uncle steve italian pole beans now available.

rxkeith · February 7, 2007

a couple years ago i sent glenn drowns at sandhill preservation some bean seeds to trial that my great uncle steve gave me. they are now being offered for the first time.
uncle steve immigrated to the u.s. from sicily in the early 1900s. the bean seeds he gave me are a flat pod green bean with purple whorls on it. i think they are pretty good tasting, and more people should have a chance to grow it. now is your chance.

keith in calumet

montanamato · February 8, 2007

OK anybody with bean growing knowledge ? For 5 years I have not been able to grow beans in this garden....I used to grow bush, pole, and dry beans for years previously-different location....I have spent much time on bean disease web sites and nothing seems to fit...I really would like to grow them again as all 3 of my children eat them and I don't buy much of what we can't grow...
My seeds germinate with the centers gone or deformed looking...If I get a row to all germinate fine they die in a few weeks or get crispy looking and fall over....Two years ago I used some nasty sulfur dust and they still all died....Last year I tried pyrethin spray and they still died....Nothing else in my garden gets diseased or sprayed for anything...A few thrips on tomato plants but that is it....I have staggered plantings from May to July and planted them in almost all sections of the garden...
I have a few left to try one last time and wondered if anyone has had this problem or knows what it could be...
Keith...I would have tried those beans as I usually order anything new at Sand Hill, but missed them this year....If I figure out what gets my beans I will try them sometime....

Jeanne

Oh peas don't grow here either...just sit stunted in the ground for a few weeks before I pull them out of pity...

angelique · February 8, 2007

Keith,

Thanks for the info. I would have loved to try them. Unfortunately, I already put in my order to Sandhill about 3 weeks ago. I am in zone 9 and try to order my seeds early. Perhaps, next year, I'll give them a try, since I do need additions to my 9x3' sq ft garden.

Thanks again for the info.

Cheers,

Angelique

**Mischka** · February 8, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by montanamato

OK anybody with bean growing knowledge ? For 5 years I have not been able to grow beans in this garden....Oh peas don't grow here either...just sit stunted in the ground for a few weeks before I pull them out of pity...

Jeanne,

Are you using bean/pea inoculant? This is a type of beneficial bacteria; in this case a bacteria known as rhizobia.

Dampen the seeds with a light mist of water, then put the beans in a shallow tray. Sprinkle the inoculant over the beans, and stir to get a light coating of the powder on each bean, then plant as usual.

You can but this at garden centers and online. I buy mine from Johnny's. Because the bacteria have a short lifespan, it's always best to use it before the expiration date on the package.

Makes a huge difference in my garden. I wouldn't bother planting peas, beans or any other legumes without it. :wink:

Worth1 · February 8, 2007

Montanatomato’s Bean Plight!

First off beans do not like cold weather and they do not like cold soil about55-60 degree soil temps are the lowest you want to have.
Next they get there nitrogen from the air so I would not think that would be the culprit either.
A fertilizer of 10 20 10 should do just fine.
The soil ph should be around 5.5-7.5
Beans like a well drained soil and do not wet the leaves when watering.
If it is a wet area where you plant beans it would be better for you to plant in hills so the soil can drain.
Beans like water but they do not want to stand in water all the time.

Do not disturb the roots.
I have had better luck planting beans in a sandy loam soil than I have had in a hard compactable clay type soil.
What is the elevation and soil temps in your area?
Where did you have success with beans before your move to your present location?
So let’s start this in a way that will or at least should weed out any diseases that may be the culprit.

Start and grow the beans in a container with soil that is disease free in the same areas that you have tried before.

Check the soil temps before planting the beans.
With the peas and beans just sitting there it seems to me that it would be a temperature or too wet a soil problem I just don’t know with the information I have at hand at this time.

Montana is a large state, do you live in the eastern portion or to the west.
You could also ask other gardeners in the area what their experience is with beans and peas.
And by all means, the county agent should be of great help to you.
I hope this helps and hope that others chime in to solve this bean problem.

