Shelly Beans Part 2
drloyd
13 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (65)
drloyd
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Pole Beans....Part 2
Comments (2)This is one of those rare occasions when I disagree strongly with Dave,dig dirt (not about the poll results but about best pole bean). I have found Emerite to be superior in every category and have grown both for more years than I like to remember. Please consider that this judgement and hallowed pronouncement is based on gardening in a very small plot, at the end of a very long bay in south coast Ma with a rather unique and different temperatue pattern from other areas in the same horticultural zone. Also, I like the taste of Emerite. My advice? Try them both, and a few others, and decide what is best for your garden. Have fun....See MoreShelly beans?
Comments (2)No water supply out there - I did water in July when it was so dry, just to keep them alive, but have just been going with what rain we've had since. Thanks, I'll sort of the smaller darker seeds and compost them along with the pods I already threw in the bucket. It seems like the Kentucky Wonders are producing better "Shellies" than the Bush Blue Lake (not that I have many BBL left). I did notice when I tried a few on Tuesday that the water will turn dark when you boil them, even if the beans were green? Thanks...See MoreShelly Beans
Comments (72)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....See MoreMy Italian Beans (Auntie VI) Part 2
Comments (7)Dick you just might have nailed it, if they had mutated most likely there would have been just a few changing color, not all of them. I grew these beans within 10 feet of each other isolated from the rest of my garden so there is not much chance of them crossing with anything else, the violet colored ones were grown in a half barrel up against the side of our house so would have been in a sightly warmer spot. In all the time I've grown this bean I've never seen such a variation in color before they have always looked the same, reddish on beige. I'll almost be disappointed if they revert back to their original color, the spots and swirls were really pretty, electric violet when first shelled darkening some when completely dry. I should add the pods on both these plantings were identical no changes there. This little area in my garden is quite protected and is where I grow beans I want to save the most seed from. Next year I was going to grow Tennessee Cutshorts here but think I'll grow these ones here again and see what they do. Annette...See MoreMacmex
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agohemnancy
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agofusion_power
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoIspahan Zone6a Chicago
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agohemnancy
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agohappyday
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agohappyday
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agozeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agozeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agohappyday
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agozeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoIspahan Zone6a Chicago
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agozeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agohappyday
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agozeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agohappyday
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoIspahan Zone6a Chicago
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoIspahan Zone6a Chicago
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agozeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agohappyday
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoIspahan Zone6a Chicago
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agohappyday
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoIspahan Zone6a Chicago
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agohappyday
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agohappyday
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agohappyday
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agoaftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agocabrita
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agojolj
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodrloyd
11 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
Related Stories
SUMMER FRUITS AND VEGETABLESSummer Crops: How to Grow Beans
Grow your own beans for amazing variety and healthy, convenient produce all summer
Full StoryPETSUpload of the Day: Catwalks Keep Pets Happy in a Candy-Colored Condo
Shelves and wall-mounted boxes keep 2 cats active and entertained while their guardian is at work making jelly beans
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESFrom Queasy Colors to Killer Tables: Your Worst Decorating Mistakes
Houzzers spill the beans about buying blunders, painting problems and DIY disasters
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES10 Easy Edibles for First-Time Gardeners
Focus on these beginner-friendly vegetables, herbs, beans and salad greens to start a home farm with little fuss
Full StoryCOMMUNITYTogetherness Take 2: Is a Cohousing Community for You?
Missing that sense of connection? Consider the new breed of neighborhood with a communal bent
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESOn Trend: 2-in-1 Furnishings for Small-Space Living
You'll be a convert to furniture that transforms when you see these chair-tables, unfolding wonders and more
Full StorySMALL HOMESHouzz Tour: A Family of 4 Unwinds in 540 Square Feet
An extraordinarily scaled-down home and garden for a couple and their 2 kids fosters sustainability and togetherness
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: From Old Stable to Minimalist Guesthouse in England
Its interior bays once held racehorses, but now this all-white and wood home holds fascination as a modern part-time home
Full StoryMOST POPULARHow to Finally Tackle Your Closet's Critical Mess
It can be tough to part with reminders of your past, but your closet needs space for who you are today
Full StoryHEALTHY HOME12 Ways to Set Up Your Kitchen for Healthy Eating
Making smart food choices is easier when your kitchen is part of your support team
Full StorySponsored
happyday