2016 Bean Trials Description

[Rancho Gordo Retail Advocate]

Hello Bean Buddies, 

Thank you so much for being part of our group. 

I will go and send you the type of beans we sent to you guys on the mail. Just a quick announcement, this is our first time doing this (Nancy, Ceci & Ana), since Pamela Lopez doesn't work here anymore. We would really appreciate any feed backs and comments on how we can improve and do better next year for the bean trials. You can post them here or email them to us at rea...@ranchogordo.com. We believe that we never stop learning and we want you guys to be happy as much as we are by representing Rancho Gordo. 

Everyone is getting 7 different types of beans. We will go and attach a file together with this discussion where you guys can see what you are getting. We sent you the mos popular beans. 3 of them are part of our XOXOC Project that Steve has with farmers in Mexico. The other 4 beans are the ones we grow in the USA, and one of them is the Famous 'Marcella" bean that was featured in the New York Times. Named after Marcella Hazan. 

I am also posting the list of everyone who sent us their address. We are not receiving requests anymore since the due date was April 15th. 

-Laurie Bramlage

-Rebecca McCartney

-Janice Mathews

-Melissa Dalton

-Justin Brodie-Kommit

-Jordan Lowery

-Amy Porges

-Christina Wenger

-Josephine Borgeson

-Bryna Tuft 

-Cary Bradley

-Kathy Cloutier

-Carrie Donley

-Matt Daley

-Kevin Gay

-Amy Naranjo

-Lisa Bowens-Chapman

-Tom Murphy

-Jana Ulmer

-Jesse Moore

-Garrett Bailey

-Melisssa Harris

-Elizabeth Tao

-Wendy Dier

-Mark Taylor

-Claudia Cooper

-Larry White

-Shannon Bailey

-Kelley Wilkinson

Renee Nevitt

We look forward to hearing from all of you. We appreciate you guys.

Thank you so much!

-Rancho Gordo Stuff

[Josephine Borgeson]

It would be good to know what species the beans are as well as their growth habits.

I did a little research and this is what I have so far:

Ayocote varieties are runner beans, Phaseolus coccineus.

All others are Phaseolus vulgaris, common beans.

Marcella is  pole habit?

Rio Zape and Black Nightfall are bush habit.

All I can find are scientific papers on Garbancillo which don't say what its growth habit is. 

Anyone else know anything about these varieties?

Phina Borgeson

[Cary Bradley]

Hello Fellow Bean Buddies!  I grew Rio Zape 2 summers ago and contrary to growth habit stated some places online, mine definitely grew as pole beans.  I grew mine on teepees and they easily reached the tops of my 7 foot poles and were very prolific here in New England.  Looking forward to growing this season.  Have fun! 

Cheers,

Cary Bradley

[Jesse Moore]

Thanks for the bean names and information.  I had guessed right on some and wrongly on others! Ours are in the ground here in Seattle, WA!

[Robert Darling]

Grew some Rio Zapa this year (6/15/2016) and confirm they are runners.  Planted in mid-June here in my PA zone 6 garden they have grown well but—BUT have not yet produced flowers.  It is now September 1 and surely they will not be able to set and produce beans before our usual Frosts, mid-late September.  

Have had great success with "Marcella" planted the same time and will harvest tomorrow.  These are bush beans to about 2'.  6+ stems with 6-8 branches each with 6+ pods & 5-8 beans in each.  Excellent germination rate in June, matured early and enjoyed fresh beans early August.  Next year I will plant these with "pea" sticks to support.

The other success was Midnight black.  A short runner to 4-5'.  Excellent germination the small plants when they get their true leaves are a delightful dark black-green.  They bloomed prolifically with lavender purple blooms and set many pods all the way up the poles.  Each had about 2-3 pod per stem.  These turned a delightful light lavender then darker and then tan.   I plan to let them hang on the vines for 2 weeks.  When tried as shell beans they had good flavor but my intention is to allow them to mature completely and dry.  Next year will devote more space to these.

Yellow indian woman has also produced well.  Also a runner to 6 - 7 feet.  Light cream flowers, green pods now filling out nicely.  Not as early as Marcella or Midnight Black.  Tried these as pods OK and shell beans.  They were white when picked and am now letting them mature, going for yellow. 

In addition to the disappointment with Rio Zapa, are the Corona beans.  These are a wild runner, easily to twelve feet +.  Many many blooms.  They have white flowers that bloom in a continuing raceme, some are now easily 18" long. .  However, they rarely set pods.  These are so good I'm sorry I cannot seem to get them to set pods.  Anyone have experience with them?  There are now a very few pods.  I've not tried any waiting for them to mature.  

