cabrita.Either bean will probably produce for you planted now. Ckeck the photo posted 5/24/10. This is the Mexican bean. The arch is a 8'x 20' reinforceing panel with 3 seed on each side of the trellis. They were planted in the middle of July and this pic was taken 10/24/10. I picked approx. 4# of dry seed before we had a killer frost in November. The Mexican bean is day length sensitive and doesn't flower until September for me in southeast Tex. On the otherhand the black jungle starts blooming at a early age and will produce until you have a killer frost. You could plant 15 or 20 of the black jungle and have plenty of dry shelled seed and you can also shell them when they mature for some great tasting fresh shelled beans.

Thank you Harry!

Here are my black jungle butterbeans that I grew from your seeds, now I know why they are called jungle,lol. They are very prolific and tasty!

In another part of the garden

And the beans

Silvia

Silvia,Your pictures are great and the bean vines look pretty good too. The cluster of pods look pretty small but that should change with the coming of fall weather.The production on my plants has not been very good because of the extra high temperature we have had this summer. At the present time I have lots of flowers and small beans and I am looking forward to a large harvest.
Did you plant any of the Mexican black limas? Mine are just starting to bloom and have a few small beans forming I hope we don't have a early frost so I can harvest more than I did last year.I did good last year but still lost a lot of immature pods.
My willow leaf limas are showing signs of life again with lots of flower clusters. They did real good until we got our heat wave. They are a very tasty bean also.
Thanks for posting the pictures. I hope to see more when they get into full production.
Harry

Harry - We had very hot weather here and just now the butterbeans are producing, I am already picking a good amount for my snacks I just wash them and put them in the microwave, they are easy to shell then. I just add olive oil, salt and pepper.
Since you told me that the mexican lima beans take a lot of space, I only planted one, next year i will plant more.

Here it is on a trellis next to the papayas.

I will update on the growth of the black jungle butterbeans and the mexican lima beans.

Silvia

Silvia I bet any kind of bean would be good cooked like that. How long do you cook them. I would hate to over do it and maybe blow them up!!!!!! I check the Florida Garden Forum every day to see what you have going on. I bet your friends enjoy all the fancy food you cook. All of the pictures you post sure look great.
I don't understand the slow growth of your Mexican lima. I planted 6 last July and they over grew my trellis.This year I planted three on a 16 foot cattle panel and they run the full length of it and hang off about two feet on one end, The panel is not yet covered from top to bottom but as fast as they are growing it probably will be in several weeks. They start slower than the black butter beans but when they take off they grow like crazy.
Harry

Thank you Harry, you are so nice. About the microwave cooking I always put a paper towel on top to avoid accidents,lol. I only cook them for a minute or two depending on the size of the bean, when ready sometimes I hear a popping sound like popcorn.

Maybe my mexican lima beans are not too productive because before they were growing with yard long beans, I took them out to plant pole beans, next time I will plant them earlier.

And I am glad that you enjoy my posts, I always have fun sharing the crops that I grow and the food that I prepare with friends, neighbors, and garden enthusiast just like you.:)

Silvia

I don't know if this is to late but I just saw this post and would love to try some of the two kinds of beans, I would love a bean covered tellis like you did that is beautiful, I will send a self addressed stamped envelope.

Wiigodess you are not too late. I have plenty of seed for both beans.I'll check with you on email.

If anybody has any of either variety I'd love to try some for next year. I'm in Mesa, Az. I also would love to try canning them so I'd be interested in eventually growing a fair amount if I can find a large enough spot. If you can share some seed i can send the SASE. I only want one variety as I don't have room for preventing cross-contamination.

Harry,

You did not tell me they were so prolific and tasty! LOL

Yesterday's harvest is going to the freezer. I am still shelling them...

Silvia

I'm newly registered here on the boards; motivated to register because I really want to grow these beans; yummm. Took the longest time for me to get registered, have no idea how seed exchanges work; but may I please? And is it too late for this year?