Worth

montanamato · February 8, 2007

Mischka and Worth...Thanks for your comments....All my neighbors grow beans like weeds...I live in central Montana and have lived in other areas of Montana when I had great bean crops....My seeds germinate, but the center is not right...insect damage ? I haven't planted before mid May and the soil temps were already warm enough then to germinate corn...I left the innoculant in the bag last year and forgot to use it...I have used it in past years...Two years ago it was so hot I thought they were burning up and planted again(about June 15) in between my corn rows for shade...They did well until the second set of leaves and then all died...My soil is a bit clayey, but most areas of my garden have lots of good compost and drainage...I do sometimes get root maggot damge on my latest carrots...Otherwise all my vegies usually fare well....I had a major ag test done 2 summers ago and can't find the results any longer...but most everything was in normal bounds...My ph can run close to 8 in parts of the garden...My squash and melons go out the same time and do great, so I don't think it is too cool for them....My husband often added tractor loads of compost in the past and I was thinking I have some organism in the soil that is killing my beans...I am going to try a few in containers this year, but I know my friends are growing them in their gardens and I really like to save the containers for tomatoes and peppers...I may try amending a small area on the side of the house that isn't connected with the garden, but I know the deer will be horrid there....Thanks again.

Jeanne

Fusion_power · February 9, 2007

I grew the Uncle Steve's Italian Pole beans for Glenn. Here is some info if it helps with decision making.

The beans were grown in a single long row. About 20 of the plants showed signs of crossing and were rogued out before seed were saved. All plants from which seed were saved were checked for true to type characters which include a light beige seed with pale pinkish markings, sickle curved pods, slightly flattened shape, and normal polebean foliage. I went to a lot of effort to cull out any abnormal plants but there is still a chance some of them will be crossed.

Culture should include growing beans on about 8 inch in-row spacing with good supports for the runners to climb on. They should be picked a bit earlier than most pole beans because they can develop a fibrous texture when over-mature. They are better adapted to the northern U.S. than to the south where I live but they will produce a reasonable crop even down here. I am comparing with Rattlesnake which is noted for excellent heat tolerance.

Flavor is good to excellent. These beans are best used for fresh snaps, they did not stack up very well for canning.

I also grew the Goose beans that Glenn is selling this year.

And on the horizon for next year:

Blue Marbutt: an excellent heirloom bean found here in the south. The beans have a funny purplish pink cast on the outside and shiny black seed. These are excellent snap beans and outstanding canners. They are tolerant to heat and are heavily productive.

Blue Greasy Grit: A small black seeded bean. Glenn thinks it is pretty good so I will have to give it a try.

Caroline Red Lima: Glenn has a small amount of seed this year but I will grow an entire row next year. This is an outstandingly good medium sized lima. Seed are a pinkish purple color at the green mature (shelly) stage. The vines are exceptionally heat tolerant, very heavy producers, and vigorous beyond belief. I started the year with 20 seed. From those 20 seed, I ate two or three pans of beans, saved about 2 pounds of seed, and probably let another pound waste on the vines because I didn't pick them soon enough. These beans need room to grow. Plant them at least 12 inches apart in the row. Cooking characteristics are good and flavor is better than average.

Take a look at the Black Peanuts Glenn is listing. This is an heirloom variety that I picked up from a grower in East Alabama. The plants are vigorous and productive. They have a very good flavor slightly different from most of the red seeded varieties. They are outstanding for parched peanuts.

Fusion

rxkeith · February 10, 2007

fusion

thanks for going to the effort of making the beans available, and keeping them true to type. they grew quite well for me in the metro detroit area. i might of had one bad year out of 10 if that. so, anyone with a similar climate should have plenty of beans. where i currently live, they don't do as well due to cooler weather, and a shorter growing season.
you are correct in that they are best eaten fresh. they also freeze ok. we only canned them one year when we had no choice. we ran out of room in the freezer. canning isn't their strong suit.

the other beans you mentioned, which ones do you think would do best up north?

keith in calumet

Ruth_10 · February 10, 2007

The Uncle Steve's sound interesting. I ordered Brown Speckled Greasy beans from Sandhill this year, as well as the Black Peanuts Fusion mentions. Look forward to trying them.

Glad to see there might be another greasy bean in Glenn's offerings. I had been meaning to ask my broth-in-law if he had a family greasy bean. He grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina. Family went back a ways in that area. Most unfortunately, my BIL passed away last Christmas. He was a character.

bully · March 4, 2007

Uncle Steve knew his stuff.

