The beans and peas appreciated the extra rain and lack of intense heat this summer. Most varieties thrived, with the exception of the two dry pole bean varieties grown.
This summer's cooking peas (click to enlarge):
Gold Harvest - these are so productive, early, and tasty! The flowers on them in early summer are a vibrant, rosy pink. These peas were harvested by mid-August, way before Swedish Red or any of the dry beans. I set the peas in a newspaper-lined box for another two weeks, just to make sure they are completely dry before storing. They were packaged and stored before any other pea or bean was ready to harvest!
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| Gold Harvest cooking peas |
Swedish Red - These vines can get very tall. I have been growing only a few in a large, plastic tote to keep them viable, so mine have only grown ~5 or 6' tall. These are later to dry down, and I was still harvesting a few well into September. The dried peas are a deep purple-red, though they look almost black in this picture.
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| Swedish Red cooking peas |
This summer's bush beans (d/b = dry bean and sn/b = snap bean):
Agate Pinto (d/b with short runners) - It had been a number of years since I grew Agate Pinto, so I wanted to grow them this summer to keep my supply viable. I recalled that they were late to mature the first time I grew them, and they proved to be late again this summer. Possibly the latest to mature of the bean varieties I grew this year. I hung the plants in the shed in early-to-mid September to finish drying down the plants, which had gotten a late start. I was able to save seeds from the pods, but they are a paler colour than I expected. I'm not sure what the cause is; I think they were mature when harvested.
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| Agate Pinto |
Black Coco (d/b) - Large plants (can get top-heavy) and large, plump, oval, jet-black beans. Despite being large beans, these always dry down earlier than I expect them to.
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| Black Coco |
Blue Jay (d/b or sn/b) - Blue Jay is a dual purpose bean and can be eaten as a snap bean when young or as a dry bean when mature. The plants are small-to-medium sized and easily managed. The beans themselves are shiny, oblong, and pretty.
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| Blue Jay |
Canadian Wild Goose (d/b) - Small-medium, compact plants. Cute, roundish beans flecked with flecks of grey (or greyish-green), and an orange marking around the hilum.
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| Canadian Wild Goose |
Coco Jaune de Chine (rare) - I have grown this variety for a few years now. It's good to keep the less common varieties viable. Medium-sized, very manageable plants. The beans are on the late side to mature. I hung a few of these plants in the shed in September to finish drying down.
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| Coco Jaune de Chine |
Dapple Grey (d/b) - A rare heirloom variety. Also called, "Appaloosa". These beans are similar in appearance to Orca, except they are a soft grey colour rather than black. They are named for the the speckled grey and white coat of the Dapple Grey horse. Smooth, nutty texture. Large (though manageable) plants that have typically dried down by early September for me.
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| Dapple Grey |
Fiesta (d/b, sometimes with short runners) - These are pretty, plump, large beans. The plants are large, top-heavy, and on the late side to mature. Placing short stakes in between the rows gives them something to lean on, if necessary, and to climb, if they have runners.
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| Fiesta |
Goose Gullet (d/b) - This was my first year growing Goose Gullet. The plants are large (a few were so top-heavy they fell onto their sides) and the beans are plump. I feared they wouldn't mature by season's end. Fortunately, they did! Some of the plants were hung in the shed in early September to finish drying down. These beans remind me a little of 'Early Warwick, but Goose Gullet's colouring is more brown than red.
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| Goose Gullet |
Heritage Mix (d/b with short runners) - this mix is quite early and includes the following varieties, listed from earliest to latest to dry:
1) Swedish Brown (very productive, early)
2) Mitla Black (very productive, early)
3) Small White Navy
4) Purple Gnuttle Amish (pretty)
5) Green Hutterite (most of the pods still firm/damp when I picked them in mid-September. The least productive of the 5 varieties in this mix.)
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| Heritage Mix |
Jacob's Cattle (d/b) - A classic heirloom variety. Plump, oblong beans with a white background and reddish-brown spots and speckles (reminiscent of Hereford cattle). Large, upright plants. This has always been a productive, dependable variety for me. ~85 days for dry beans.
