Annette

If you can, take pictures so we can see your wonderful little bean patch!

Anney, where the 7 different varieties are the beans have just poked through so don't look like much yet, I'll take pictures and post when they get going.

Annette

We will be awaiting updates and all your observations and comments! Sounds like a great garden!

George
Tahlequah, OK

It does sound like a nice garden.

I see you are growing three of the same as myself. Chinese Red Noodle, Garafal Oro, and Bosnian Pole, we must have traded with the same person in Wisconsin. :)

Looking forward to some pictures.

Dean

Annette, Tennessee Cutshort was a favorite last year and I plan to grow them every year. Pick them when the seeds are swelling. They are really good as the pods just start to turn yellow. Sort of a snap/shelly combination. They mature early enough that I was easly able to save seed here just south of Seattle.

Of my two dozen beans this year, 3 are greasies. I will report on how they do later. - Dick

Dick thanks for the info on TC's I'm really looking forward to trying them as well as some of the others I have in this year.
Are you getting the same rain we're getting up here, my soil is well draining but it's been pretty much non-stop raining for days now. I split some hot caps up the side so I could slip them around the bean poles, they just cover them, if only the caps were just a little bit bigger. I'll have to see what I can come up with for next year, the wheels are turning LOL.
Our weather is so unpredictable the last 10 or so years I think in future I'll be starting a lot more beans in the greenhouse. So far I've never had trouble saving seed, which is a good thing because I don't grow large amounts of anything.
Up until now our favorite beans have been my italians and Cherokee Trail of Tears, this might change this year :).

Annette

Thanks for the update Annette! All my beans are popping up out of my pots right now. It will be time to plant them in the ground soon.
Remy

I just planted the Bosnian pole beans I started in the greenhouse to replace the ones the birds? kept pulling out. I shook some of the No#4 mix off one to show the very healthy looking root system on this variety. It doesn't seem to throw out the same long leader root most of the beans I've grown.

{{gwi:1024538}}

Annette

Well, what can I say, we've had the absolutely worst growing season for most things ( with the exception of weeds) this year. It has been cool, approaching darn right cold some days, and rain, boy have we had rain. The beans are hanging in some are doing better than others.

In the greenhouse the Chinese Red Noodle after sitting and sulking have decided to grow, looking pretty good now. The Pretzels are still sulking.

Blue Jay planted in containers and left in the greenhouse until today are looking really good, these were the last beans I planted.

My Italians, are climbing the netting but haven't seen any flowers yet, the same goes for Insuk Wang Kong. Both these beans have had a fiberglas roof over them so they are somewhat protected, I planted more of the Italians on a tripod in a half barrel, I've given most of my seed supply away in trades so need to replenish my seed stash.

Uncle Steve's, I started the seed in the greenhouse and then planted out, looking good, just about to start climbing the netting.

The three rice beans I'm growing are all in hanging baskets, they are all starting to form beans, the Ritz Escoffier and Comtesse de Chambord are about neck and neck, so far they look like the same plant, I have one of each of these plants in pots in the greenhouse, planted at the same time, look pretty much the same, the only difference I can see so far is the RE is a little ahead of the CdC. Flowers look the same, as do the beans. The little rice beans are a little more floppy and slower in forming beans than the other two.

My little taste test bean patch has varying results, all planted at the same time, of the seven varieties planted Barksdale has been struggling, slugs or? seem to prefer this bean to the others but I will have enough for a taste and hopefully enough seed to plant next year. In all fairness it was planted in the shadiest spot, will give it more sun next year.
Bosnian Pole, this is the one the birds kept pulling out the seed, so I started more in the greenhouse to fill the empty spaces, they don't seem to mind our cool wet spring so much they're now climbing the pole. Zelma Zesta, Tennessee Cutshorts, Garafal Oro and Signora della Campagna just sat at the two leaf stage for the longest time but now show signs of doing something.

Drum roll please... Oregon Giant is thriving, seems to love this weather, so healthy and will soon be at the top of their pole. It has surpassed all the beans I'm growing, even my Italians which I have grown for 45 years. I swear you could grow this one in mud.

So that's how it's going in the cool, lots of rain, cloudy with snipits of sun, just north of the border PNW.