Thanks - Dianne

Gardengimp. I still have lots of seed for both beans. It takes several months to make mature beans with the black jungle beans and if you don't have any frost you may make a crop. It is too late for the Mexican black limas.
flintknapper

I would really like to try out the black jungle beans, I do have some bean seed for trade

Hi ty333.Send me an email and and maybe we can make a trade.
My address is: hdodge78@sbcglobal.net

ty333, I want to clarify the above post. You do not have to trade to get the black jungle butter beans.Trading just gives me the opportunity to get seed that I probably would not ever get otherwise.I want every body to get the seed that want them. A SASE works as good as a trade. I would like to see them tested in every state in the union.
flintknapper

flintnapper send me an email, I can't email your email,

ty333 you will have to post you email address because it is not on your member page. The address I posted is correct.
flintknapper

ty333 I'm having computer problems and here is another email address you can try: a27dodge@pnx.com and you can try mine again. My son is trying to get mine going again also post your email sddress on this site and I will contact you if you can't get thru to me.
flintknapper

Hi flintknapper, these beans sound like they are exactly what I'm looking for. I need something that can stand up to scorching heat and fruit through Arizona's long summers. I plan on using them on two sides of my raised beds for beans and to provide afternoon shade for my other crops.

I already sent emails to both your email address.

thisisme hoping you still have some left.

Thank you

thisisme

thisisme I still have seed that you can have for a SASE.
I think your best bet is with www.nativeseeds.org They are located in Tuson.They have numerous seed for a good price that you could choose from. The Hopi limas all may solve your problem. If you still would like to try the black jungle butter bean let me know by email and I will send you my address. I think the Mexican black lima would be a bad choice. We had a hot dry summer ( mid to upper nineties) and they have not performed near as well as the black jungle butter beans.

Thank you flintknapper, emails sent to both addresses. I took a look at the site you recommended. I think I will be making a purchase there. For sure I will be picking up Tarahumara Pink Green Beans there and perhaps a few others.

I guess I need to start thinking about how I'm going to provide support for such aggressive growing varieties. I'm sure my wife is going to think I'm crazy but I think its going to be a lot fun.

Just thought I'd mention that I managed to harvest a handful of seed of black jungle butterbean this year. The only other lima I planted flopped, as did many of my regular beans. Here in NE Oklahoma it was a terrible year for beans.

George

Thank you flintknapper, I got them today! I hope they will grow here, zone 7A, they are beautiful!

flintknapper, I would love to try your black jungle butterbean seeds here in the DFW area if you still have some.
I have some bean seeds listed and others that I don't have listed if you would like to trade.

flintknapper

I would love to try both beans in my S. Georgia garden. We love butterbeans and want to try trellising to produce more in less space. If you still have seed to share, I will send a SASE.

Elaine

My seed supply is getting pretty low so that I can only send 20 seed to future requests until I run out.

The seed are all gone. Thanks to everyone who requested them and I hope you can keep them going and give seed to other gardeners.
Harry

Thanks Harry. I have to wait till at least May 15 if not June 1 to plant them out but will try all 4 this year and will report how they do up here.

Do the Black Jungle butterbeans take a long time to germinate? I planted a week and a half ago and nada, do I need to replant? Thanks:-)

stargazer,I have been growing these beans about 15 or 16 years but I can't anwser your question. I can't remember the last time I actually planted any black jungle butter bean seed. They are a wild bean and the dry pods will shatter if you don't pick them soon enough. I always have a pine straw mulch around them and lots of seed fall in the mulch. Every spring I have plenty of volunteer plants that I dig up and transplant to were I want them.
Maybe you planted your seed too deep or maybe the ground is too cool. Limas like hot weather. I would wait a little longer. When I do plant seed I plant in small pots in a good potting mix in my green house and then transplant. Most all seed germinate for me when I do that.

I planted mine last Wednesday, about one inch deep. They are coming up now. It looks like all of them germinated. It has been 80's for highs and upper 50's for lows here.

Thanks Flintknapper!

Planted mine yesterday - I can't wait to see eat them! My early planting of (other) beans is just starting to flower, so pretty sure the soil should be warm enough for them. Thank you again Harry!

Cindy

My Grandfather was from Pensacola Florida and grew a Speckled butterbean from his own seed from circa 20s till he passed around 1980. The bean itself was vibrantly colored with bright red flecks, Purples maroons and some geen as I recall on a cream colored backdrop. About the same size as the Florida speckled butterbean out there now. Around 58 or so he took one central vine from his backdoor and tained it all over his backyard. The paper carried a picture and he'd harvested something like 120lbs or better fom the single vine. The vibrant colored bean would turn a slate- blue gray color when cooked and darken when cooked longer. If you know anywhere I might find a similar bean I would love to obtain some-( enough to restore the seed strain). I also in my search came across some black Butterbeans from some stuff at my uncle's estate recently that I do not know anything about. I will plant some of theses this summer to try and secure this seed and hopefully have enough to try eating as well.

