Bean Varieties growing 2021

[jayb]

I thought a thread for bean varieties may help as a reference, I know I love looking at shiny beans but I don't always remember the colour on pods or flowers etc.
I think we can edit our own posts and be able to add further pictures as the season progresses. If anyone else wants to add varieties they are growing that would be super cool, even if they have already been posted as they can look different growing in different locations.

I'm going to start with the first two to flower Dolloff and Botasani Splash and hope to be able to update others as they start flowering too.

Edit to add list/links

Algarrobo Rote #15
Armenian Pole Bean #18
Bomba DB #9
Botosani Splash #2
Buckskin Girl DB #14
Cyrus Grays DB #17
Dolloff CB #4
Frye's Golden Goose #22
Juanita Smith #19
Moosgrüne DB#12
Purple Amazon #11
Purple Teepee DB #6
Rosso di Lucca DB #16
Squaw DB #8
Tennessee Greasy Mix CB #10

[jayb]

Botosani Splash, I've not grown this one before and had read it was a pole bean. I can't describe mine as climbers, so far they look like bush type with short runners, I will update as it changes and their final height. Flowers are the palest pinky-purple and form at the end of short runners at around 2.5' to start.

Update to add, a lovely tasty and so far seems to be a productive bean. Lots of lovely yellow medium length pods which are starting to fill out with seed bumps. No hint of colour yet on the yellow pods, perhaps the splash refers to the seed coat. Currently, the pods are semi-shiny with only a few hairs, stringless while flat, easy to remove stings (cooked) on bumpy pods.


Cropping quite well 23/7


and

[Galina]

What a very unusual flower colour. Is this from the same source as Botosani Cyclops?

[jayb]

Yes, I had mine from the same source.
I think perhaps more than one variety was labelled as Botosani Splash?

[jayb]

I tried some of these yesterday, nice tasty beany flavour. Stings on lumpy pods, none on slightly younger.

[Galina]

Rescue beans for multiplication for Bohnen Atlas, Rabe and Filant. 4 seeds produced 2 plants of Rabe - fingers crossed - but over a dozen Filant. Both short varieties and I don't know what to expect. Due to absence of voles, hopefully good chances for these. Also only 2 plants of Einlochbohne Burgthann also for seed exclusively, one of a set of local beans.
Special bean for multiplication for VEN Erhalterring (seed saving group) Blauweiße von Bernada. Managed to rescue and grow 2 plants from very old seeds a few years back in Rushden. Should be blue and white seeded, but last year most were brown and white. This is another way that blue can present itself (according to help from Oregon State Uni), but if possible should be selected against to keep the variety true to its name. Never saw the brown in Rushden.
More to follow, especially those that are entirely new to me.

[jayb]

I don't think I recognize any of these names, will look them up. Your varieties sound so rare I hope they all do very well for you. Looking forward to hearing progress
I think weather and temperature make more of an impact than we realize with some varieties, even when they appear to be growing well and happily the seed harvested do not quite follow how they should look.

[Galina]

Certainly new to me. Just shows that in different locations and different circles other varieties exist. And like HSL I guess BohnenAtlas and VEN often get 'last chance' bean seeds. Sadly a couple of years ago from a batch found in Auntie's cellar, nobody could get a single bean to germinate. And as these had no name, this may be a forever loss or well known commercial varieties. From the seeds alone we can't tell. Maybe the UK is slightly more 'plugged in' to the USA than to continental Europe.

Yes there are big differences in seed size (cool, rainy equals bigger paler seeds) and also seed colour, due to different minerals in the soil. This peculiar blue switches to brown in seed colour is likely to be one of them.

[jayb]

Dolloff

A pole bean used as a snap or shelly/dried. A Vermont variety, reportedly quick to mature and should do well in cooler shorter-season growing areas. Seeds have a somewhat lima bean look.

edit to add a link I came across from Seed Savers Org. https://blog.seedsavers.org/blog/a-b...kes-the-recipe


White flowers forming on runners at around two and a half feet.

[Galina]

You do specialise in Lima lookalike seeds this year Jayb. Great. I read that Dolloff has a tendency to cross with other varieties and that a Canadian gardener always bags one truss just to be on the safe side.

