SEED SAVING
Leguminosae Family
Beans and Peas
Phaseolus spp.
Family - Fabaceae
Genus - phaseolus
Species - P. coccineus, P. vulgaris, P.lunatus, P.dumosus
population size
A single plant will produce viable seeds.
To maintain a cultivar over time, save seeds from 10-25 plants.
Seed Maturity/harvesting
Harvest when the pods are brown, dry and brittle.
If the pods are not completely dry before the autumn rains really set in, dry them indoors.
Cleaning and Processing
Runner beans’ size means they can be very slow to dry completely, and there’s a risk of them getting mouldy in storage.
When the pods are completely dry, remove the seeds and leave to finish drying for a couple of weeks. inside, out of the sun.
Use a wide shallow container like a banana box.
Storage and Viability
Store beans in an airtight container in a cool, dark, and dry place.
Under these conditions, runner bean seeds will remain viable for 3-4 years.. or possibly much longer.
Family - Fabaceae
Genus - phaseolus
Species - P. coccineus, P. vulgaris, P.lunatus, P.dumosus
population size
A single plant will produce viable seeds.
To maintain a cultivar over time, save seeds from 10-25 plants.
Seed Maturity/harvesting
Harvest when the pods are brown, dry and brittle.
If the pods are not completely dry before the autumn rains really set in, dry them indoors.
Cleaning and Processing
Runner beans’ size means they can be very slow to dry completely, and there’s a risk of them getting mouldy in storage.
When the pods are completely dry, remove the seeds and leave to finish drying for a couple of weeks. inside, out of the sun.
Use a wide shallow container like a banana box.
Storage and Viability
Store beans in an airtight container in a cool, dark, and dry place.
Under these conditions, runner bean seeds will remain viable for 3-4 years.. or possibly much longer.
Jasmin Hill
2 September 2022
Bean Grow Down Challenge 2022-23
All Beans are from the Leguminosae Family which includes more than 600 Genera and 12,000 species, of which only about 25 species are commonly grown for food production. For the most part we will be choosing bean varieties from the Phaseolus Genus but we are not limited to just this Genus.. For example some are growing Broad beans (Vicia faba) and Soybeans (Glycine max).. Pea’s are also included in the Leguminosae family, but we’ll just stick to beans for now, though seed saving techniques will be similar.
Leguminosae flowers are perfect, meaning that they have both male and female parts and are self pollinating. The pollen does not usually get transferred to the stigma until the flower is disturbed or tripped by the wind or by honey bees and other insects. Occasionally this can cause cross pollination, even though it is rare, for seed saving purposes we need to take this in to consideration. The extent of insect cross-pollination is hotly debated, the percentage of crossing depends on the type of flower, the number of bees and other pollen carrying insects and whether or not there are other food sources in the area for the bees.
Sometimes the seed coat patterns and shapes are used to prove the presence or absence of crossing but there are other genetic characteristics that are not visible in their seeds, so statements about seed purity based solely on seed coat characteristics are not valid and are only an indication of crossed seed. Even if crossing has occurred that is capable of showing up visibly, the crossed seeds will look exactly the same as the parent seeds. It is only after another generation is grown out that evidence of crossing will become visible. Ideally for this challenge we would like to keep the different varieties separate from each other and consider planting lots of flowers for the bees to forage.
Plant selection is also very important! Always save seeds from healthy plants.. this is my number 1 Rule with Seed Saving.. Remember you are passing on the genetics of each plant so we don’t want to save seeds from weak or diseased plants.
Legumes should be rogued out after the plants emerge and during flowering and pod formation. Plant at least twice as many seeds as you would like to grow and choose the strongest and most true to type plants to grow out. Also consider what the desired characteristics are for each variety, flower colour, leaf shape, number of flowers per node.. Seed should not be saved from plants that do not exhibit the characteristics of the variety.
Legume seeds are usually left on the plant to dry and fully mature although sometimes, depending on weather conditions, we may need to harvest them earlier, recommendations are to harvest the entire plant and hang it in a dry place until the pods are dry. This allows the seeds to continue to draw energy from the plant for several more days providing a higher quality seed.
Ensure your seed pods are crispy dry before harvesting your beans. For large harvests there are different techniques for removing the seeds from the pods, but for most of us the joy will be in opening the pods by hand. Lay your bean seeds out to dry in a large open box out of direct sunlight.
To test if your bean seeds are completely dry, put several seed on a hard surface and hit each one with a hammer. If your seeds shatter they are dry enough for storage, if they mash instead of shattering they need further drying.