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| Jacob's Cattle |
Kenearly Yellow Eye (d/b) - An heirloom developed at the agricultural research station in Kentville, Nova Scotia. Compact, upright plants. Plump, oval beans that are white with a distinct yellow-brown mark around the hilum. I have found them a little later to mature and dry down, around 85-90 days. Great for making baked-beans and for use in stews.
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| Kenearly Yellow Eye |
Light Red Kidney (d/b) - Light red - almost pink - kidney beans with a firm texture and mild flavour (great for chili and stews). Productive plants.
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| Light Red Kidney |
Mrocumiere (d/b) - A Kenyan heirloom bean with a pretty lavender colour. These beans are great for dips and creamy soups. The plants are medium-sized and Mrocumiere is quite to mature.
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| Mrocumiere |
Orca (d/b) - Large plants and plump, oval beans. Still, it somehow manages to mature and dry down by the end of the season, rarely needing to be hung to finish drying. There is something cheerful about these beans.
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| Orca |
Wiener Treib (d/b) - This is a productive, dependable, early variety (one of the first in the garden to dry down, and usually dries down completely on the plants). It has great flavour and does well in short seasons and cool climates. The plants are compact and easily managed. A German heirloom.
(I have seen this variety spelled in about 6 different ways in recent years and was never sure which was correct. I now believe it is "Wiener Treib", which translates to "Vienna Sprout".)
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| Wiener Treib |
Yer Fasal (d/b) - a rare Turkish heirloom. These always make me think of coffee beans! Medium-sized, manageable plants. Productive and on the early side to mature and dry down.
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| Yer Fasal |
Woods Mountain Crazy (sn/b) - Well! This was my first time growing Woods Mountain Crazy beans. The seeds, received in a trade, were old (2014). I decided to plant 6 or 7 beans in a window box to see if I could get one to germinate. Imagine my surprise that every single on germinated and proceeded to grow vigorously! This variety is a keep, I think. Small-medium plants with some short runners, but no staking is required. The beans are early to mature. Exceptionally productive. An heirloom from Arkansas.
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| Woods Mountain Crazy |
Castandel (filet/bush bean) - A dwarf bush bean variety (sometimes also referred to as "The Weekend Bean"). Stringless, slender, straight green beans. Compact, upright plants that are easy to pick.
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| Castandel (filet bean) |
Good Mother Stallard and Dolloff are both dry pole bean varieties. I planted both in late May but they were very slow to germinate. In June, I replanted the empty spaces with Dolloff. Because they got such a slow start, the plants were full of flowers and tiny pods at the end of August. When all was said and done, I did manage to harvest some Dolloff beans (last grown in 2019, I believe) but only 3 Good Mother Stallard beans!
This summer's pole beans:
Dolloff - An heirloom variety from Vermont, Dolloff is a dual-purpose bean. Picked young, it can be eaten as a green shelling bean. It can also be allowed to mature fully and dried down for use in baked bean recipes, soups, and stews. These beans are flat and squarish, resembling a lima bean, though they are a common bean variety (Phaseolus vulgaris). Light chestnut-brown or tan with darker speckles. It seems to be one of the more reliable dry pole beans for short seasons. I have read on various forums that this variety can be prone to cross-pollination with other beans.
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| Dolloff |
Varieties not pictured:
3-Colour Roma Bean Mix - The roma beans produced abundantly (especially the purple variety, "Sequoia") and had runners. The plants were large and top-heavy. I'll have to consider how to stake/support them if I plant them again.
Good Mother Stallard - An heirloom variety from Virginia. Plump, oval, pretty. It typically takes ~ 90 days to get dry beans, so they really are best planted as early as possible in the season (that, of course, depends on whether we get good, warm weather early in the season). I only managed to harvest 3 mature beans. Would like to try growing this variety again.
Early Riser - Also called, "Nor'easter". A green roma pole bean that is quite early to mature (55-65 days to maturity). Easily grows 6-8+ feet tall. We'll work on giving it a taller trellis next time we grow Early Riser.