Zana · August 27, 2007

I've got Uncle Steve's Pole Beans growing this year in containers. about 6 plants per 15 gal container x 3 containers. At this time there are a few pods that are about 1 to 2 inches in length, so I haven't had a chance yet to try them. But they seem to have survived our drive hot July and most of August. And now since the rains have come in the past 9 days, they're really picking up speed. I'm looking forward to trying them. They've got similiar colouring on the pod to the Waterloo County Mennonite Pole Bean, but the seeds are pink instead of whitish grey with purple markings. Should be interesting to see which I prefer.

rxkeith · August 28, 2007

i picked a bunch earlier today. good thing. i won't be back to the farm for 10 days, 3 days of work followed by a trip down state to see the families. right when the beans are just coming on. the beans seem to being doing ok despite a severe lack of rain fall in the area. production will likely fall off as a result. if the frost holds off long enough, i'll likely have plenty of beans for seed by the end of the growing season.

keith in calumet

maryinoregon · June 26, 2008

Hi Keith.

I can't remember when you sent me Uncle Steve's Italian Pole Beans. I never grew them because the tomatoes always crowded them out when I did my planting.

Anyway, with the cost of groceries, and the chance to grow vegetables in a neighbor's garden, I planted them. Keep in mind, they are now old seeds. I think I got them from you when we were all on GW.

Our weather here has been unseasonably cold. A few days here and there when we get some heat. I planted a variety of old seeds. Some I bought. Some I traded for or got SASE. Of all the pole bean varieties I planted, (4 or 5 types), guess which ones sprouted? That's right. Uncle Steves. I did not plant anything older than the year 2000.

I look forward to them growing if we get some consistent summer weather. We are expecting a week of it in the 80s-90s F. so we should see some growth.

Thank you for generously sharing your seeds with so many.

rxkeith · July 5, 2008

hi mary,

nice to hear the beans are up and growing for you. its been about 7 or 8 years since i offered seeds on garden web. i've had seeds that were at least 10 years old germinate. percentage goes way down though. i usually give old seeds a good soak before planting. last year i said i would have plenty of seeds. well, i did until mice made off with the seeds that were in an upstairs room drying. i ended up with about 2 dozen seeds. war was declared on mice. this year i planted seeds that were 3 years old, and got good germination.
the weather here has been on the cool side most of june. the bush beans i planted failed miserably. some seeds were older, but i still expected to see more than a handful of plants come up from 6 different varieties. i replanted today. the weather has finally warmed up. i seem to have better luck with older pole beans vs bush beans germinating. i planted some grandmas' black, and grandmas' brown seeds from darrel jones that were about 6 years old and had very good germination this year.
good luck with them, and let us know how you like them.

keith

Ruth_10 · July 10, 2008

I got some Uncle Steve's from Sandhill this spring and we've been eating them for about a week now. They are delicious! Nice vigorous plants--good climbers, too. I planted Dragon Tongue bush beans this year for the first time, and those are great as well. In fact, the two seem very similar (except for one being pole and the other bush). The major difference in appearance is that the Dragon Tongue pods have more of a yellow background, whereas the Uncle Steve's have more of a green background (along with some that have purple as the major coloration).

I LOVE string beans!

February 7, 2007	#1
rxkeith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Back in da U.P. Posts: 1,848	uncle steve italian pole beans now available. a couple years ago i sent glenn drowns at sandhill preservation some bean seeds to trial that my great uncle steve gave me. they are now being offered for the first time. uncle steve immigrated to the u.s. from sicily in the early 1900s. the bean seeds he gave me are a flat pod green bean with purple whorls on it. i think they are pretty good tasting, and more people should have a chance to grow it. now is your chance. keith in calumet

February 10, 2007	#9
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	The Uncle Steve's sound interesting. I ordered Brown Speckled Greasy beans from Sandhill this year, as well as the Black Peanuts Fusion mentions. Look forward to trying them. Glad to see there might be another greasy bean in Glenn's offerings. I had been meaning to ask my broth-in-law if he had a family greasy bean. He grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina. Family went back a ways in that area. Most unfortunately, my BIL passed away last Christmas. He was a character. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