Bean seeds are prone to Weevils, if you have had issues with weevils in your environment or you have any reason for concern then you can freeze your dried beans to avoid this problem. Weevil eggs are killed by 3 days at -17degC, it is best to leave them in the freezer for 5-7days though as our home freezers may not reach this temperature. When removing seeds from the freezer it is important not to open the container until they have returned to room temperature to avoid condensation contaminating your seeds. Be aware if your seeds are not perfectly dry then freezing may damage your seeds.
2 September 2022
Bean Grow Down Challenge 2022-23
All Beans are from the Leguminosae Family which includes more than 600 Genera and 12,000 species, of which only about 25 species are commonly grown for food production. For the most part we will be choosing bean varieties from the Phaseolus Genus but we are not limited to just this Genus.. For example some are growing Broad beans (Vicia faba) and Soybeans (Glycine max).. Pea’s are also included in the Leguminosae family, but we’ll just stick to beans for now, though seed saving techniques will be similar.
Leguminosae flowers are perfect, meaning that they have both male and female parts and are self pollinating. The pollen does not usually get transferred to the stigma until the flower is disturbed or tripped by the wind or by honey bees and other insects. Occasionally this can cause cross pollination, even though it is rare, for seed saving purposes we need to take this in to consideration. The extent of insect cross-pollination is hotly debated, the percentage of crossing depends on the type of flower, the number of bees and other pollen carrying insects and whether or not there are other food sources in the area for the bees.
Sometimes the seed coat patterns and shapes are used to prove the presence or absence of crossing but there are other genetic characteristics that are not visible in their seeds, so statements about seed purity based solely on seed coat characteristics are not valid and are only an indication of crossed seed. Even if crossing has occurred that is capable of showing up visibly, the crossed seeds will look exactly the same as the parent seeds. It is only after another generation is grown out that evidence of crossing will become visible. Ideally for this challenge we would like to keep the different varieties separate from each other and consider planting lots of flowers for the bees to forage.
Plant selection is also very important! Always save seeds from healthy plants.. this is my number 1 Rule with Seed Saving.. Remember you are passing on the genetics of each plant so we don’t want to save seeds from weak or diseased plants.
Legumes should be rogued out after the plants emerge and during flowering and pod formation. Plant at least twice as many seeds as you would like to grow and choose the strongest and most true to type plants to grow out. Also consider what the desired characteristics are for each variety, flower colour, leaf shape, number of flowers per node.. Seed should not be saved from plants that do not exhibit the characteristics of the variety.
Legume seeds are usually left on the plant to dry and fully mature although sometimes, depending on weather conditions, we may need to harvest them earlier, recommendations are to harvest the entire plant and hang it in a dry place until the pods are dry. This allows the seeds to continue to draw energy from the plant for several more days providing a higher quality seed.
Ensure your seed pods are crispy dry before harvesting your beans. For large harvests there are different techniques for removing the seeds from the pods, but for most of us the joy will be in opening the pods by hand. Lay your bean seeds out to dry in a large open box out of direct sunlight.
To test if your bean seeds are completely dry, put several seed on a hard surface and hit each one with a hammer. If your seeds shatter they are dry enough for storage, if they mash instead of shattering they need further drying.
Bean seeds are prone to Weevils, if you have had issues with weevils in your environment or you have any reason for concern then you can freeze your dried beans to avoid this problem. Weevil eggs are killed by 3 days at -17degC, it is best to leave them in the freezer for 5-7days though as our home freezers may not reach this temperature. When removing seeds from the freezer it is important not to open the container until they have returned to room temperature to avoid condensation contaminating your seeds. Be aware if your seeds are not perfectly dry then freezing may damage your seeds.
Cross pollination
1. Runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) cross more readily with each other because the flowers open before pollination has been achieved. They require insects to "trip" the flower open for pollination to happen. So if that insect has visited another P. coccineus, and transfers pollen, they can easily cross.
How easy this said crossing of pollen is exactly, I'm not sure. There are some of our Seed Guardian members that have grown different P. coccineus very close to each other and had no issues with crossing. Many references mention 800m to 1km between P. coccineus cultivars for seed purity.
2. Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) do not cross easily with each other because the flowers open after (self-) pollination has been achieved. SOMETIMES crossing does happen when a bumblebee prize open a flower before it's had time to pollinate itself and transfer pollen from another bean onto that flower's pistil. Rare, but can happen.
