question on saving bean seed

So I planted heirloom kentucky wonder pole beans, and the beans that I planted all looked the same, however the beans that I am harvesting for seed, look nothing like the originals. The run a gamut of sizes and colors. What is the reason for this and should I still save them? Trying to save as many seeds as possible for coming years.

dan Faling wrote:So I planted heirloom kentucky wonder pole beans, and the beans that I planted all looked the same, however the beans that I am harvesting for seed, look nothing like the originals. The run a gamut of sizes and colors. What is the reason for this and should I still save them? Trying to save as many seeds as possible for coming years.

A photo would help...

Beans picked green have a different color than beans picked dry. They are different sizes.
Environmental conditions can modify the size and shape of a bean compared to it's parent.
Beans change color as they age, so this year's crop may not be the same color as beans harvested a year or two ago.
Some beans experience "color reversals" which don't change the genetics, but cause the beans to be different colors.
Beans that get wet after drying down, but before picking can change colors.
F2 hybrids might produce different colored seeds.
Heirlooms are naturally more diverse than modern cultivars.
People forget what they planted, or misremember.  
Kids move labels.
Animals move seeds.
Volunteers from prior years or spilled seeds grow in this year's bean patch.
And I'm sure there are lots of other reasons for a bean to be a different color than expected.

I prize diversity in my garden. If you value uniformity, then replant those seeds that look most like the parent, and eat the rest, or save the odd seeds as an emergency seed stash.

The way I save beans:

Wow, at first glance those looked like gourmet jelly beans. Pretty cool. I definitely do value diversity in my garden, I just have always had good luck marketing my beans as kentucky wonder, however in past years I have always bought seed for them for the season, but saving my own has become increasingly important to me. kentucky wonders are also my favorite. it's the only bean I planted this year, got 2 lbs planted from seed savers exchange. Here is a pic of the beans I am harvesting, let me know what you think. I really like the kentucky wonders because they are sweet and stringless when young, and keep producing well into frost here when planted in succession. Alot of the seeds that I have gotten from seed savers exchange have not been true, e.g. pumpkins that turned out to be squmpkins, etc.

Dan: Looks like a mix of wet beans and dry beans to me. Spread them out to dry for a few weeks, and I bet they'll be much more uniform in appearance.

thanks, appreciate it. checking out some of your posts and seems you really know your beans. Do your mixed beans produce good green beans, or do you grow them for dry beans, and did you start with many varieties, or do they change from selection?

dan Faling wrote:thanks, appreciate it. checking out some of your posts and seems you really know your beans. Do your mixed beans produce good green beans, or do you grow them for dry beans, and did you start with many varieties, or do they change from selection?

I grow a patch of beans that is only snap beans. I don't call them green beans because they might be green, yellow, purple, or mottled with some combination of these colors. If they inter-cross, then they only produce snap beans. In a different field, I grow the dry beans. Some of the dry beans might make good snap beans, but I don't select for that trait. I started with many varieties. I also watch closely for any hybrids that might show up. I give them a place of honor the first couple years before mixing them into the general population.

For example: These beans are all descended from one seed, and have the same great-grandparents.


And here's a different family group.


The crossing rate is somewhere between 0.5% and 5% when planted very closely together. I grow a lot of beans! I find 2 to 6 natural hybrids per year.

Here is a very visible example of a color difference in a single variety.

On the left are some beans from the variety 'Rattlesnake' that I saved back in 2014.

On the right are some beans from the same variety that I saved this year in 2016.

What if you could save the plant and replant it next season? I just saw this on # http://www.heirloom-organics.com/guide/va/1/guidetogrowingblackturtlebeans.html


SAVING SEEDS
It is a suggested that you earmark a couple of plants at the beginning of the season for seed saving. Don't pick ANY pods from them to eat - just pick the crisp brown pods at the end of the season. Don't feed them, or water them unless it is very dry - as this can encourage leafy growth rather than pod development. There is no point in picking green pods as the seeds are not mature enough at this stage.

Did you know you can save the roots, overwinter in a frost-free place, and replant next year? Runner beans are perennial, but are frost sensitive, so die back in our climate. However, if the roots are dug up and kept in suitable conditions, the plants often get away early and crop faster. If you grow a lot of beans, this may not be a practical option, but you could try it with one or two plants perhaps. Store the roots in a frost-free place, buried in slightly moist sand or leaf mold, or something similar.

Thank you for your answer especially about the rattlesnake beans. I just harvested some seeds to save and I too was very curious to why the beans look different from their parent. Now I know it is just variation and nothing to worry about.

Dan Allen wrote:So I planted heirloom kentucky wonder pole beans, and the beans that I planted all looked the same, however the beans that I am harvesting for seed, look nothing like the originals. The run a gamut of sizes and colors. What is the reason for this and should I still save them? Trying to save as many seeds as possible for coming years.

I plant whatever beans I have handy, all mixed together. Some of the offspring look like nothing I ever planted. I suppose some crossing is going on. The all make edible green or purple beans, and the dry beans are good too.

You could market those as your own home heirloom Kentucky Wonders without compromising your honesty. Just watch the quality so it remains good.