[jayb]

Interesting and thank you for that, will do. Good to know beforehand so I can save pure seed but if any do cross-pollinate by chance then it's a win win for me as I love random cross bean grow outs!

I doubt I'm going to bother with everything though.

[triffid]

Had to look up Dolloff, very interesting rectangular seed. Look a little tepary-like. Hope they do well for you; so far they're looking great!

[triffid]

Climbing & DFB: Angel, Aurie de Bacau, Beurre de Rocquencourt, Blokkerder, Blooming Prairie, Crochets de Savoie, Crochu de Savoie, Emperor of Russia, Frye's Golden Goose, Grady Bailly Greasy Cut-Short, Grand-mére, Grey Eyed Greasy, Kaiser Friedrich, Lazy Wife Greasy, Lekatt, Le Tigre, Mazlenk Rumen Visok II, Nain de Veitch, Oude Sloveense Boterboon, Petit Carré de Caen, Petit Gris, Purple Prize, Red Striped Greasy, Red Swan, Zurich Snap.
Runners: Aeron Purple Star (only one survivor), Blackpod, Boerentenen.

Looks like more than it really is, as for some of the varieties I've only planted a couple of seeds. Will certainly edit with pictures when I have something worth posting. An observation I made the other day - one of the Aurie de Bacau stems is bright yellow, the rest are purplish. Is this normal?

[jayb]

Same here, cooked some shelled from the fresh full pod stage and dried. I can't remember trying them as a green bean, be good to know though..

[triffid]

According to a French description they are a mangetout without parchment. Would be interested to try them at the full-pod stage.

[jayb]

That would make them even better! Do let us know if you try them full pod.

[jayb]

Purple Teepee

I forgot about these, some growing in the greenhouse and some out on the plot. A purple podded fresh eating bean.

[Jang]

Yes, a good one, and the purple colouring with the deep pink flowers is pleasingly attractive.

[jayb]

I could never make up my mind if it were Purple Teepee or Purple Queen I liked more and years later I still haven't got to the bottom of it, probably because I haven't grown Purple Queen for quite some time.
I agree the colour combination is lovely, I also like how the stems and pods can look so inky to the green backdrop.

[Jang]

CFB: Bregenzer, Blaue aus Ungarn, Blue Lake, Borlotto de Nova Ponente , Bosnian, Brangançano, Caseknife white, Cherry Pits, Domaci Cucak, Early Riser/Kwintus, Fagiolo de la Bereta, Fagiolo del Frate, Fagiolo dell’ Angelo, Gialet, Grady Bailey Greasy, Grey-eyed Greasy, Inca Pea bean, Jersey Beefy Grex, Kjem’s Pea bean, Lazy Wife Greasy, LFSB Sacred, LFSB unnamed, Mascherina del Ladore, Mazlenk Rumen Visok 11, Miami Ohio, Non-tough Half Runner, Pastoral, Red-striped Greasy, Riga d’Oro , Rosecoco , Salewski‘s Ungarn , Screziato Lungo Rosso , Selugia (aka: Mr Ineson), Tirana’s Rotviolette, True Red Cranberry, Tunny , Vanille, William’s Tiger, Zurich Snap

DFB: Algarrobo Rote, Beurre de Rocquencourt, Blokkerder boon , Bolinha , Buckskin Girl, Graines de Café , Hubert’s Mischung, Ireland Creek Annie, Red Carolina, Rosso di Lucca, Snake, Squaw, Cyrus Grays, Manteigão, Moosgrüne, Pawnee, Purple Prince, Saint Esprit d’Oeil Rouge, Canadian Wild Goose, Zuni Shalako

Many of the CFB are growing with four plants to a single pole. Several I know very little or nothing about as they have come from two sources, one Italian and one Brazilian, with whom I've done swaps, and I've not been able to find much, if any, information. If in doubt I've treated them as climbing . I think Salewski's Ungarn might well be a dwarf but otherwise most seem to be behaving as expected or guessed.

I picked the first beans today, all dwarf. Cyrus Grays, Rosso di Lucca and Moosgrüne all seem to be early.

