|
Post by macmex on Sept 28, 2020 8:20:22 GMT -6
Here's what this bean's pods look like when they are maturing. Notice the knobby bumps? In my experience, some of the finest eating beans have this appearance when the pods are maturing.
|
|
|
Post by macmex on Oct 7, 2020 8:34:28 GMT -6
Hamby is coming to life with our cooler temps. We've had two close brushes with frost and some days the high is only about 70 F. Hamby seems to appreciate this. It's not covered up in pods, but it's producing now. This variety needs to be grown out some. We need to observe if it is consistently low production during summers heat and if, planted late in the season, if it produces much better. Sometimes a variety will hold out through our heat and then lack the "umph" to really produce, once temps cool down.
This bean is of highest quality. I really like it.
|
|
|
Post by George's Administrator Hat on Oct 20, 2020 14:22:07 GMT -6
We've had some pretty cool nights lately, even a light frost. Hamby likes cooler weather. Though, this cool is a bit much. The plants are beginning to yellow.
Still, they are beautiful. They're producing seed and more pods now.
|
|
|
Post by heavyhitterokra on Oct 26, 2020 23:19:10 GMT -6
George, I love that I recognize those rock buildings in the background of that Hamby bean photo. Edible landscaping is always the best landscaping. Keep up the good work you've been doing in that regard.
|
|
|
Post by macmex on Nov 4, 2020 15:12:08 GMT -6
The location where I have Hamby planted normally stays free from killing frost for several weeks beyond what happens at my home. Hamby likes the cool weather and continues to produce a lot of pods, even as it is obviously starting to wind things down for the season.
I should also mention here, that Hamby would make an acceptable shell bean. The mature, yet still green pods are not very hard to open (shell) in order to extract the seed at this stage.
|
|
|
Post by macmex on Nov 13, 2020 19:51:01 GMT -6
November 13 and I'm still harvesting Hamby seed. I pretty much let every pod go to seed. Hamby turned into a heavy producing bean once we had cool nights. I have to say it deserves more trialing here in Oklahoma. One season isn't enough to make firm judgments on a variety. It might do better in heat next year. Pods are meaty and very very good.
I love when a planting at the end of the season has lots of pods to be gleaned. These were just hanging off the raised bed, unsupported by anything. Hamby bean seeds are large, too. Bet they'd be good as a dry bean, though, I wouldn't be able to bring myself to use them that way. I'd rather see other gardeners grow them.
|
|
|
Post by macmex on Dec 9, 2020 7:26:37 GMT -6
Hamby has finished, though I'm still gleaning seeds from the dead vines every time I walk by the plot. It produced a lot of seed. This bean deserves more trialing in our climate. Though it appears not to set pods during the hot part of our summer, I know from experience that one growing season is not enough to draw conclusions. For some reason, the first time one grows a variety in a new location, sometimes, it will behave in a completely different manner than it will from that time on. The first time I grew Tennessee Cutshort, I planted it in my parents' garden, in NJ (1986). That year Tennessee Cutshort grew with vigor, but only reached about 5' in height. It produced a heavy crop and then... suddenly dried down. Every plant appeared to just give up the ghost. That year, the first that I listed it in the Seed Savers Exchange Fall Yearbook, I believe I reported that it was a variety which didn't get very tall and that it would produce a nice crop and then quickly die down. It made a liar out of me. After that it always grew much taller and produced much longer. Why did it do this? I don't know.
Cherokee Striped Cornhill refused to produce pods in the summer heat, two years. Yet in 2020 it seemed fine, producing all summer long, except for a couple weeks when it was the hottest. All this to say that it takes a while to get "the average" performance of a given variety.
I do know that Hamby makes very large, meaty, tasty beans. It would be great as a snap and good as a dry bean. Unlike most beans which are good for snaps, this one would also be quite good as a green shell bean. The plump, tender, almost mature seeds shell easily out of their pods. They could be cooked like green limas.
This bean made a great seed crop. Here's a photo of the majority of the seed I've harvested (still working on it.)
|
|
|
Post by mountianj on Jan 3, 2021 17:18:55 GMT -6
couple pictures of my hambys from 2020 sorry took while get stuff posted.will try get some more posted this week.
|
|
|
Post by macmex on Jan 4, 2021 11:32:19 GMT -6
Very nice! This is a very attractive, meaty bean. We should give it further trialing, here in Oklahoma. I certainly have a lot of seed to share now!
|
|
|
Post by heavyhitterokra on Jan 15, 2021 15:05:06 GMT -6
Thanks, for posting the photos. It was spitting snow here off and on today, with a 35 to 40 mph North wind. (Good day to look at garden pictures). Thanks, for cheering me up!
|
|
|
Post by macmex on Apr 4, 2022 6:49:17 GMT -6
Folks, I can share seed for the coming growing season.
|
|
|
Post by hmoosek on Jun 16, 2022 7:53:42 GMT -6
I sure hope so. Man is it ever hot here at night! We’ve had hot summers before, but this one is ranking right up there!
|
|
|
Post by hmoosek on Jul 13, 2022 23:44:17 GMT -6
I’m trying to decide what to plant this month. I torn between a few beans. Hamby being 1.
|
|
|
Post by macmex on Jul 14, 2022 7:05:23 GMT -6
Hamby is a good one and needs more growing out in our area for evaluation. I was impressed when I grew it.
Bon, that's a great line up of beans!
|
|
|
Post by hmoosek on Jul 14, 2022 9:48:43 GMT -6
It sure is a great line up of beans! Earlier in the week, I tried sprouting some of Annette’s beans from a decade or so ago, but they rotted in the paper towel. Last night was going over one of macmex posts on reviving old seed. This was the post that I’m talking about. I’m going to give this a try as I have a number of seed that are very old!
|
|