3. Interbreeding - SPECIFICALLY hand pollinating between species can create new and interesting cultivars. I read this on a trusted website: "The related species considered most useful for interbreeding with P. coccineus to increase its genetic diversity are P. dumosus and P. vulgaris."
So yes, you can cross common beans and runner beans, but you have to make it happen, it doesn't very readily "just happen" in nature.
1. Runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) cross more readily with each other because the flowers open before pollination has been achieved. They require insects to "trip" the flower open for pollination to happen. So if that insect has visited another P. coccineus, and transfers pollen, they can easily cross.
How easy this said crossing of pollen is exactly, I'm not sure. There are some of our Seed Guardian members that have grown different P. coccineus very close to each other and had no issues with crossing. Many references mention 800m to 1km between P. coccineus cultivars for seed purity.
2. Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) do not cross easily with each other because the flowers open after (self-) pollination has been achieved. SOMETIMES crossing does happen when a bumblebee prize open a flower before it's had time to pollinate itself and transfer pollen from another bean onto that flower's pistil. Rare, but can happen.
3. Interbreeding - SPECIFICALLY hand pollinating between species can create new and interesting cultivars. I read this on a trusted website: "The related species considered most useful for interbreeding with P. coccineus to increase its genetic diversity are P. dumosus and P. vulgaris."
So yes, you can cross common beans and runner beans, but you have to make it happen, it doesn't very readily "just happen" in nature.
Leila Macbeth
2021
Phaseolus coccineus (runner beans)
Phaseolus coccineus are great for the cooler, wetter parts of NZ where Phaseolus vulgaris aka common beans struggle.
They are also perennial in all our climates; the fat tuberous roots can keep pushing up vines for many years.
Most people have heard of ‘scarlet runners’ but there are many P coccineus cultivars in NZ.
I find ‘scarlet runner’ pods a bit tough, but they are hugely productive, and great for drying.
My all round favourite is ‘white butterfly’ which is very productive, with large, tender pods and huge, cream-coloured seeds that are fabulous dried.
Seed saving challenges and workarounds
While P vulgaris cultivars are often grown together with no crossing, P coccineus cultivars cross quite readily and you have to be a bit careful to avoid cross pollination,
I’m a bit lazy to spend much effort trying to isolate things, and rather than making the effort to isolate I tend to settle on one cultivar per season of species that cross readily.
My one cultivar per species per season thing doesn’t work with perennial P coccineus, as last season’s cultivar will be up again to cross with the new season’s!
I’m going to try saving seed from ‘white butterfly’ and the peach-flowered ‘celebration’, basically by having them as far apart as possible, with various things that will distract the bumblebees in between (bumbles are the main pollinator.)
If they do cross I won’t see it for a couple of seasons -maternally inherited characteristics something mumble something-so I’d be wary of sharing seed unless people weren’t worried about purity.
I am confident none of my near neighbours grow P coccineus, otherwise isolation on my small suburban section would be basically impossible!
2021
Phaseolus coccineus (runner beans)
Phaseolus coccineus are great for the cooler, wetter parts of NZ where Phaseolus vulgaris aka common beans struggle.
They are also perennial in all our climates; the fat tuberous roots can keep pushing up vines for many years.
Most people have heard of ‘scarlet runners’ but there are many P coccineus cultivars in NZ.
I find ‘scarlet runner’ pods a bit tough, but they are hugely productive, and great for drying.
My all round favourite is ‘white butterfly’ which is very productive, with large, tender pods and huge, cream-coloured seeds that are fabulous dried.
Seed saving challenges and workarounds
While P vulgaris cultivars are often grown together with no crossing, P coccineus cultivars cross quite readily and you have to be a bit careful to avoid cross pollination,
I’m a bit lazy to spend much effort trying to isolate things, and rather than making the effort to isolate I tend to settle on one cultivar per season of species that cross readily.
My one cultivar per species per season thing doesn’t work with perennial P coccineus, as last season’s cultivar will be up again to cross with the new season’s!
I’m going to try saving seed from ‘white butterfly’ and the peach-flowered ‘celebration’, basically by having them as far apart as possible, with various things that will distract the bumblebees in between (bumbles are the main pollinator.)
If they do cross I won’t see it for a couple of seasons -maternally inherited characteristics something mumble something-so I’d be wary of sharing seed unless people weren’t worried about purity.
I am confident none of my near neighbours grow P coccineus, otherwise isolation on my small suburban section would be basically impossible!