while going thru an old barn I was helping clean out,,, I found an OLD can,, about 5 gal,, an old commercial lard can,, its FULL of dried beans. The owner doesnt know what kind,, it's been over 25 years since anyone has been in the barn,, and the beans could very well be over 50 years old. Are they still good? Is there anyway to tell/find out what kind they are? Is there a good test to see if they are viable?

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), July 20, 2001

Answers

Response to old beans

Provided they hadn't had some sort of poison applied to deter pests, and provided they haven't been eaten out by insects, they'd still be good for food. For viability, not too likely, but to check get some newspaper (probably an entire issue), lay it flat, soak it, later come back and peel half of it away, lay down fifty beans well separated, put the other half of the newspaper back over the top. Keep it damp, keep checking the beans every couple of days for about a fortnight, maybe up to three weeks, to see what has germinated. Tabulate the results each time you check - date and how many have sprouted.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), July 20, 2001.

Try sending some to the Seed Saver's Exchange, RR 3, Box 239, Decorah, Iowa 52101. They might be a heirloon variety in which they would be very interested.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), July 21, 2001.

There have been found (in old Incan, Myan (sp), or Aztec ruins) beans that had beed in storage for centuries. And though the germination was very very poor, some did germinate & were then planted in hopes of saving that species of bean. So reguardless of how unlikely it might be, it's still possible they might germinate. But your chances are very poor, it also depends on how well they were preserved & stored. I say try to germinate some (like discrible above) ans see what you get.

Good luck

animalfarms (IN)

-- animalfarms (jawjlewis@netzero.net), July 21, 2001.

Yes, should have said - if any do germinate it's worth planting them. May not get a good crop at this stage of the season, but may get enough of a crop to let you identify the variety, and give you more viable seed for next year.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), July 21, 2001.