Post by glen on Jan 3, 2018 16:30:49 GMT -6
I decided that it would be appropriate to add this thread on Cowpea's, which are of the specie's Vigna unguiculata. This thread will show case my own cowpea, which George and I dubbed Long Bean. However, anyone is welcome and I encourage everyone to add some foto's of their favorite cowpea and to share your experience and favorite way's to fix your personal variety of cowpea. Which blackeyed pea is a cowpea by the way.
I am going to start by copy and pasting some old thread post's.
Feb 5, 2015 at 9:49am
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Post by glen on Feb 5, 2015 at 9:49am
Here in Panama I have been growing what I call yard long beans. They are climbers and grow very tall. They produce long beans, 12 inches or more in length. I have seen several variety's. I do not know if these beans are actual yard long beans or not since I have grown other asian style string beans that get much longer than this and look slightly different. They taste the best if you pick them before the seeds start developing. They seem to like heat. However, my vines are tired and are not producing beans any longer. I think it has something to do with day length this time of year. One variety I have seen has black seeds. The variety I am growing has brown seeds. The flavor is similar. I cannot know the names of the variety's since I am just using seeds picked from other people's vines. The diversity of different variety's and habits makes beans very interesting and useful to grow in the garden.
macmex
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Guide for saving bean seed Feb 12, 2015 at 9:15am
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Post by macmex on Feb 12, 2015 at 9:15am
Glen, those are a from a branch of the cowpea family. They can cross with cowpeas, but not with regular beans or lima beans. I bet there are some day length sensitive types out there, especially at your latitude. I grow Georgia Long, which is a variety with red/putty colored seed and 24" long pods. I understand that "Long Beans," as these were once known, in the USA, were a popular fad in the 1800s, but then faded from popularity. They should be more popular in warmer areas. I know Georgia Long thrives in lots of heat.
Here's an interesting story. I received seed for Georgia Long
I received seed for this variety in 1987, from a Virgil and Hazel Johnson of Liberty, Missouri. They, in turn, had received their seed from Faxon Stinnet, of Vian, Oklahoma. Faxon Stinnet commented in 1987, that he had been gardening for 75 years.
Right after obtaining seed, my wife Jerreth and I shared some seed of Georgia Long, with her grandparents in Salem, Illinois (southern part of the state). They grew it every year from then until at least 1997. Grandma passed away in 1995 and Grandpa’s health was so poor, that in 1997 he presented me with a bottle of seed and asked me to keep it going from him, as he couldn’t garden any more. He had forgotten that we had given the variety to them originally. While growing this “bean,” Grandpa planted about 20 feet on tripods and had so many that he absolutely couldn’t eat them all. He would put out his surplus on a picnic table in the front lawn and a sign advertising free green beans! (I still have some of the 1996/1997 seed, in the same bottle. It tested out at nearly 100% germination in 2007! I still got something like 60% germination on that seed in 2009.)
We lost our seed sometime between 1988 and 1992, when we lived in a very high cold rain forest in the Mexican state of Puebla. Life was too unsettled to keep seed going, and most of our heirloom varieties were not suited to that climate. We got more seed from Jerreth’s grandparents in 1994, and grew it until 2000, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, in an irrigated desert environment. It did very well in the desert. This variety likes heat and tolerates white alkali conditions.
Anyway, we moved to Tahlequah, Oklahoma in 2005. Shortly after that, I looked this bean up in my records, as it did so extremely well in our conditions. I was surprised to discover that I could trace it back to Vian. That's less than an hour away from our home! The bean had come full circle!
Read more: seedsavingnetwork.proboards.com/thread/7/guide-saving-bean-seed#ixzz53AO1B7Nk
I am going to start by copy and pasting some old thread post's.
Feb 5, 2015 at 9:49am
Quote Edit like Post Options
Post by glen on Feb 5, 2015 at 9:49am
Here in Panama I have been growing what I call yard long beans. They are climbers and grow very tall. They produce long beans, 12 inches or more in length. I have seen several variety's. I do not know if these beans are actual yard long beans or not since I have grown other asian style string beans that get much longer than this and look slightly different. They taste the best if you pick them before the seeds start developing. They seem to like heat. However, my vines are tired and are not producing beans any longer. I think it has something to do with day length this time of year. One variety I have seen has black seeds. The variety I am growing has brown seeds. The flavor is similar. I cannot know the names of the variety's since I am just using seeds picked from other people's vines. The diversity of different variety's and habits makes beans very interesting and useful to grow in the garden.
macmex
Old Timer
*****
macmex Avatar
Posts: 581Male
Guide for saving bean seed Feb 12, 2015 at 9:15am
Quote like Post Options
Post by macmex on Feb 12, 2015 at 9:15am
Glen, those are a from a branch of the cowpea family. They can cross with cowpeas, but not with regular beans or lima beans. I bet there are some day length sensitive types out there, especially at your latitude. I grow Georgia Long, which is a variety with red/putty colored seed and 24" long pods. I understand that "Long Beans," as these were once known, in the USA, were a popular fad in the 1800s, but then faded from popularity. They should be more popular in warmer areas. I know Georgia Long thrives in lots of heat.
Here's an interesting story. I received seed for Georgia Long
I received seed for this variety in 1987, from a Virgil and Hazel Johnson of Liberty, Missouri. They, in turn, had received their seed from Faxon Stinnet, of Vian, Oklahoma. Faxon Stinnet commented in 1987, that he had been gardening for 75 years.
Right after obtaining seed, my wife Jerreth and I shared some seed of Georgia Long, with her grandparents in Salem, Illinois (southern part of the state). They grew it every year from then until at least 1997. Grandma passed away in 1995 and Grandpa’s health was so poor, that in 1997 he presented me with a bottle of seed and asked me to keep it going from him, as he couldn’t garden any more. He had forgotten that we had given the variety to them originally. While growing this “bean,” Grandpa planted about 20 feet on tripods and had so many that he absolutely couldn’t eat them all. He would put out his surplus on a picnic table in the front lawn and a sign advertising free green beans! (I still have some of the 1996/1997 seed, in the same bottle. It tested out at nearly 100% germination in 2007! I still got something like 60% germination on that seed in 2009.)
We lost our seed sometime between 1988 and 1992, when we lived in a very high cold rain forest in the Mexican state of Puebla. Life was too unsettled to keep seed going, and most of our heirloom varieties were not suited to that climate. We got more seed from Jerreth’s grandparents in 1994, and grew it until 2000, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, in an irrigated desert environment. It did very well in the desert. This variety likes heat and tolerates white alkali conditions.
Anyway, we moved to Tahlequah, Oklahoma in 2005. Shortly after that, I looked this bean up in my records, as it did so extremely well in our conditions. I was surprised to discover that I could trace it back to Vian. That's less than an hour away from our home! The bean had come full circle!
Read more: seedsavingnetwork.proboards.com/thread/7/guide-saving-bean-seed#ixzz53AO1B7Nk