they're really as drought tolerant as people say and I could get away with just never watering them and let them get all their water from rain."

Just a note of caution. You might have noticed that bean freak though I am, I do not grow or collect teparies. There is a good reason. According to several references I've read, most tepary beans carry Bean Mosaic Virus, to a greater or lesser extent. Teparies themselves are resistant, but the virus can spread to neighboring beans of other species via sucking insects. Before growing teparies, I would recommend contacting the source, to see if the seed is certified virus free.

With the size of my bean collection, I can't take the chance of infecting my stock. If I do grow teparies, it will be in an isolated plot (or in pots) where other beans will not be grown.

There is a virus-free cultivar, but I passed up an opportunity to acquire it, and it is no longer available through that source. I should have taken my own advice: "collect it when you find it, it may not be there next year".

I too have added some- Blue Coco (or Purple Peacock... can't remember which one), Early Riser (55 DTM pole bean that's supposedly a super producer), and Ukranian Comrades (couldn't pass up the orange and black seeds!). THE COLD WEATHER IS KILLING ME. I NEED TO PLANT SOMETHING BESIDES COLD CROPS.

Abby

I usually don't decide until just before planting, but here is a partial list of the ones I'll definitely grow...

Birds Egg #3
Dollof 2 sources
Blue Coco
Sunset Runner
Uncle Steves
Ma Williams
I have 4 small pole limas from Texas to trial, will do as many as I have room to keep separate of the Black Jungle Butterbean, Sieva Lima, Willowleaf Lima and Mexican Black Lima. Or I might put one or two of each together in the hottest part of the garden just to see which will grow and which won't, eat the crossed seeds and grow the most successful varieties out next year.

Great lists guys! I am going to look into some of those seeds that you are growing and see if they'll be good for next year's planting.

Can't wait to here to see all the other lists, especially Zeedman's.

Zeedman, thanks for the tip about the teparies. I did not know that. Maybe I won't grow any teparies either.

Do you think that the white mold that usually infects dying peas can affect beans? In the staggering peas thread I have a question about that.

Well my list is still changing, I've acquired several more heirloom beans :). Some I don't have many so will grow them for seed, that is if they germinate.

Polish Freidank a pole snap, Berlotti Nostrami which I think is grown for a dry/shelly from Seeds of Diversity members and also Grandma's Yugoslavian are 3 more added to my list and I also have several other bush types I'm growing in tubs.

Our weather looks like it's slowly improving, still a lot of snow on the mountains around us which keeps the temperature a little lower than normal but there is a glimmer of hope :).

Tennesse Cutshorts, Barksdale and possibly Bird Egg#3 which I've already started will go in the ground next week, then on to the next batch.

Annette

Here is what I have planned, so far:

Bean - Bush - Snap
Cherokee Wax
Choctaw Wax
Empress
Giant Stringless Green Pod
Iregi Wisconsin
Migliorucci
Norcio
Red Valentine Stringless
Woods Mountain Crazy Bean
Wunder Butter(Wax)

Bean - Bush - Dry
Biwa Sitter
Dr Wyche's Russian
Hutterite
Piattelle Toscane

Bean - Pole - Snap
Bosnian Pole
Bosnian Yellow Pod
Grampa Bishop
North Carolina Long Greasy
Rattlesnake
Tarheel
Unknown Polish

Bean - Popping
Nuna

Cowpea - Bush - Dry
Fagiolina de Transimeno
Purple hull

Cowpea - Bush - Snap
Bush - Yancheng

Pea - Bush - Soup
Alaska
Kazanskij

Pea - Bush - Garden
Dwarf Gray
Sugar Ann

I am pretty excited about this year's lineup, as 2/3 items will be new to me.

Dean

My list for the year is pretty short, but I learned what garden peas will be planted again and which ones won't!

