Winter beans vs Spring Beans

[APearce]

It will be fascinating to see if the Nmin values are greater after winter beans than after spring beans.

This is our first year growing winter beans, we have grown spring beans for a long time. We farm organically, so we have weed & insect pressure.
So far, winter beans look a much, much better option:
- Limited Sitona leaf notching damage. As the Sitona weevil also lays its eggs which wash down to the roots where the larvae eat the N fixing nodules, this could have a big impact on the Nmin
- Drill winter beans at a much lower seed rate as they tiller, which make establishing cheaper
- Winter beans keep the ground covered over the winter so no need for a cover crop
- Alot of our weeds are more spring germinating, by which point the winter beans are well established

 

[scotston]

First time organic winter bean grower here. When are they ready to harvest? Our spring beans are typically October (Scotland) but we've got a trial intercropping them with winter oats. Most guys round here are cutting or have cut their winter barley so the oats feel like they need cut but the beans are properly green!

 

[Tom @ BOFIN]

Our Vincent beans here in Oxfordshire were supposed to be winter but not planted until last week Jan. they’re looking ok but still v green. A bit of rust coming in from untreated beans in NUM3 area next door. Planted after AB15, there’s a thick crop of clover & vetch in the base. not sure that counts as an intercrop. don’t expect to harvest until end of month

 

[Roger Vickers]

First time organic winter bean grower here. When are they ready to harvest? Our spring beans are typically October (Scotland) but we've got a trial intercropping them with winter oats. Most guys round here are cutting or have cut their winter barley so the oats feel like they need cut but the beans are properly green!

Waiting for winter bean stem to go completely black and dead can be a long process. The beans themselves will be ready when the pods are black and the seeds rattle in the pods. You can take them with care before the stems also go black and this can greatly help with reducing shatter and combine header losses but there is an obvious balance between taking them too green and sappy which will compromise the harvester.

 

[Tom @ BOFIN]

Waiting for winter bean stem to go completely black and dead can be a long process. The beans themselves will be ready when the pods are black and the seeds rattle in the pods. You can take them with care before the stems also go black and this can greatly help with reducing shatter and combine header losses but there is an obvious balance between taking them too green and sappy which will compromise the harvester.

This is what my bean crop looked like this morning. the nearest tramline was treated with Vixeran can’t say I can tell the differ with untreated but hopefully YEN results will shed light on these. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this crop is its clover understory

 

[Rob Holmes]

Vertigo spring beans sown end of April, can't believe how they've grown! Some are over 6ft tall!
Plenty of nodules on roots too

 

[scotston]

Well named then!

 

[collie]

Anyone thinking of wholecropping instead of combining

 

[skye @ bofin]

Vertigo spring beans sown end of April, can't believe how they've grown! Some are over 6ft tall!
Plenty of nodules on roots too

These are fantastic pictures Rob! Have you considered joining us in the next year of trials as a Pulse Pioneer? We are recruiting 10 farmers to get paid to better understand the benefits of pulse crops in the arable rotation to help encourage more farmers to grow them. You can find more information at ncsproject.co.uk or register interest here: https://nt81r5aq6lg.typeform.com/to/K6YM6mrv?typeform-source=ncsproject.co.uk

 

[Roger Vickers]

Anyone thinking of wholecropping instead of combining

Collie - Link in to the NCS project and in particular to the activities of Kelvin Cave Ltd. They are on it! Click here for an example. Or simply search 'Kelvin Cave Beans' for a lot more.