Old seeds

Provider bush beans on the left (south) and covered with goldenrod stems and Jade on the right (north) covered with bromegrass. I formed a trench with my hoe and filled the trench with water. I pressed the seeds into the mud, then covered with dirt and marked with vegetation.

 

Due to my not paying attention, I did not order any bush, green bean seeds. I had some new looking packages and assumed I had purchased them recently.

Looking more closely at the packages, the Provider green beans were germination tested January of 2014 and had 90% germination rate. The Jade green beans were tested in January of 2013.

The seeds were stored in a steel container, off the floor in our basement. Cool and dry.

I planted exactly 25 seeds in the 36" rows. If I get lucky, I will thin the extras. If I don't  get lucky then I will learn something. 

Provider was released in the mid 1960ss. Many very good open-pollinated varieties were released then. The Great Depression and (in the UK) WWII and Victory Gardens were still fresh in peoples minds. Varieties were selected for robust growth under less-than-ideal conditions, high yields and acceptable quality. Provider is still the go-to variety if you are planting into cold, wet soil.

Jade was released by the Rogers Brothers Seed company sometime before 1991. It is notable for holding most of the beans high on the plant. That makes them easier to see and to pick. It also gets them out of ground-splash so they stay cleaner. The plants have some degree of disease resistance.