Mammoth Melting Sugar-awesome taste, loved them, planting lots more next time
Cascadia snap peas- since I was eating them raw didn't really care for them
Tall Telephone Peas-Plant Earlier and more and in better location
Wando-didn't do much anything, (could have been location though)
Rattlesnake-just planted, was waiting on peas to peter out
Black Jungle Butterbeans, may have to replant, only one so far germinated, giving it a few more days
Dragon tongue-planted first so should be producing by the end of the month? Tasted a couple last year liked them
Pencil Pod Wax-leftover from last year germinated well
Contender- ?? haven't seen yet
TopCrop- same as Contender

I am currently germinating seeds for this year, first in damp/wet paper towels on a heat mat and then transferring them to 3.5" peat pots as soon as they form radicals. I have been fighting way too many squirrels lately to want to risk direct seeding (squirrels are easily the most destructive, tenacious and overwhelming of all urban pests).

After agonizing for weeks and weeks this winter about which plants to grow in my limited space, I decided on the following to provide a nice range of shellies and snaps:

1. Giant Red Tarka (bush shelly). These have been germinating steadily and vigorously. I am surprised by how HUGE and FAT these beautiful seeds are once they soak up water. I already love this variety and it hasn't even grown yet, LOL!
2. Withner's White Cornfield (pole snap). Recommended by Carol Deppe as a good producer for heavy shade, and I plan on putting her claims to the test. This is another vigorous germinator. Has white sickle-shaped seeds that do not swell up much when hydrated.
3. Bosnian Pole (pole snap). Germinating somewhat reluctantly for me. Unusually beautiful seeds that swell by about 50% when hydrated.
4. Tennessee Cutshort (pole snap/shelly combo). Germinating reluctantly. This is another one that swells up to a surprisingly large size when hydrated.
5. Soissons Vert (pole shelly). One of my most anticipated beans and, of course, the one that has been most reluctant to germinate. Only one seed shows signs of a tiny radical so far. I am keeping my fingers crossed... When hydrated, these are much larger than I thought they would be, being about 75% larger than a typical flageolet bean.
6. Caruther's Purple Podded Pea (pole shelly). Ok, they are not beans, but the seeds swelled up to a nice large size (for peas) when soaked and the little plants are beautiful so far, with glaucous-tinged foliage. I sowed these outdoors back in March, squirrels destroyed half of them and they are now barely 4-5" tall. They are behind by several weeks due to the erratic weather we have been having this spring, and I hope they will be able to produce something before the summer heat begins.

I have other wonderful seeds in my refrigerator that will have to be planted next year...sigh.

Ciao all-

Wow, I'm so excited about the legumes I'm growing this year! I lobbied for a new bed and got it. I also got a small plot for a Three Sisters Bed at the community garden, so I've got 2 extra spaces for growing beans this year.

These are what I have planned:

Existing Pole Bean Trellis:

Sadie's Horse Runner Bean
Musica Romano
Purple Hyacinth Bean

Bush Beans in Leeks/Okra Bed:

Dragon Tongue
Knuckle Purple Hull Cowpea
Magpie

Three Sisters Bed - our garden:

Mr. Tung's
Rattlesnake
Turkey Craw

New Pole Bean Trellis:

Insuk's Wang Kong White-flowered
Red Noodle Yardlong
Christmas Lima

Three Sisters Bed - community garden:

Uncle Walt's Vermont Cranberry
Oma Eugenia's German Pole
Cherokee Trail of Tears
Grammy Tilly's Runner Bean

Favas:

Crimson-flowered Fava

Peas:

Salmon-flowered Crown Pea
Amish Snap Pea
Carouby de Mausannes Snow Pea
Asparagus Pea

I finally planted my beans yesterday! It was tough deciding which ones to grow this year.
Pole Beans:
Jembo Polish
Soissons Vert
Bosnian Pole
Fortex
North Carolina Long Speckled Greasy Cut-Short
Red and White Fall

Lima:
Loudermilk

Runner:
Insuk's Wang Kong
Bianco (something) that giant white one, the name is gone from my mind at the moment

Remy

Yay Remy! You're very brave to be putting your beans in already. I'm SO COLD, so I know beans would be, too.

Hi Sorellina,
I'm cold too! lol. I didn't plant them in the ground though, I planted them in pots. After the trouble I had a couple years ago with something eating them, I found this works much better. Of course I didn't expect this whole week to be so rainy and cold. I could of waited until next week!
Oh, did sow Thomas Laxton peas in the ground. I forgot all about that, lol.
Remy