Hey Rodger, Good to "see you" again! Your projects always seem so interesting and Im glad last year went well for you. I grew out a white greasy mixture, last year, which I received through E-bay, back in 2006. It had a wide range of pod size, form and degree of "greasiness." But all were good. The original seed came from NC. Anyway, I do things on a smaller scale than you. I feel fortunate to be growing out my regulars plus experimenting with this mix and trying Ma Williams & Jimenez.

I wish we could make out to the conference. But we have animals and both of us have demanding employment. I am in Mexico, right now, for two weeks, and thatÂs a very great stretch for us. "Us" because someone else has to do what I normally do, while away.

IÂm looking forward to reading of your exploits! Someday, IÂd like to grow out that cornfield pumpkin you mentioned last year (but not this year ï). This year I need to multiply seed to the two strains of Warsaw Buff Pie Pumpkin, that I have. ThatÂll keep me busy.

George
Tahlequah, OK

Welcome back Rodger! How are the newlyweds doing? Hope all are well settled and happy with grandkids on the way. :)

I finally got some pawpaw seeds!!! thanks to an observant seed trader, and will start some seedlings this spring. Will also be trying to reproduce groundnuts (apios), first runner beans (Insuks Wang Kong) and Birds Egg #3. Have enough Ma Williams/Goose bean to go a year without growing, and to trade, so let me know if you would like some. Had first success with melons last year, thanks to a big tree coming down, and will grow more next year. Also planted some iris and peonies since I got them on freecycle. Not that I am interested in flowers but if there is a fragrance in the garden, it makes working out there more pleasant. Sweet clover, wild flax and milkweed are the usual scents.

Also this year I may be looking harder for a small acreage and fixer upper old farmhouse that I can buy for 20K or thereabouts. I'd like to move somewhere warmer, preferably near a rural college town with ag, arts and/or computer degree programs, maybe where there is a German/Norwegian community. So if anyone has tips on where I might find that, please email me from my profile.

"...I never have been one to speak alot..."

Maybe so, but you always have something interesting to tell about. It was a nice surprise to see your post here today.

Jim

George, I will have to send you some seeds of the corn field pumpkin. I am also regrowing the Black seeded greasy bean again this year. I believe it was last fall at the Appalachian Seed swap in Berea Ky. John Coyendal was asking me if I had ever grown a corn field pumpkin that he had from Tenn. It too produced multi sized and shaped tan skinned orange fleshed pumpkins. So this seems to be a widespread old time pumpkin

Happyday, hard to believe but my son has been married 18mos now and no thoughts of children yet. They are content with their dog and each other for now. I bought me two pawpaw trees from Edible landscapes in Va. They were a vendor at the fall festival last fall. I got to sample some of the fruit then went to there nursery on the way home. Outstanding people and a large selection of fruits and berries and they have a large internet buisiness (SP). On the ground nuts several years ago at the first Appachian seed conference I attended a lady brought some apios and cooked them. They were okay but I saw a picture on one of the forums recently of a legume that at first reminded me of the Snail vine "phaseolus caracalla" The individual didn't know what it was and posted it for identification. It was the apios or ground nut. Now my interest is sparked up and I would like to grow it. where did you get your seed or is it grown from the tubers? Also how did the seed do I sent you last year. I have some other Beans, limas and peas for you to try if interested. and this applies to all ya'll. If I not growing it for a seed company I am more than happy to share.
Thanks Jim for the comment, I believe it is your posts that I find interesting.
Besides my seed company grow outs I have several new beans to grow this year mainly thanks to "BlueFint" aka Tony West.
Rodger

Rodger, that's great, as long as the kids are happy, that's what counts. The rest will take care of itself.

What did you think of the taste of pawpaws? What did you think of the taste of apios? I have never had either one to taste yet. Someday.

I did a search for apios here and emailed everyone who ever said they had some, and found a wonderful lady who was able to share a small amount of her wild-harvested seed. Plan to reproduce it in raised beds in partial shade, and if it succeeds I can send you seed or tubers next fall.

Had good luck with the Loudermilk butterbeans and cowpeas, they all grew well here, though sure they would have recropped more if not so far north. I can trade you a mess of Ma Williams now if you have any especially colorful or delicious or big beans to trade.

I wanted one Lima from Sandhill called the "Frosty Lima: 88 days. Large, beautiful seeds that are mauve and pink speckled with a frosty "icing" coating, pole type. We think this is the most beautiful bean seed that we grow." but wouldn't you know it is unavailable this year. :(

You wouldn't happen to have any of those would you? :D

Rodger, I'm doing my first bean breeding experiment. Last summer I planted a couple of those black greasy beans in with some of those mixed white greasies from NC. The black greasy neither sets seed nor produces as readily as I would like, and that either in NJ or OK. It almost seems day length sensitive. Anyway, the white greasy mix all flowered and produced abundantly. I saved seed from the black greasies which had been grown with the white, and will do this for a couple of years, hoping to come up with a black greasy like we had before we left the country in 1988; one which produces abundantly under our conditions.