I would be intrested in planting some of the Black Jungle beans you mention above to preserve those as well if you still have and would like me to take it on. I am 53 and have just begun a life of gardening. I built a trellis and have Florid Speckled on one side, a muticolored (each bean varies from the other) Lynch burg variety- same relative size as the Florida Speckled, another similar bean but an overall size larger- and then a few of the larger Christmas Butterbean.

I live in Lafayette La now. I'll be glad to Cover any costs and will gladly share any of what I have with others.

I have some "Banna Melon seeds left (gotten from Reimer seed company) If you or anyone out there wants to try a few.

My Contact # is 337-552-4771 if anyone is intrested.

Thanks,

Tom Graham

Just a thought, try contacting the paper that carried the article and place an add about trying to located anyone who might be still growing this bean. Just recently I was able to give bean seed back to a family who's grandmother brought it over from Italy in 1911. The family had lost it and were glad to get it back, maybe your grandfather shared his seed with friends and neighbors and have kept it going, it's worth a try.

Annette

Tom, At the present time I'm out of seed for the BJ butter bean. Remind me in a couple of months and I will share with you then.
Harry

The bean itself was vibrantly colored with bright red flecks, Purples maroons and some geen as I recall on a cream colored backdrop.

Sounds amazing, hope you can find it and bring it back. I'd love to trade for it when you find it. Have you asked at Southern Seed Exchange, or the GRIN/NPGS, or Bill Bests Heirloom Seeds? They might have heard of it. You could also go back to where your dad used to live and grow it, and ask the neighbors. Maybe some of them saved seed or even still grow it.

Had two come up and the dang cats trampled one of them!! Ugh! Hoping more will come up, think it's because it's been kinda cool, (for TX anyway)

Hi Everyone,

Thanks to flintknapper/Harry my Black Jungle Butter Beans are doing great. Hope to have some to eat soon. They do not like cool weather. The first seed I got from Silvia and I planted them and the next day we had a cool front come in and it lasted for two weeks. Most of the seed rotted in the ground. Then Harry send me a few seed and this is what they look like today.

Black Jungle Butter Beans

Luther

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for some Carolina Red Lima seed and some Bird Egg #3 lima seed. Does anyone have any I can aquire?

Here is a picture of my pole bean Trellis.

This a picture of 1880 Butter Beans I got from flintnapper.

1880 Black & White Butter Bean

Thanks everyone,

Luther

Hi Everyone,

Here is a picture of my 1st shelled Black Jungle Butter Beans.

Black Jungle Butter Beans.

These are going to make a nice meal.

Luther

My black jungle butterbeans just sprouted, they are at the two leaf stage.

Those look so wonderful Luther - thank you for sharing! Mine are taking their time even with our incredible heat here in GA. I have planted them several times and am only seeing about 50% germination. But the ones that made it are growing - I can't wait to eat them!

happyday, you have several weeks before you can harvest any beans. It took a little over 80 days before mine were ready to pick. We are having temperatures around 90 during the day and 70 at night. I found out they don't like cool weather. When I planted mine they didn't all germinate and I had to replant.

Cindy, in the high temperatures you are having in your area they should grow really fast. It takes a lot of water in this heat.

Here is a picture of my bush Jackson Wonder speckle butter beans. They developed before the BJBB.

Jackson Wonder Speckle Butter Beans

This was the 1st time I ate the Black Jungle Butter Beans. They tasted really good. In fact they tasted similar to the Jackson wonder.

Luther

Those look so tasty Luther! I am not sure what the deal is with the black jungle butter beans - they and the winged beans are very slow to sprout and then grow. I have lots of other beans in the same area growing well, so I'm puzzled. We're eating Rattlesnake, Hilda, Kwintus, and two types of bush beans.

A couple of the BJBBs have finally taken off and are now climbing the cattlepanel - hoping they will survive the bean beetles that have been munching on them. I've been watering endlessly it seems and temps have been over 100 each day for about a week now... No rain to speak of. Hoping the new growth is a sign of things to come!

Cindy

I sent you an email!
Kim

Does anyone still have some of these seeds ?

Hi Kellyann I still have black jungle butterbean seed. contact me at hdodge86@sbcglobal.net if you want some.

My black butter bean crop fell in 2020 & I no longer have HBJBB, so if anyone would be willing to sale a few, I be glad to pay for them. thanks

I haven't tried to grow these in years. Last time I tried my vines were hugh and awesome but no beans formed until near frost. So no seeds. I'll see if I still have any seeds and try to grow some next year.

Does anyone know if flintknapper/Harry is still on GW/Houzz? Hope he's doing okay.