[jambop]

I grew a nice little bean called senderette last year and because we like the short compact plants and fleshy tasty beans I save some of the seeds. One thing I did notice with the saved seeds was that the beans seeds were about twice the size of the ones I bought? Why would that be? I had read that open pollinated heirloom varieties grow true to type so I expected the seeds to be about the same size... Anyway I have sown some of the saved seeds and they have all come through 100% germination... but will they be the same as last year's beans? Is the smaller seeds size due to the veg gardener pisking most of the crop and only a few growing to maturity whereas the seedsman grows all his to maturity so there are evry many more of them on the one plants and thus a bit smaller?

[JayG]

Although French beans don't need pollinating insects to set the flowers, that doesn't mean they don't get visited by them, so the possibility of cross pollination with a different variety of bean is there, albeit considerably less likely to happen than with runner beans.

Having said that, your theory may be correct - only time will tell...

[jambop]

Although French beans don't need pollinating insects to set the flowers, that doesn't mean they don't get visited by them, so the possibility of cross pollination with a different variety of bean is there, albeit considerably less likely to happen than with runner beans.

Having said that, your theory may be correct - only time will tell...

My beans were definitely visited by bees I saw quite a lot of activity on the plants. I have not idea if they would have been cross pollinated by another bean though we are quite remote and these were not honey bees just the common or garden foggy bummer type.

[mumofstig]

I think the seed suppliers get their seeds quite a bit drier than we do, which would help explain the size difference.