Depends on the cause. Do the spots rub off the beans? If so it is mold and should be removed before storage or use or they will all rot anyway. Is it a hole? Then it is weevils and the weevil may still be inside the bean. Discard them. But the most likely cause is common Bean Rust, a fungus (you can Google that name for pics and info). In dry storage the fungus will continue to grow and spread as long as there is any O2 and moisture available. So trying to save them is usually pointless. Some elect to freeze mold/fungus infected beans for later cooking but it isn't recommended. Dave

Wertach - LOL! I just made a recipe of hummus out of black beans (canned for first try - next time will soak, cook, mush). The flavor of black beans instead of garbanzos was fabulous! And fortunately we both eat them... :) I will try the cranberry beans - they were common in New England produce sections years ago - love the flavor. Zeedman - thank you - I hope you find your notes. I love reading your descriptions of different beans. You're so dedicated. :) I'm excited that I can grow limas here - tho my Fordhooks are not doing so well this year - but they are blooming again, so maybe our lower temps are agreeable with them. I used to garden in Mass. and grew limas one year with much coddling (raised beds, what are now called low tunnels...). Perhaps the shell beans would do well planted in late March/April - my bush beans did amazingly well this March. I will search the two sources you mentioned - I'm finding beans to be more addictive than any other veggie. HappyDay - The Birds Egg3 - how would I ask to trial some seeds? I'm unclear on how one gets involved. That thread is what really motivated my questions. Runner beans - I will go read. I would love a bean that would regrow. And I have some questions on beans that were supposed to be "bush" that found a trellis and decided to become pole beans... but that's another thread. Thank you - I'll definitely pick up some cranberry beans. And search for more options. The challenge for me is to keep enough space to grow all the other veggies without having to dig up and fence more space.

Even dry looking pods can mold if air is not blowing on them. Or beans can sprout inside the pod. If the seeds are mature, I shell them into a colander and put under a fan. If seeds are pale and not fully colored, I string the pods on strong thread and hang over a box with a fan on them, till the seeds have color, than shell them into a colander and put a fan on them. If you leave them laying on a towel, you may find mold on the underside when you turn them.But it's better than the bag, they would definitely have molded in there, so it's good that you took them out.