July 5, 2008	#14
rxkeith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Back in da U.P. Posts: 1,848	hi mary, nice to hear the beans are up and growing for you. its been about 7 or 8 years since i offered seeds on garden web. i've had seeds that were at least 10 years old germinate. percentage goes way down though. i usually give old seeds a good soak before planting. last year i said i would have plenty of seeds. well, i did until mice made off with the seeds that were in an upstairs room drying. i ended up with about 2 dozen seeds. war was declared on mice. this year i planted seeds that were 3 years old, and got good germination. the weather here has been on the cool side most of june. the bush beans i planted failed miserably. some seeds were older, but i still expected to see more than a handful of plants come up from 6 different varieties. i replanted today. the weather has finally warmed up. i seem to have better luck with older pole beans vs bush beans germinating. i planted some grandmas' black, and grandmas' brown seeds from darrel jones that were about 6 years old and had very good germination this year. good luck with them, and let us know how you like them. keith Last edited by rxkeith; July 5, 2008 at 12:56 AM.

July 10, 2008	#15
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	I got some Uncle Steve's from Sandhill this spring and we've been eating them for about a week now. They are delicious! Nice vigorous plants--good climbers, too. I planted Dragon Tongue bush beans this year for the first time, and those are great as well. In fact, the two seem very similar (except for one being pole and the other bush). The major difference in appearance is that the Dragon Tongue pods have more of a yellow background, whereas the Uncle Steve's have more of a green background (along with some that have purple as the major coloration). I LOVE string beans! __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

February 8, 2007	#2
montanamato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 1,038	OK anybody with bean growing knowledge ? For 5 years I have not been able to grow beans in this garden....I used to grow bush, pole, and dry beans for years previously-different location....I have spent much time on bean disease web sites and nothing seems to fit...I really would like to grow them again as all 3 of my children eat them and I don't buy much of what we can't grow... My seeds germinate with the centers gone or deformed looking...If I get a row to all germinate fine they die in a few weeks or get crispy looking and fall over....Two years ago I used some nasty sulfur dust and they still all died....Last year I tried pyrethin spray and they still died....Nothing else in my garden gets diseased or sprayed for anything...A few thrips on tomato plants but that is it....I have staggered plantings from May to July and planted them in almost all sections of the garden... I have a few left to try one last time and wondered if anyone has had this problem or knows what it could be... Keith...I would have tried those beans as I usually order anything new at Sand Hill, but missed them this year....If I figure out what gets my beans I will try them sometime.... Jeanne Oh peas don't grow here either...just sit stunted in the ground for a few weeks before I pull them out of pity...

February 8, 2007	#3
angelique Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Rocklin, California Posts: 501	Keith, Thanks for the info. I would have loved to try them. Unfortunately, I already put in my order to Sandhill about 3 weeks ago. I am in zone 9 and try to order my seeds early. Perhaps, next year, I'll give them a try, since I do need additions to my 9x3' sq ft garden. Thanks again for the info. Cheers, Angelique

February 8, 2007	#5
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Montanatomato’s Bean Plight! First off beans do not like cold weather and they do not like cold soil about55-60 degree soil temps are the lowest you want to have. Next they get there nitrogen from the air so I would not think that would be the culprit either. A fertilizer of 10 20 10 should do just fine. The soil ph should be around 5.5-7.5 Beans like a well drained soil and do not wet the leaves when watering. If it is a wet area where you plant beans it would be better for you to plant in hills so the soil can drain. Beans like water but they do not want to stand in water all the time. Do not disturb the roots. I have had better luck planting beans in a sandy loam soil than I have had in a hard compactable clay type soil. What is the elevation and soil temps in your area? Where did you have success with beans before your move to your present location? So let’s start this in a way that will or at least should weed out any diseases that may be the culprit. Start and grow the beans in a container with soil that is disease free in the same areas that you have tried before. Check the soil temps before planting the beans. With the peas and beans just sitting there it seems to me that it would be a temperature or too wet a soil problem I just don’t know with the information I have at hand at this time. Montana is a large state, do you live in the eastern portion or to the west. You could also ask other gardeners in the area what their experience is with beans and peas. And by all means, the county agent should be of great help to you. I hope this helps and hope that others chime in to solve this bean problem. Worth