Anyway, that's what I'm trying. We can eat most of the experiment : )

George

Happyday,I have what I believe is the same bean. Mine came from John Coykendal and was a chance cross of king of the garden lima and christmas lima. John got his from the man that had the original cross but I can't recall his name off hand. But the seed is white and looks like it has been air brushed with lavender across one end. I will send you some but I need your address again send me a PM.

George, The Black greasy produced fair for me but not great which is why I wanted to give it a tray again this year planted as an early spring crop and a fall crop. I had a similar problem with producing seed with the greasy pod I grew last year for SESE I planted it late May produced tons of vines and blooms but didn't set until fall and by then with all the vine and fall rains started disease set in and ended the crop. This was a similar problem with the black greasy I planted mid May lots of vine with marginal pod set so this year I will plant one tripod mid April and again in Late July for fall and see what happens. Rodger

Rodger, welcome back! I was afraid the USDA had you locked up, for attempting to take their entire pea collection. (lol)

Glad to hear that so many of your seed crops went well, I remember your post about the "Insuk's Wang Kong" being knocked down by wind. It was a challenging year for many of us, although it ended up being pretty productive. You're living my dream, Rodger; I hope to grow large-scale seed crops when I retire. It's a labor of love. For now, I can only grow small preservation plantings.

For me, I'm not sure what the future holds. A job promotion last Fall has improved my situation financially, but the increased hours will be cutting into the time I usually spend with family & garden. I'll be continuing my preservation efforts, but perhaps at a reduced level... I'll see how it goes this Summer.

My vegetable list for 2009 is still a work in progress; it never gets firmed up until I get the SSE yearbook, and search it for items on my wish list. It should be out any day now.

I will be re-growing "Sangre de Toro" as a dry bean. While it showed great potential last year, the rabbits severely damaged it (all but 3 vines!), and I want to see what it can do without interference. The entire garden will be surrounded by rabbit fencing this year, the losses last year were intolerable. "Ma Williams" will be my main shell bean this year, it's time to replenish my seed stocks - and my freezer. "Kentucky Wonder White #191" will be my main pole snap, 4 plants last year gave me 3 pounds of seed!!! "Atlas" (bush shell), "Emerite" (pole snap), "Snowcap" (pole shell) and several others that have yet to be chosen will be for trial & preservation. Hopefully a couple new varieties from the USDA as well.

Will be growing "King of the Garden" limas this year, a variety that has proven difficult here in the past. I've gotten much better at starting limas as transplants, so I think it has a good chance of success. Another lima will be chosen from the Yearbook for preservation. For cowpeas, I will be growing several heirlooms from SSE; "Green Dixie" (a very large-seeded "eye" pea with light green seed), "Speckled Purple Hull" (small brown & tan seed), and "Thailand Pole" (grey seed, possible use as yardlong). All are pole or semi-pole. Will be growing two yardlongs as well, haven't decided which ones yet.

Weather permitting (and that is a big "if" after last year) I will be conducting a large trial of English peas this year, at least 10 commercial varieties. Probably all of those currently listed by Vermont Bean Seed, plus several others. I will be focusing on yield, rather than earliness... and since they will likely be planted late, on heat resistance. "Green Arrow" is my standard.

Other stuff too... yes, I do grow more than just beans, believe it or not. But since this is the bean forum, I'll post the rest elsewhere.

Rodger, can't make promises that far ahead, but I'm going to try like blazes to make that Fall Harvest Festival. Quite a few people will be there that I'd like to meet. I'd like to participate in the seed swap as well, if this Northerner wouldn't be upsetting the apple cart. ;-)

Hope to be seeing a lot of you here this Summer!

Zeedman, your not far off. Clemson University has a research program that has developed alot of varieties of field peas. Colossus that I grew last year and will be growing again this year was a Clemson release Hercules is another popular pea. Mike Watkins who runs the seed lab has asked me to grow out several varieties of peas that Clemson introduced over the years. This year I am growing 100lbs of Clemson Purple hull and possible 50-100lbs of two other peas if I can work them in. So over the next few years I will be working on the USDA pea list but limited to only the Clemson releases. I figure its a start
It would be great if you could make the trip to Va. and be sure to bring lots of unique varieties of seed.
Rodger

Zeedman, sometime if you want to trial another bean, you might consider Silver Lake, which is occasionally offered by the SSE. It might be related to the White Seeded Kentucky Wonder. Back around 1984 I was working, carrying out groceries, while in grad school; and happened to carry out for a woman who was on her way to plant her spring garden (this was in Warsaw, IN). She was from Silver Lake, IN, not far away, though I have often wondered if she wasn't a KY transplant. We got to talking, and she pulled out a canning jar with her bean seed. It was a mixture of at least two or three beans. She poured out about a dozen seed and handed them to me. I was ecstatic!