Inspired by this thread I've taken a few flower photos and look forward to posting when sorted

[jayb]

Lovely grow lists. I'm envy here you are already harvesting beans, though very happy you are having your first pickings to enjoy, a special treat.
I'm look forward to seeing your photos.

[Jang]

Squaw

This has an attractive bean which I think you might describe as a Jacob's Cattle type of shape and colouring. The photo makes it look rather black but it's actually more purplish red. The flower is an attractive pinkish purple. It's vigorous and has twice the height of some more compact dwarf beans but does have a dwarf habit. The beans are just about ready now from a late April sowing. So far I'm very impressed.

Sand Hill Preservation Centre offers them as shelling beans. I haven't tested their eating quality yet.

[triffid]

Extremely attractive seeds, hope it's tasty! Must be quite cool-weather tolerant to have thrived so far this year.

[jayb]

Pretty seeds, I love this type of pattern, just lovely to look at. Oooh, they have done well. Did they have any protection after planting out?

[Jang]

Yes, I love this type of patterning too.

I covered the patch of dwarf beans with fleece after planting out. We had some horrendous wind for a couple of days soon after, and I feared for them, as well as for the few climbing ones I had put out by then, which I couldn’t cover. We tried to construct makeshift wind shields for the climbers and one way or another they also survived surprisingly well.

[jayb]

Bomba bush bean

Bomba is just starting flowering, this variety grew well here a few years ago and I'm hoping it will do so again. I believe it originates from the Ukraine area. The dried seeds have an unusual mono look and are similar visually to Botosani Cyclops seeds, which is a climber.

[jayb]

Tennessee Greasy mix

Spotted the first flower from this mix way down low for some reason? They are not all the strongest looking plants although some, not the one pictured, are growing on well.

I'm guessing there will likely be some different coloured flowers. I have grwon this variety before but they didn't do very well, fingers crossed this time. I'll try and update as and when any different types open.

[jayb]

Purple Amazon

The first few flowers are opening, I think a gorgeous colour to the buds. I loved these last time I grew them and hope the seeds are as pretty this time. They look to be shorter than I remember, a dwarf bean with short runners maybe.

[Jang]

Moosgrüne

Quite vigorous dwarf beans with rather delicate slightly yellow flowers. The beans are an unremarkable brown but I think they’re quite old so I’m waiting to see whether fresh seeds are in fact moss green

[jayb]

Seeds are rather pretty despite being brown, looking forward to how they look freshly harvested. Flowers are a beautiful subtle shade and I like how they are set out along the flowering stem.

[Jang]

Cyrus Grays

I love the seeds of these, and they are early and prolific. Neat growing habit. Another one with pale yellow to white flowers


.

The seeds originally came from Ruud. It’s a variety developed by Robert Lobitz and offered through the US seed exchange in 2004. It’s now held by Russell Crow. There was a discussion with him about the correct form of the name grey/gray, gray/grays. He produced the Seed Exchange notes which established that it is in fact Cyrus Grays

Russell Crow’s notes: Bush Dry. 85 Days to first dry pods. Most bush varieties dry their entire set of pods over a period of three to four weeks. A Robert Lobitz original bean that he named and introduced through the Seed Savers Exchange year book in 2004. Named after Cyrus, Minnesota located in Pope county, and the color gray.

[Jang]

Buckskin Girl

Another of my earliest beans this year. Again quite vigorous plants with yet again delicate yellow flowers. This has seeds of varying degrees of darkness and apparently sometimes quite lavender in colour, although none of my seeds were lavender. It’s quite an old variety which was offered by one or two seed companies but then apparently became almost extinct. Now circulating again. It’s a good stringless snap bean.

v

[jayb]

Another pretty flower colour. At first glance, I wondered if they were reverse seeds and then I read your text. Like the look of these.

[Jang]

Algarrobo rote

Also standing out at the moment for its earliness. Algarrobo is a town in Andalusia but not much seems to be known about this variety.

[jayb]

Interesting the one seed.

[Jang]

Yes, I’m wishing I’d sowed it separately.