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Post by glen on Oct 7, 2020 23:22:44 GMT -6
Rick, good college try with the Oaxacan Creme bean. I remember having them bloom profusely and the blooms are beautiful. The blooms sit there and nothing else happens. No pod set. I tried growing them several times. The blooms just slowly wilt and drop off the vines. I did have some fruit set one year. Not a lot. Enough to fill 2 small jars with seed. I just don't understand this variety at all. I do believe that elevation has something to do with it and also daylength. Temperatures of course as well. Its a unique variety. The clue lies with Merry Youle. If we can duplicate the conditions where she lived we could find success. We know she lived in the higher elevations in Hawaii. Merry never did pass along any detailed information to George. We know that she loved this variety. That is all we have.
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Post by macmex on Oct 8, 2020 6:24:51 GMT -6
I succeeded with getting seed in NJ, in 2004. That year we had a light (but not killing frost) on September 18 and another light frost on November 1. The killing freeze hit on November 8, nearly a month later than normal. I had planted it mistakenly on June 8, thinking that the old, oxidized (dark colored) seed was Tennessee Cutshort.
Merry lived up high where it was fairly cool. I remember her telling me that she couldn't survive our Oklahoma heat. The Ixlán de Juárez region is also at a fairly high altitude too. They have some fairly hot weather in April and May, but June through August is cool and rainy. They get freezing weather in November through the first part of February, if I recall correctly.
In 2008 I planted some in a bucket, here in the Tahlequah area. That was on June 10. I had small pods by September 29 and dry seed sometime a few weeks after our first killing freeze. That year our first frost was October 23 and the killing freeze hit on the 26th.
Glen, the reason it didn't set pods for you very well is that your "cool weather" is probably Oaxaca Cream's upper limit of heat tolerance, when it comes to its pollen. The heat kills the pollen.
The one time I grew it on purpose was to renew the seed. I have been so very impressed with the high quality of the pods and the fact that this bean is a GREASY bean. According to Bill Best, greasy beans originated with the Cherokee. Either Oaxaca Cream proves that they arose independently, in Southern Mexico, or that the Cherokee somehow had contact with this region of Mexico, which I believe is predominantly Zapotec. It is WAY FAR South of the region where Chief Sequoia and his contingent settled. So this is very intriguing to me.
Additionally, I have sometimes day dreamed about the idea of crossing this bean with Tennessee Cutshort to see what would be obtained. This is probably a pipe dream.
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Post by glen on Oct 9, 2020 23:51:20 GMT -6
If you want to do a cross I suggest you get started soon. I will send you some seed as soon as I can.
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Post by rdback on Oct 16, 2020 8:34:50 GMT -6
10/16 - Well, Oaxacan Cream is trying, it's just a little too late. Weather forecast is for a freeze tonight and tomorrow night. Very unfortunate.
Pods are beginning to set
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Post by macmex on Nov 6, 2020 9:56:42 GMT -6
Rick, what was the final result with Oaxaca Cream in your garden?
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Post by rdback on Nov 10, 2020 19:11:33 GMT -6
11/09 - As expected, the cold put an end to Oaxacan Cream. The plants have dropped all their leaves, and the young, immature pods are shriveling away. There will be no mature pods/seeds this season. Quite unfortunate.
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Post by macmex on Nov 11, 2020 9:09:51 GMT -6
That is sad. If I can get seed, I have a garden which typically gets several weeks more growing season than others. I'll try to grow them there. I'd love to get a cross of these with Tennessee Cutshort.
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