When I planted them, I only got a couple of the white ones to grow. They were pole beans which produced pods really quickly. The plants were super vigorous and both the pods and seed reminded me of KY Wonder, only the seed is white.

When we left for Mexico I sent the seed to the SSE and probably to a couple individuals like Mark Futterman. I've never tried to get it back, though I'm pleased to see it listed.

George

PS. Remember if you have young children, that raising gardeners is as important, if not perhaps more important, than gardening itself. I remember having communication with a couple "gardening greats" who couldn't figure out why their children wanted nothing to do with gardening. It was probably because the kids were not a priority. So, for a couple of years, while we lived in Mexico, I spent a fair amount of time, helping the kids grow stuff (albeit imperfectly). I think it paid off. They all like gardening.

Roger
I have come in possession of some seeds that Zeedman feels is a Swordbean. He can explain it better than I. I sent him,macmex and fusion 3 seeds each. I got them,at my request,from a Benedictine Monestary in Korea. They are called,in Korea,Jacq Du Kong. If interested I could send you a couple of seeds. I didn't get many and don't believe they will grow well here but the Mrs insists we grow them and as I once said,"You wouldn't want to argue with my Oriental wife unless you had 2 Hearing Aids with dead batteries".

Lol Roger, we seem to have similar interests in many ways. Here is my growout list for Sandhill this year. By any chance, does anyone know of a good heirloom peanut that is worth growing? I'm looking for one that has good flavor and production and MUST have traditional heirloom background. I still have lots of planning and preparing to do.

Oaxacan Green Corn
Orangeglo Watermelon
Old Time Pink & White Lima
Herndon Lima
Athens Cucumber
Armstrong Early Cluster Cucumber
Japanese Siphon Gourd
Chapeau du Frade Pepper
Red River Okra
Texas Longhorn Okra
Violet de Gornet purple long winter radish
Whipporwill Cowpea

TBD:
Melon (2 varieties)
Turnip (1 variety)
Cowpea (3 more varieties)
Pepo Squash (1 variety)
Mixta Squash (1 variety)

Varieties I have seed for and will grow:
Whipple White sweet corn
Blue Marbutt Bean
Tobacco Worm Bean
Ledmon Watermelon
Big Mama Lima
Honey Drip Sorghum
Sakata Sweet Melon
Orange Bell Pepper (mass growout, ~50 plants)
Bhut Jolokia Pepper
Snak King Sunflower (giant sized seed)

Other things I plan to grow this year:
Super Star Onion
Cheddar Cauliflower
Graffitti Cauliflower
Bonanza Broccoli
Megaton Cabbage
Hinova Cabbage
Local heirloom white field corn 16 to 20 ft tall.

DarJones

"PS. Remember if you have young children, that raising gardeners is as important, if not perhaps more important, than gardening itself." (Macmex)

A really good point. I tried to instill that interest in my (now adult) children when they were young, and thought that I had failed. They would help out willingly enough, but showed no desire to learn. When they were grown & talk turned to gardening, their recollections would be of following me when tilling, picking up rocks. They never told me how much they hated it. Seems we were always breaking new ground, so maybe they did that chore just a little too much. It is a horror story they tell their kids. "Pick up your toys. It's so easy. When I was your age, I had to follow Grandpa picking up rocks."

But now that they have families of their own & are purchasing their own homes, they have asked me "Pop, can you help me put in a garden?". Seems there is hope after all. Never give up on your kids, regardless of how old they are. You can teach them knowledge... but wisdom comes in its own good time.

Fusion
Have I ever sent you seed for my Adapazari Squash? You can read about it on the GW/Heirloom Forum if interested.

Jim, thanks for the offer on the sword bean but I'm not sure I can fit it in this year and with such few seed I wouldn't want to waste them maybe nextyear I can get some if others have success
George, excellent point on teaching your children to garden. I always tried to interest my children in gardening, vacations were centered around visiting some historic or well know garden, But as they aged they lost interest. Now that they are adults my son is asking me what are we going to plant this year and he is always helping out sometimes at the expense of his own yard. My daughter still needs prodding to help out even though I did get her to help process over 8000 cucumbers for seed last Aug. I tried to explain to her that there are people who pay good money to be soaked in cucumber baths. She explained it wouldn't be her. She does show pride in telling her friends that I am the local tomato and hierloom garden guru.
Darrel, we indeed have similar interests, I did buy some tomato plants from you several years ago and you are from close to where my Mother grew up in northern Ala. I have a peanut I believe you would like and it is an heirloom. I have grown Tenn red valencia for SESE last couple of years and I have a light skinned peanut that originated in Tenn also in the 1920s and was brought to my area here in SC at that time by a man who helped build Lake Murray Dam then stayed here afterwards. It is a good sweet peanut light pink to white skin and productive I can send a few to try. I hope to grow this one next year for SESE. Rodger