pole beans

[jondear]

Last year I grew Northeaster and Fortex pole beans. I love how vigorous the Northeasters grow in the seedling stage. This year my Fortex or rather 6 of them really took off. I'll tie some surveyors tape to them tomorrow to help keep track of them. They are a foot and a half above the rest. Hoping to find that they are a cross. Anybody had any experience with this cross?

[jondear]

Turns out I was right. The f1s grew great. The seed coat turned from dark brown and long to flatter and mottled seed. The hybrid was good flavored, and almost exactly what I expected being halfway between the two parents. Next year, as they segregate it will be interesting to make selections. I do have plenty of pictures and a fair amount of seed to share if anyone is interested in growing some out.

[kyredneck]

I grew both of those this year, Northeaster (aka Kwintus) and Fortex , both outstanding beans IMO. However Northeaster will become fibrous if on the vine too long, Fortex stays tender even in the full bean stage. It'd be interesting to know if this cross of your's stays tender till the end like Fortex.

[kyredneck]

"People claim they are good even when very large. I'm finding they actually have a fairly narrow window of opportunity for picking. It isn't that they aren't good at a range of sizes from moderately small to quite large; it's that they grow so fast they can whizz through that window within a day, easily. So, like just about every other bean it's best to pick these every day. They can get as long as they like, but once they start to thicken they toughen fairly rapidly.

In addition to having been apparently renamed from Early Riser to Kwintus, some people say that Northeaster is the same variety as well....."

seasonalontariofood.blogspot.com/2012/08/early-riser-or-kwintus-beans.html

[jondear]

 mother plant FORTEX 

Pollen donor NORTHEASTER

F1 hybrid

[ferdzy]

Hey, I got quoted!

I did a review of Fortex, too.

Jondear, your cross is very exciting! I hope good things come of it.

I had a cross in the garden last year, between Cherokee Trail of Tears and Dolloff. I planted most of them, stupidly very late, and it has been such a cool and rainy second half of the summer that the verdict is still out on whether I will get any ripe seed from them. One thing that strikes me as a little strange; the f2 are quite different from the f1, but don't seem all that different from each other! But until they RIPEN I don't know that for sure.

I think that next year I will attempt my first deliberate cross. I love (love, love) Blue Lake beans but they are not very resistant to anthracnose, as it turns out. Cherokee Trail of Tears has a very similar flavour profile, but is much more resistant. But I want a white seeded bean, like Blue Lake and maybe a bit more straight and consistant in size, ditto. So, plan is to cross the two and see if I can get better anthracnose resistance with a white or at least light coloured seed and more uniform beans. Anyone know what the odds are?

[kyredneck]

That's a cool blog ferdzy, I never made the connection with you.

Isn't it amazing how different we all can be? The 'flavor profile' of Blue Lakes does not appeal to us, probably wouldn't grow them if that's all we had to grow, reminds me of canned 'restaurant beans'. We love (love, love) the 'full bean' flavor profile like is found with Missouri Wonder or most any of the greasy grit cut short types.

So, Cherokee TT is like a black seeded Blue Lake?

[kyredneck]

"They can get as long as they like, but once they start to thicken they toughen fairly rapidly."

That was a good observation and articulation ferdzy. Mine started to 'thicken' at around ten inches, but prior to that Kwintus was somewhat reminiscent of eating snow peas, it's earliness probably reinforcing the similarity also.

[ferdzy]

Well, I'm not surprised they remind you of canned restaurant beans - those beans would have been Blue Lake until very recently, and are still probably hybrids descended from them. Blue Lake are renowned for their ability to freeze and can. I don't can beans - I don't like 'em canned - but Blue Lake freeze the best of any bean we've grown. That's another thing to look for in a cross - the Cherokee Trail of Tears don't freeze quite so well.

Yes, I find the flavour of CToT to be very similar to Blue Lake. CToT are more variable in size, shape, colour, etc. I've seen a lot of people comment that their CToT seemed to be crossed. I don't think so, in most cases. I think they are naturally just more variable.

It's interesting to me how much people's taste in food depends on what they are used to. I grew up on Blue Lake, sometimes canned, sometimes frozen, and not surprisingly I really like them. I also find a them a stronger flavoured bean than many modern ones, and I like that - I tend to like stronger flavoured food generally. A lot of people rave about Fortex, but I find them pleasant but mild verging on bland.

I have never had Missouri Wonder. I grew a greasy bean this year for the first time (got it here as a trade, surprise!) and did not love them. Two problems - late in the season I came across a thread here on Homegrown Goodness that made it clear I'd been picking them waaaay too early... and I found them pleasant but kind of bland. Also, I don't think they made the jump to the great white north very happily - they seemed a little discombobulated by the longer summer day lengths here. I've seen that problem in beans before and I'm starting to recognize the signs.

[flowerweaver]

Nice blog ferdzy!

[ferdzy]

Thanks, Flowerweaver. I feel like it has been really neglected this year, between running low on easy ideas and having the year from hell. Well, nobody's died (yet) so I guess one of the outer circles; could be worse, etc. But still. Not a vintage year.

[kyredneck]

"It's interesting to me how much people's taste in food depends on what they are used to."

...zactly; I grew up on canned 'beany green beans' - Missouri Wonders, Ky Wonders, White Half Runners, Goose beans - all of em' w/strings like baling twine.


"...I don't think they made the jump to the great white north very happily..."

I have seed for an early Appalachian bean, John Allen cut short, that may work better for you; grows about 4 ft vines, trellises well on tomato cages, send me a PM if you're interested, flowerweaver is already on the list.

[jondear]

We do can our beans verses freezing them. If they picked up a little fiber but not too much, they may be better for canning. We do eat most of our pole beans fresh and grow bush beans more for canning. Who knows, they might end up best used as a shell bean. I can only grow them out and make that call when I see what comes out of them.

[ferdzy]

kyredneck, thanks for the offer. I think this next year we are going to try to keep things fairly simple, so I will pass for now.

[steev]

Stringy beans aren't so bad; we'd all benefit from flossing more.