Annette

Lol Annette, I'll post my results just for comparison. We've had downright hot 90 to 95 degree weather for the last few weeks which sped up the beans.

Grandma Roberts Purple Pole bean - have a huge crop hanging on the vines waiting to be picked for seed.

Striped Bunch - This delicious bean has produced its crop, been harvested, plants pulled, and now have cowpeas planted. I got about 2 gallons of excellent quality seed from a row about 130 feet long.

Big Mama Lima - Vines are huge, a bit sparse, but filling in rapidly now we have rain and clouds to hold the temp a bit more stable. There are tons of blooms but no beans set yet.

Barnes Mountain - vines are growing rampant, beans are setting rapidly, some of the earlier beans are ready to harvest for seed.

Frosty Lima - Excellent vine growth, lots of bean pods, just now starting to size up. I weeded them a few days ago and have everything in excellent shape to produce a crop.

Herndon Lima - Sparse vines due to poor germination, but plenty to make a good crop. Weeded them and have them in shape to produce. Tons of flowers on the plants ready to fill.

Dolloff Pole Bean - Very good growth, lots of beans set, just waiting on them to mature. I will save all of them for next years seed and hope to have about 1/2 gallon by the time they are done.

Comtesse de Chambord - I had very low germination due to weather when I planted so only have about 30 plants. They are growing and producing really well so I should have a few pounds of seed.

Goose - excellent growth and very good seed production in the offing.

Alabama #1 Pole Bean - This one has outstanding nematode tolerance and decent heat tolerance. I'm going to have a good to very good crop of seed.

Nuna bean P20 speckled from Jim Myers - I have two rows about 40 feet total length each. There are a few gaps from spotty germination but overall will have an outstanding crop of seed. I plan on popping a few pounds of these to amaze my friends!

I just planted Whipporwill, White Whipporwill, Piggott Family Heirloom, Howell, Green Eye, Franklin Red, and Colossus Crowder cowpeas in the last 2 weeks. They are almost all up and growing except what I planted 2 days ago.

DarJones

Dar, that is one impressive list, the Comtesse de Chambord are said to be a bit of a stinker to shell, maybe one of the reasons they've almost disappeared from the scene. I'm growing them for green beans so other than keeping a few for seed that won't be much of a problem for me. If we really like them I'll grow a row of them next year.

Usually about this time of year we have our hot spell, 2 weeks of temps in the 90's and very windy then winding down to the comfortable 70's. If we're lucky this can last into october. Today we will be lucky if we hit 62 and tomorrow they're saying we'll have the grand high of around 57, I can't remember ever having weather like this, june can be on the damp side but this has been ridiculous. The weatherman is dangling some higher temps in front of our noses, promising 77 on monday and 80 on tuesday. I say yeah right, promises, promises.

Annette

Annette,
I'm glad you are confirming my memory that Ritz Escoffier and Comtesse de Chambord are the same bean. I so wish I still had the correspondence with the person who sent them to me. I save everything! so I don't know how I lost it, lol.

It had been very wet here too. Thankfully, it has been fairly warm between the downpours.
My Tuscarora Bread beans are doing well. They are a bush variety. I see flowers forming.
The Waterloo County Mennonite Pole beans are climbing pretty good.
Insuk's Wang Kong Runner are growing, but not doing much yet.
Tohono O'odham "U'us mu:n"(vigna unguiculata) are alive and look good though they are still very small. I need some heat!
Uncle Walt's Cranberry Pole are climbing but not very much yet.
Snowcap didn't germinate really well and only one seedling has really taken off. It seems that one should do well.
Stortino De Trento was old seed and it struggled to germinate as well. I've got a few going now, so hopefully they do well.
My father(crazy old Italian) gave me cranberry beans of some type from the farmer's market in Homestead, FL("Pole Bean Capitol of the World" At least that's what the town sign says, lol) He likes them and brought fresh ones up with him on the plane for me to grow. I didn't think they would sprout. He had them still in the shells wrapped in foil for me, and I forgot about them. I checked them a few days later, and they had sprouted! So I'm growing them for him.
Remy

Remy ~ here's the two plants I'm growing for comparison, as I said your rice bean is a little ahead of CdeC, I'm going to let both of these go to seed and then compare the dried beans/seed side by side.

Comtesse de Chambord

Ritz Escoffier