Dry Bush Bean Round-Up 2023

   This summer's bean round-up posted in December?  Better late than never! 

   It is has been a mild week leading up to Christmas.  As I type, it is is 8 degrees and sunny outside at 12:35PM.  A 'Winter Wonderland' it is not.  I feel for the children who will be itching to put the toboggans and Crazy Carpets they receive for Christmas to good use ASAP. 

   It was another hot, dry summer.  Summers like this seem to be increasingly common here.  The beans thrived in this weather, with many varieties drying down on the plants outside.  That was practically unheard of when I began gardening here 15+ years ago.  I think it's safe to say our town is no longer considered to be a zone 2 growing area.

This summer's dry bush beans (click to enlarge):

Coco Jaune de Chine - grown out from 10 older beans I had on hand.  A rare variety that is on the late side.

 

Fiesta - pretty, plump, large beans. I grew out 9 that were obtained in a trade.  The plants are large and top-heavy.  This was a late bean to dry, possibly tied with the Green Hutterite beans.

 

 

Arikara - many pods were already drying down on the plants in the first week of August.  This was the earliest variety of the season.  Productive!

 

Early Warwick - productive, pretty, and dependable.  The third earliest variety of the season.

 

Yer Fasal - a Turkish heirloom.  They remind me of coffee beans!  I grew them out from the 9 beans I received in a trade. 

Heritage Mix - this mix 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.)

 

Tene's Beans - A marrowfat type bean.  Grown out from 9 or 10 older beans I had in my stash.  Large plants that can be top heavy.  They are late in the season to dry down, but this is one of my favourite beans for flavour.

 

Beka Brown - grown out from 7 older beans I had.  This is a dependable, early, and productive variety I've grown several times before.

 

 

Mrocumiere - grown out from 7 older beans I had.  A Kenyan heirloom with a pretty lavender colour.  They are great for dips and creamy soups.

 

 

Weiner Trieb - another variety that had pods trying down in early August.  This was the second earliest variety of the season.

 

Not pictured:  Orca (grown out from 5 beans I obtained in a trade) and Ruckle (a dependable, early variety - I grew 10 out this year).

Garlic Harvest 2023 and New Patch Planted

The garlic patch was harvested this year between July 31 and August 11th.  Below is a look at some of the varieties grown.  All pictured are hardnecks.

Baba Franchuk's (Rocambole)

 

Red Russian (Marbled Purple Stripe)

Northern Quebec (Porcelain)

Brown Tempest (Glazed Purple Stripe - pretty and shiny)

Kiev (Rocambole)

Pyong Vang Korean (Glazed Purple Stripe.  This is year 2 for them, started from bulbils in 2021).

 

 

Central Siberian (Marbled Purple Stripe)

 

   Like Pyong Vang Korean, Red Rezan (Glazed Purple Stripe), Russian Giant (Marbled Purple Stripe), Persian Star (Purple Stripe), and Mother of Pearl (Silverskin, the only softneck variety I have grown) were started from bulbils in 2021.  They are at the "round" and small bulb stage.  I didn't want to remove the outer skins from these ones before planting them again at the end of the month, so they are not pictured.

  The new garlic patch, which will be harvested next August, was planted on September 24th in the South garden.  I only planted Central Siberian and Northern Quebec bulbils this year.  Cloves and large rounds (all the varieties mentioned above) were planted in the majority of the patch.  As the leaves fall, they'll be chopped and used to mulch the garlic patch.

Bringing In The Squash

   All six of the Galeux D'Eysines have been harvested, along with one of the Burpee's Butterbush (butternut) squash.  Four of the Burpee's Butterbush are still in the garden, but will be brought inside in the next day or two.

 

 

  

Update: the rest of the butternut squash!

Tomato Round-Up 2023

   It has been a dry summer.  Many days brought us air that was thick with haze from the region's wildfires.  On the upside, this summer was not nearly as hot as the last two were.

   This year's tomatoes had problems with BER (as did 2022's and 2021's tomatoes).  It actually makes me long for the cooler, shorter, damper summers we used to have - only a handful of tomatoes developed BER in weather like that.   Moonglow and Rose de Berne had the worst cases of blossom end rot.  Clear Pink Early simply failed to thrive.  All five plants were pulled and composted, tomatoes and all, in early August.  I harvest two very small tomatoes from Rose de Berne and didn't get a single tomato from Moonglow or Clear Pink Early.

With that out of the way, on to the tomato round-up for 2023!

Principe Borghese 

This is a reliable and productive determinate cherry tomato.  I've grown it several times and it will continue to be on my annual short-list.  It is fairly early to mature and is excellent for dehydrating or making sundried tomatoes.  Many people - including me - prefer a juicier variety of cherry tomato for fresh eating.  We grow Principe Borghese because it is so easy to process and store.

Fresh...

 ...and dehydrated.

 

Black Sea Man

Determinate, productive, reliable, early, uniform shape, juicy, excellent flavour.  I grow this almost every year now.  One of my favourites. 

 

Favorie de Bretagne 

A determinate that seems to be an uncommon variety in North America right now.  This was my first year growing it.  I obtained a few seeds in a trade with a fellow gardener in Sweden.  

