Several different color beans in seed package

clkingtx · March 31, 2016

I bought a package of romano bush beans(Ferry Morse), and was surprised to see that there are several different colors of beans in the package! I wonder why this is......... Is it a plant that makes several different colors of seeds, or (more likely) are there several different types of "romano" beans, and maybe this is a combo pack of several? I don't mind about them being different varieties, I just really prefer the broad beans instead of the skinny ones.

joseph · March 31, 2016

The beans could be different colors for a number of reasons. A few I can think that haven't been mentioned already are:

1- They may have been harvested at different stages of maturity.
2- Beans often change color as they age. New beans are typically lighter colored than older beans.
3- Exposure to sunlight can change the color of the beans.

Then there are the other things like how and where they were grown, and the seed company might have combined seeds from multiple years, or multiple farmers.

Here's a couple examples: The beans in the red boxes are freshly harvested. The others where photographed some months later.

clkingtx · March 31, 2016

That is really interesting, Joseph. I never thought about them changing color as they age!

Carrie

Zeedman · April 1, 2016

I would agree that seed age is probably the reason for the different shades; but seeds grown in the same year should darken at roughly the same rate, which I have observed in my own saved seed. It makes me wonder if the company in question is mixing seed lots from different years.

I wouldn't rule out crosses though, since I found quite a few off-type plants in a commercial bush bean variety I grew several years ago.

March 31, 2016	#2
joseph Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: Cache Valley, N/E of The Great Salt Lake Posts: 1,244	The beans could be different colors for a number of reasons. A few I can think that haven't been mentioned already are: 1- They may have been harvested at different stages of maturity. 2- Beans often change color as they age. New beans are typically lighter colored than older beans. 3- Exposure to sunlight can change the color of the beans. Then there are the other things like how and where they were grown, and the seed company might have combined seeds from multiple years, or multiple farmers. Here's a couple examples: The beans in the red boxes are freshly harvested. The others where photographed some months later.

March 31, 2016	#3
clkingtx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Wichita Falls Texas Posts: 446	That is really interesting, Joseph. I never thought about them changing color as they age! Carrie

April 1, 2016	#4
Zeedman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 313	I would agree that seed age is probably the reason for the different shades; but seeds grown in the same year should darken at roughly the same rate, which I have observed in my own saved seed. It makes me wonder if the company in question is mixing seed lots from different years. I wouldn't rule out crosses though, since I found quite a few off-type plants in a commercial bush bean variety I grew several years ago.