February 9, 2007	#7
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	I grew the Uncle Steve's Italian Pole beans for Glenn. Here is some info if it helps with decision making. The beans were grown in a single long row. About 20 of the plants showed signs of crossing and were rogued out before seed were saved. All plants from which seed were saved were checked for true to type characters which include a light beige seed with pale pinkish markings, sickle curved pods, slightly flattened shape, and normal polebean foliage. I went to a lot of effort to cull out any abnormal plants but there is still a chance some of them will be crossed. Culture should include growing beans on about 8 inch in-row spacing with good supports for the runners to climb on. They should be picked a bit earlier than most pole beans because they can develop a fibrous texture when over-mature. They are better adapted to the northern U.S. than to the south where I live but they will produce a reasonable crop even down here. I am comparing with Rattlesnake which is noted for excellent heat tolerance. Flavor is good to excellent. These beans are best used for fresh snaps, they did not stack up very well for canning. I also grew the Goose beans that Glenn is selling this year. And on the horizon for next year: Blue Marbutt: an excellent heirloom bean found here in the south. The beans have a funny purplish pink cast on the outside and shiny black seed. These are excellent snap beans and outstanding canners. They are tolerant to heat and are heavily productive. Blue Greasy Grit: A small black seeded bean. Glenn thinks it is pretty good so I will have to give it a try. Caroline Red Lima: Glenn has a small amount of seed this year but I will grow an entire row next year. This is an outstandingly good medium sized lima. Seed are a pinkish purple color at the green mature (shelly) stage. The vines are exceptionally heat tolerant, very heavy producers, and vigorous beyond belief. I started the year with 20 seed. From those 20 seed, I ate two or three pans of beans, saved about 2 pounds of seed, and probably let another pound waste on the vines because I didn't pick them soon enough. These beans need room to grow. Plant them at least 12 inches apart in the row. Cooking characteristics are good and flavor is better than average. Take a look at the Black Peanuts Glenn is listing. This is an heirloom variety that I picked up from a grower in East Alabama. The plants are vigorous and productive. They have a very good flavor slightly different from most of the red seeded varieties. They are outstanding for parched peanuts. Fusion

March 4, 2007	#10
bully Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: S.E. MI Posts: 794	Uncle Steve knew his stuff.

August 27, 2007	#11
Zana Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Southwestern Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,521	I've got Uncle Steve's Pole Beans growing this year in containers. about 6 plants per 15 gal container x 3 containers. At this time there are a few pods that are about 1 to 2 inches in length, so I haven't had a chance yet to try them. But they seem to have survived our drive hot July and most of August. And now since the rains have come in the past 9 days, they're really picking up speed. I'm looking forward to trying them. They've got similiar colouring on the pod to the Waterloo County Mennonite Pole Bean, but the seeds are pink instead of whitish grey with purple markings. Should be interesting to see which I prefer.

August 28, 2007	#12
rxkeith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Back in da U.P. Posts: 1,848	i picked a bunch earlier today. good thing. i won't be back to the farm for 10 days, 3 days of work followed by a trip down state to see the families. right when the beans are just coming on. the beans seem to being doing ok despite a severe lack of rain fall in the area. production will likely fall off as a result. if the frost holds off long enough, i'll likely have plenty of beans for seed by the end of the growing season. keith in calumet

June 26, 2008	#13
maryinoregon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 361	Hi Keith. I can't remember when you sent me Uncle Steve's Italian Pole Beans. I never grew them because the tomatoes always crowded them out when I did my planting. Anyway, with the cost of groceries, and the chance to grow vegetables in a neighbor's garden, I planted them. Keep in mind, they are now old seeds. I think I got them from you when we were all on GW. Our weather here has been unseasonably cold. A few days here and there when we get some heat. I planted a variety of old seeds. Some I bought. Some I traded for or got SASE. Of all the pole bean varieties I planted, (4 or 5 types), guess which ones sprouted? That's right. Uncle Steves. I did not plant anything older than the year 2000. I look forward to them growing if we get some consistent summer weather. We are expecting a week of it in the 80s-90s F. so we should see some growth. Thank you for generously sharing your seeds with so many.