2008 Bean Report One goal for this summer was to find out what would grow well at a location where the average daytime high on August 1 is 76 F and the average nighttime low is 52 F. Last frost is expected about May 1 and the first about October 25. This was a summer that was described by many as the most difficult gardening season they could remember. Spring arrived here weeks late and fall frosts were early with 30 F on October 11 which killed the bean leaves and 29 F on the 15th. The "Himalayan" blackberries started to ripen a month late and then most of them just died on the vines. So it was a good time to see what plants might thrive here most any summer. All bean seeds were pre-sprouted and were planted out on June 14 and 15 unless otherwise noted. Pole beans were planted in 14 foot rows north to south, some on trellises and some on poles. There was a 14 foot row of each pole variety with extra "Britas" and "Goose"/"Ma Williams" It became obvious that I had gotten in over my head with too many varieties and I ended up with poor records on some. "45/90" was thought to be a pole dry common bean so it was planted late, on 6/14. But turned out to be a runner with some plants with pole habit and some half-runner habit. Some had red blossoms and some white. They were early enough to produce dry seed. No reports of eating qualities. "Azores" is a bush dry bean with medium size shellies, shelly stage by 9/14 and mostly dry by 9/28. "Bert Goodwin" is a half runner dry bean. In the greenhouse it produced a heavy crop of large shellies on 5-6 foot vines. Outdoors, it produced a fair crop and made it to shelly stage by 10/1 and dry by the 10/12. They did better grown in a block as a bush bean due to shading of the short plants when grown on a trellis in the pole section. Some 2-3 foot twigs for support would help. This is a good candidate for a multi-purpose bean with good snaps and shellies. "Bianco di Spagna" is a white pole runner bean that was planted on 6/15, later than the other runners because it was advertised as a common bean. It has truly enormous shellies up to 1 ¾ inch long. As of 9/28 there were many plump green pods with huge shellies. Over a 2-3 week period we had several meals of these delicious thin skinned shellies. On 10/19 I picked a couple buckets of pods to shell for freezing. Many pods were yellow and a few dry. "Bonds Orcas Lima" is an early white seed pole runner bean that was planted 5/30. The snaps were ready by 8/8 but I did not try them. We started using them as shellies on 9/6 and by 9/18 there were many yellow and drying pods. The shellies are thin skinned and good flavored. "Borlotto Lingua di Fuoco" is a pole dry bean. Snaps were ready 8/20. There were some shellies ready by 9/28. Shellies were up to 15/16 inch long, plump and oval. I picked the last of them on 10/18 and there were not many. They were shaded by corn and made a lot of foliage, not many beans. "Borlotto Solista" is a bush dry bean. Snaps were ready 8/20. Some shellies were ready by 9/28 and all were at shelly stage by 10/18. Shellies were up to 1 1/6 long in pods that were up to 11 inches long. No pods were dry. "Borlotto Stregonta" is a pole dry bean. Snaps were ready 8/20. Many of the 15/16" shellies were ready by 9/28 and by 10/19 there was about a pound of dry seed along with shellies to freeze. "Britas" is sold by Salt Spring Seeds as a pole snap bean. Some were sown in peat pots on 5/23 and planted out 6/14. The vines were loaded with good snaps by 8/4 and green pod shellies by 9/6. Some pods were turning yellow by 9/18. At that stage the 9 inch pods are inedible but they are very easy to shell and the medium size shellies are tender and delicious. On 9/28 they had many yellow and drying pods. Some were planted 6-14 as sprouted beans and were not yellow by 9/28. By 10/13 these were a mix of green shelly stage, yellow and dry. A third bed was sown on 6/20. By 10/18 there were many at green pod shelly stage or yellow but about half were a total loss, beyond snaps and not yet shellies. This is another good multipurpose bean and it produces very high yields. "Bumblebee" is a bush dry bean. Some were shelly stage by 9/14 and most by 9/28. They had very fat pods with big shellies. We liked them and steamed them in the pods. The pods were tender and edible (except for strings) when they started to turn yellow. Later they got somewhat fibrous. "Cannellini Bush" many were at shelly stage by 9/12. The shellies were small and we cooked them in the pods which were a bit chewy. On 9/28 most were at shelly stage or drying as seed. "Cannellini Gigante" is a white pole runner bean planted 5/30. By 9/28 some pods were plump, a couple turning yellow. As of 10/24 most are at green pod shelly stage and we are still using them as shellies. They may be a bit more chewy than Bianco de Spagna. "Coco Rubico" is a bush dry bean sowed 6-21. Smallish shellies were ready by 9/28. "Decker Family" is a bush dry bean. A few of the very large shellies were ready by 9/21. By 9/28 about 1/3 were at shelly stage. The few pods were all dry as of 10/20. "Delucci Cannellini" is a white pole runner that was sown 5/30. By 9/28 there were some very fat green pods, and a couple turning yellow. By 10/19 most were at green pod shelly stage and I was able to freeze a few pounds of the tender and tasty shellies. "European Soldier" is a bush dry bean. By 9/28 they were at shelly stage or drying. Large seeds but the crop was small. "Jeminez" is a pole snap/shelly/dry bean. The first fine snaps were ready 8/20. There were no strings until the pods were very large. By 9/28 the pods looked very overripe and were plumping up but were still good. On 10/18 they were at shelly stage. Some of the pods were getting a bit fibrous. None of the pods dried out. "Goose"/"Ma Williams" is a pole snap and shelly bean. They were ready as snaps 8/16 and the first shellies 9/6. Loads by 9/17. The ripe pods stay tender and we steam them in the pods. We continued eating these almost daily even after the frosts until the last ones got too dry about 10/20. The vines did not make much foliage so I had thought that the plants were languishing at first. The pods are a beautiful green/yellow/rose combination that makes them a pleasure to see. "Goose Liver" is a bush dry bean that makes large shellies. The few pods were mostly drying by 9/28. "Grammy Tilley" is an early white pole runner bean very similar to Bonds except that the shellies are more chewy. "Insuks Wang Kong" is a pole runner bean with very large seeds that are either pink or dark purple, a few white. By 10/9 the generous yield was mostly at green pod shelly stage with some turning yellow. The large shellies were tasty (and chewy as with most runners). "NT Half Runner" is a half runner snap bean. They produced quality snaps by 9/6. The pods stay tender even when plump. "PI 507984" is a bush dry bean. Some were started in peat pots 5/23 and planted out on 6/14. The shellies were ready 8/28 and dry by 9/11. A bed was planted 6/20 - some were turning yellow and ready as shellies on 9/28. By 10/13 that last bed still had a lot of green pods, but also a lot of shellies and some dry seed. The plants were moderate producers in this climate and this summer. They were the best of the bush shellies. "Rose", a pole shelly bean, was sown in peat pots 5/23 and planted out 6/14. They were producing quality snaps by 9/18. By 9/28 some pods were getting plump but no mature shellies were produced. "Scarlet Beauty" is a bush dry bean. They were planted 6/21 and by 9/28 the plants looked sick and were not at shelly stage. "Snowcap" is a pole dry bean. By 9/18 they starting to make shellies, and by 9/28 there were many up to 1 1/8 inch, white with maroon speckles and streaks. Pods at that stage were inedible and the shellies were a bit dry. They do make great soup. The brown pattern became visible after they were cooked. By 10/15 most were yellow pod stage or dry. I froze some and got a lot of dry seed. The seeds slowly develop the typical brown patch as they dry but it does not appear that they will ever look like normal Snowcap seed. They may like warmer temperatures.