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rubarb
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Posted by jillross w.a aust (jillross@iinet.net.au) on Thu, Oct 13, 05 at 7:07
| does any body have any rubarb plants for sale. also has any body heard of 9 year bean saw them on gardening australia they self sew ever year. i love some seeds if any bodys got any
please email
jillross-dsl@eftel.net.au
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: rubarb
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The bean I think must be a runner bean. It's a short-lived perennial, dying down each year then regrowing from an underground corm/rhizome/tuber (I don't know which). They are popular in England as they set pods in cool climates so they're no good for the hotter parts of Australia. If it's not the runner bean it must be the lima or Madagascar bean, much better suited to the tropical parts of the country.
Sorry I can't help with bean seeds or with rhubarb plants. |
RE: rubarb
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| I've grown the 7-year bean or Scarlet Runner Bean as it's also known. Due to my heavy mulching it did not come back the 3rd year. It did come back the next year. As Raymondo said, it dies back in Autumn and starts growing again next Spring. It's quite pretty, but I personally didn't like the fresh beans. They were rather furry, even when harvested very young. The dried beans are extremely pretty and taste nice in a stew in winter. I would have to look in my seed drawer whether I've still got leftover beans. I think I got my seeds from Eden Seeds. |
RE: rubarb
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| I got some seeds from Eden seeds but haven't planted them because I can't think of a spot where I can leave them - I rotate my beds - the bean pods are rather coarse and I'll be growing them for the inside bean ( when I can find a place). They do look pretty growing with red flowers. I guess I'll plant them as one of those 'shove it here and neglect it' plants. I think you can't go past Green Lake ( I think that's the name) - I have kept my own seeds for years and they never fail to give lovely tender beans. Last year we found they had nitrogen nodules on the roots and got very excited! My rhubarb is growing well and one of them has a flower head which will produce seeds. I don't intend to divide them until the end of season, and we'd have to check about shipping to WA from Tas ( both regions with strict import regulations) but if you can wait that long I could send a couple of crowns then. I've never tried growing from seed.
Linda |
RE: rubarb
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| Linda, I think the bean is Blue Lake. Some SAlians claim it originated in that state (I think because they have a lake by that name). I grew them two years ago and liked them. They were productive over quite a long period from memory. |
RE: rubarb
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| That's the one! I must be getting colour blind! We still have some in the freezer and the grand-girlies have just helped plant beans from last year. They shelled the dried pods to save the seeds so have that special experience with their first bit of garden continuity. |
RE: rubarb
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While runner beans are furry on the outside, they are far tastier than french beans when picked before there's been too much seed development. Most people I know who have tried them side by side prefer runners.
Don't know what it is about them, but they leave you much more satisfied than other green beans...
A speciality of northern Spain where I come from is a stew made of fresh shelled runner beans, while they are still tender and have not dried down: "Alubias de Tolosa". I find regardless of their ability to come back they perform better as an annual. You're also more likely to get pests and diseases if you leave them in the ground over winter. If you've had disappointing yields in the past, try giving them plenty of space. Our three plants a year I sow give us more beans than we know what to do with for 4 months. They will cover a 10-foot trellis no problem. |
RE: rubarb
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| I have a couple of runner bean seeds of a variety called "Tarahumara". I'm looking forward to trying them out. |
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