A question about beans.

Broad Beans are finished by christmas. Are there any other sorts of beans, especially ones that can be stored dry, that produce their crop before the worst of the summer heat and dry?

Ray, I know you grow lots of beans, are any especially early? This is a question from my OH, who thinks beans would be good stored food, if we didn't have to water them through our horribly dry summers.

Cheers, Penny.

How early can you sow beans? I can't put them into the ground until November so never have dry beans until February at the earliest. I have a lot of bean varieties but I have no information on days to maturity as most are recently acquired and have yet to be grown out.
How about cowpeas? Or teparies? There are some cowpea varieties that are well suited to arid conditions and most teparies are, as they originated in southwest US / northwest Mexico. Teparies, though, are a bit of a fiddle as they are quite small. Though the one I've grown was quite productive.
I have a number of new cowpeas and teparies to grow out this coming spring/summer so will have plenty to share after that. In the mean time, if you would like some good bush beans for dry use, I can send you some. Just PM me with your address.

hi robbin and ray
I am not sure what sort you can grow for storing but recently I decided to make some pea and ham soup ,but only had italian soup mix and didnt want beans in it,so picked most of them out ,I meant to keep them but they got chucked on the veg garden and now we have beans of some sort growing and have no idea what types

and yes its winter so maybe you could do this too robbin ,they are growing really well so who knows what they are ???

Thanks Ray, I'll send my address. Are your beans all Phaseolus vars? If so, I'm assuming they're all frost tender, and that's what limits how early we can put them in the ground. Unlike the Broad Beans which take frost. But I'd like to try starting some in pots and transplanting, get maybe a month's jump on direct seeding.

Lorraine, do you get much frost up your way? But it's a good idea to just try the dry beans in the pantry. Perhaps some are more cold tolerant than green beans. Worth a try.

Penny.

I grew Borlotti from a packet I bought at my wholefoods store. They are organic so presumable not treated with any sprouting inhibitor. They gave us such a good crop I am still using them. The kids loved them too - Blotchy Beans are a standard in my pantry. I also tried Haricot, which are possibly what you get in soup mix, but they take up too much space for the yield although they did survive frost. I've also successfully grown Anasazi, Adzuki ( from Ray three years ago and still replenishing every year but I think they may have crossed with the Borlotti ) which are a bit tender but seem to like it fairly dry. Just Cannellini and Lima this year. I tend to wait until about September before planting mine because of frosts and wet spring ( sluggo and Atilla the snail are still in residence). I'm not sure Ray would know but the brown beans seem a bit less cold tolerant than the whites - I may be wrong but it seems so here.

penny no we dont get frosts, well we do up on the top road and in the valley below us but not here it must be because we are tucked in the side of a hill dunno its a bit weird but not complaining really

I will let them grow to see what becomes of them ,could be interesting

Lorraine, that's interesting about frosts above and below you. Means you're living on the 'Monastry Belt'. Cold air flows like honey, settles on top of hills, slips down the slope and settles at the bottom. That's why most of the monastries in europe are on the slopes, where they could be most productive in the gardens. Old vinyards are also found on the slopes.

Sadly we're too close to the bottom of the hill. Sometimes it's frosty over the road and not here, but that's only mild frosts. Just up the hill is almost frost free, and I'd love someday to build again at the top of the block. Ah, well, dreams.

Penny.

I have counted 5 frosts here in Melb. so far more than the total last winter

My beans are either Phaseolus or Vigna species, so frost tender. I'm experimenting with chickpeas this winter to see if they're as hardy as broad beans.
If you want to put up some dry legume seeds grown over winter (spring harvest) both peas and broad beans are good. There are some good soup style peas about. Apart from that, experimenting with early maturing beans, which would probably mean bush beans, is the way to go. Sadly, you can't import beans, or any other legume for that matter, so we're stuck with the ones we've got.
Sowing early and planting out after the frosts have gone would probably work well. Let me recommend toilet rolls as suitable pots. They can be planted straight out without disturbing the root system. I make four small cuts in one end and fold, like a box, to make a container. Works well.
A bean selection will be on its way next week.

Ray, parcel in to-day's mail. Most interesting selection. Especially look forward to Boston Baked Beans with the 'right' beans.
Many Thanks.
Penny.

What are the right beans - I've used Navy or Haricot beans in the past. Love my Baked Beans!

I think Penny is referring to the bean Boston Beauty, which I sent her. It's a bush bean that is popular in the US New England region and is used for Boston Baked Beans, among other things. Of course, any dry bean can be used for baked beans, though some are better suited to baking than others, rather like potatoes. I have plenty more if anyone else would like some. In fact, I'll put a list of beans I have to offer in the exchange section.