[Rancho Gordo Retail Advocate]

Thank you for all your wonderful information! Especially the growing habits of each. Keep us updated.

[Christina Wenger]

Hi Robert,

Your description of the growing habit of the Corona beans leads me to understand that they're Phaseolus coccineus not Phaseolus vulgaris. The Phaseolus coccineus species (what I think of when I hear the phrase "runner bean" instead of the "pole bean" of the Phaseolus vulgaris species) is a mighty grower and bloomer, but it won't set pods in heat. Wait it out until the weather breaks, and you'll likely get pod-set. If you're interested in a different approach, plant Phaseolus coccineus much earlier than you would plant vulgaris.

Have a great long weekend!

Christina

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[Josephine Borgeson]

My P. coccineus beans are just starting to bloom now, and most of August was San Francisco weather here in Santa Rosa (lots of marine layer and below average temps). 

On Fri, Sep 2, 2016 at 1:48 PM, Christina Wenger <nie...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Robert,

Your description of the growing habit of the Corona beans leads me to understand that they're Phaseolus coccineus not Phaseolus vulgaris. The Phaseolus coccineus species (what I think of when I hear the phrase "runner bean" instead of the "pole bean" of the Phaseolus vulgaris species) is a mighty grower and bloomer, but it won't set pods in heat. Wait it out until the weather breaks, and you'll likely get pod-set. If you're interested in a different approach, plant Phaseolus coccineus much earlier than you would plant vulgaris.

Have a great long weekend!

Christina

On Thu, Sep 1, 2016 at 9:30 PM, 'Robert Darling' via Rancho Gordo Bean Buddies <rancho-gordo-bean-buddies@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Grew some Rio Zapa this year (6/15/2016) and confirm they are runners.  Planted in mid-June here in my PA zone 6 garden they have grown well but—BUT have not yet produced flowers.  It is now September 1 and surely they will not be able to set and produce beans before our usual Frosts, mid-late September.  

Have had great success with "Marcella" planted the same time and will harvest tomorrow.  These are bush beans to about 2'.  6+ stems with 6-8 branches each with 6+ pods & 5-8 beans in each.  Excellent germination rate in June, matured early and enjoyed fresh beans early August.  Next year I will plant these with "pea" sticks to support.

The other success was Midnight black.  A short runner to 4-5'.  Excellent germination the small plants when they get their true leaves are a delightful dark black-green.  They bloomed prolifically with lavender purple blooms and set many pods all the way up the poles.  Each had about 2-3 pod per stem.  These turned a delightful light lavender then darker and then tan.   I plan to let them hang on the vines for 2 weeks.  When tried as shell beans they had good flavor but my intention is to allow them to mature completely and dry.  Next year will devote more space to these.

Yellow indian woman has also produced well.  Also a runner to 6 - 7 feet.  Light cream flowers, green pods now filling out nicely.  Not as early as Marcella or Midnight Black.  Tried these as pods OK and shell beans.  They were white when picked and am now letting them mature, going for yellow. 

In addition to the disappointment with Rio Zapa, are the Corona beans.  These are a wild runner, easily to twelve feet +.  Many many blooms.  They have white flowers that bloom in a continuing raceme, some are now easily 18" long. .  However, they rarely set pods.  These are so good I'm sorry I cannot seem to get them to set pods.  Anyone have experience with them?  There are now a very few pods.  I've not tried any waiting for them to mature.  

On Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 11:22:10 AM UTC-4, Cary Bradley wrote:

Hello Fellow Bean Buddies!  I grew Rio Zape 2 summers ago and contrary to growth habit stated some places online, mine definitely grew as pole beans.  I grew mine on teepees and they easily reached the tops of my 7 foot poles and were very prolific here in New England.  Looking forward to growing this season.  Have fun! 

Cheers,

Cary Bradley

On Friday, April 22, 2016 at 11:26:03 PM UTC-4, Josephine Borgeson wrote:

It would be good to know what species the beans are as well as their growth habits.

I did a little research and this is what I have so far:

Ayocote varieties are runner beans, Phaseolus coccineus.

All others are Phaseolus vulgaris, common beans.

Marcella is  pole habit?

Rio Zape and Black Nightfall are bush habit.

All I can find are scientific papers on Garbancillo which don't say what its growth habit is. 

Anyone else know anything about these varieties?

Phina Borgeson

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