Favorie de Bretagne is one of the most productive varieies I have ever grown.  I expected the plants to be 2.5 to 3 feet tall.  Instead, the plants stayed very close to the ground and sprawled, similar to Mongolian Dwarf or Cole.  I planted them with cages for support, but they didn't need them.  The tomatoes range from about 1.5 to 3 inches long and are an elongated teardrop shape.  Quite seedy, and the seeds are large.  As of August 30th, most of the tomatoes were still on the plants, but here is a look at the ones that ripened early:

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and some more!  (September 12th)

 

 

Mongolian Dwarf 

This was my first time growing Mongolian Dwarf.  It produced small to medium red oblate (beefsteak-type) red fruit.  Descriptions I have read online say the fruit average 100-200g.  This variety is fast growing and early to ripen.   It is only 20-25cm tall with a bush (almost flat!) habit, spreading to ~2’ across.  It would be a great variety to grow in a wide pot on a patio or apartment balcony.  Uncommon in North America.  Russian (Siberian) origin.

 

 

EM-Champion

 

This was my third year growing EM-Champion.  It's a productive determinate with meaty, well-defined, red hearts.  It grows to about 3-4 feet tall and it's an early mid-season variety.  It's often one of the earliest to start ripening on the plants.  It can be grown in large pots, but it did better for me in deep raised beds.  Russian heirloom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fred's Tie-Dye 

 

A 3' dwarf that produces medium-sized beefsteaks with striking gold and green stripes.  It has the flavourful, rich crimson flesh of black tomatoes.

From the side...

 

 

...and the bottom. 

 

Fisher's Earliest Paste 

 

This was my first time growing this variety and I plan to grow it again!  I obtained seeds from a woman in Alberta through the Seeds of Diversity member seed exchange catalog last year.  So far, I like everything about this tomato.  It has thick walls, minimal seeds, is easy to process, and is productive.  It was resistant to blossom end rot in a year where most of my varieties were plagued by it.  The plants are determinate but sprawling, so benefit from some support.  The tomatoes are firm and have an elongated teardrop shape.  They are a mid-late season variety (~80-85DTM).  As of August 30th, most of mine were still on the plants.  One listing I read describes it as a "tough hardy heirloom from Montana with over 90 years of selection by the Fisher family."

 

Here are some that ripened early (August 24th)...

 

...and a few more...

 

 

 

Petrusha Ogorodnik 

 

A determinate Russian heirloom, somewhat sprawling, pink, with an elongated oval (many with pointed tips) shape.  ~80-85DTM.  It has thin skin, is easy to process, and is tasty and sweet.   I had decided to grow Fisher's Earliest Paste next year instead of Petrusha because the latter had more blossom end rot.  After tasting Petrusha Ogorodnik and processing these tomatoes (easier than Fisher's, which has a thicker skin), I am not so sure!

 

 

Uluru Ochre

 

I planted three of this dwarf variety. Two were in a raised bed and developed blossom end rot on most of the tomatoes.  One was planted in the East garden and has grown large, beautiful tomatoes with no sign of BER.  It is later to mature than I expected.  Many sites say 65-75 DTM, but it has been way later than that, here.  In fact, it has been one of the last varieties to ripen. The unique colour of this tomato and its delicious flavour make it worth the wait, though!

 

 

 

September 12th - still ripening (this is about mid-stage, based on the one fully-ripe tomato I saved seeds from and then promptly ate!).  There are some large and flawless tomatoes left on one of the Uluru Ochre plants, but they are still very green.  I'll post additional pictures once those ones are ripe.

 

 

 

 

Hungarian Heart

 

Indeterminate, pink, blocky hearts.  I love the flavour of this variety.  It is great for fresh eating as well as for making sauces.  The largest tomato I've ever grown was a Hungarian Heart.  That was in 2020.

 

This one was the first HH to ripen this summer and was the largest of the bunch (August 16th):

 

 

 

Most were a bit smaller, about this size:

 

 

 

 

The next large HH to ripen (September 2nd):

 

 

 

 

Franchi Red Pear 

 

Indeterminate.  This was my first year growing this variety.  It is productive!  The tomatoes are meaty and easy to process (thin skins that come off easily).  It has an average tomato flavour that isn't my favourite choice for fresh eating, but it is an excellent tomato for sauces.   It reminds me a bit of "Jewish" tomato, though Jewish is a truer, deeper red and has a blocky heart, rather than a pear, shape.

These were the largest tomatoes on the plants and were the earliest to ripen (August 16th).  I forgot to take pictures before collecting seeds from these ones.  Oops!

 

 

 

The rest are still on the plants and slowly beginning to ripen (pictures taken August 30th):

 

Sylvan Guame 

(Or "Gaume", depending on who you ask.)  A rare, indeterminate Russian heirloom that was reintroduced by a Canadian gentleman named Sylvan Guame.  I had high hopes for this variety, but it underperformed.  Maybe it didn't like the location I chose for it, maybe it was too dry, maybe the soil needs amending, or...?  It is described in many catalogs as being a large, productive, flavourful mid-season (~80 DTM) beefsteak.  On my three plants, only one tomato was what I would call large.  The rest were medium to small in size.  Many succumbed to BER.  The descriptions I've read have been so glowing, I would like to give this variety another try.

 

Reinhard's Chocolate Heart

Indeterminate.  I grew it for the first time last summer, and it immediately became a favourite.  The plant produces medium to large hearts with few seeds.  Rich flavour.

August 16th

  

August 30th

This Reinhard's Chocolate Heart was the largest tomato of the summer.  One of the Franchi Red Pear tomatoes was a close second but in my eagerness to save seeds, I forgot to weigh it and take a picture!