Pea and Bean Circle 2016

[vixylix]

Vixylix - unless you have your two runner varieties a great distance apart (and nobody else grows any near yours) you won't be able to save seed because they will definitely cross. French (or garden) beans self-pollinate, but runner beans are outbreeders and are pollinated by insects, so to keep a variety pure it has to be isolated. (The same is true for broad beans, btw).
Still, sugarsnaps and dwarf borlottis are a nice addition

Thanks nellie-m! As it goes I've now changed to just one runner bean variety - Galaxy. Chosen by OH

[Scarlet]

Same here, I woold like to start bagging up my beans...can all grapes confirm if they are still in or not and what they have managed to save/still drying?

[Guest]

Corr, your eager. I better pull myself out of my slump Oh and for obvious reasons I am still in.

[Scarlet]

I want to get my messy kitchen cleared up! Ive got Kew Blue and blue beans...both french beans and they have both been huge croppers

[nellie-m]

Hi all, unfortunately I don't have all that much to offer. The yellow podded dwarf french bean I grew for Noah's Arc in Austria got attacked by wire worms. The ones that survived had a good yield but it wasn't even really enough to send back in to their archive (shh, don't tell - I nicked ten seeds for next year )

The few plants I had of that funny little pea got eaten by voles.

So really all I could offer is a handful of seeds of crimson coloured broad bean, and my good old Hinrichs Riesen, a dwarf french bean that I have been growing for more than twenty years and that has never yet disappointed me. Stringless even when the seeds have started to form, heavy croppers, can be sown early as they are somewhat hardier than most other DFBs.

The broadies I harvested from only five or six plants (got the seeds from VVG years ago) which is FAR too few for an outbreeder in the long run (minimum population size should be around 40). You could grow them just to see how you like them, but if you want to keep them going, you'd have to find another source and stock up on them to keep them vigorous and healthy over the years.

So if you are interested in those, count me in. If not, no problem

[Guest]

^^^Nellie, I am happy for you to still be in. Crimson BB and Hinrichs Riesen sound good to me

[nellie-m]

Great - better start bagging up then
Scarlet, I grew Kew Blue last year and was mightily impressed! Beautiful plant, superb taste!

[Scarlet]

Yes, they were huge croppers! Really tall and the first to crop.

When NG returns our beans, she could send your return swaps back to me and I can post the beans and seeds from the Tom circle out to you in one envelope?

[nellie-m]

YES! Such a fabulous idea, you are a genius! And I guess you'd have to be to survive as a mother - paper cups spring to mind (now you know why I don't have kids)

[Scarlet]

Actually ive had a rethink you can also send your beans to me in with your Tomato parcel....(and I'll send your toms and beans back after ive swapped with NG)

#paper cups are brill!

[vixylix]

I'm out for this one I'm afraid guys... my legumes didnt take overly well to being uprooted and moved so I have about 14 borlotti beans saved. I have some fab seeds lined up for next year though so I'll be back!

[Guest]

Glad to hear you are ready and raring for next year. Sorry to hear that it didn't work this year tho.

[Guest]

Just checking who else is in or if anyone else wants to join

[Scarlet]

Yes, it would be great to have a few more grapes join..perhaps even if they only have one variety to offer?

[Elfeda]

Hiya,

I have saved runner beans but not sure about cross pollination on allotment and don't actually like to share usual peas and beans though this one I saved only because of lovely salmon flowers and I donno what it is from my seed stash though I should have them many in original packet.


and one more reason to I tried to resist hard is I have bought too many peas and beans which I couln't open many of them in next couple of year. So If it is only for selfsaved I can never be able to make it into circle as I keep adding up from circles.


Can I share selma zebra and other new to me bought seeds with you all? it helps me to open a packet and try

but you prefer only selfsaved, I have good number of dwarf barlotti, and few mixed ferench beans .