Saving dried beans for seed

Timothy · #1 09/29/12, 04:41 PM

I have some vermont cranberry beans from this year's harvest and would like to use them for planting next spring. Someone mentioned some months ago about freezing beans to eliminate weevils. Can this be done (for say 48 hours), and the beans taken from the freezer and then saved for next year's planting? Thanks Tim

fatrat · #2 09/29/12, 08:38 PM

Yes if the beans were fully dry before freezing.

IowaLez · #3 09/30/12, 08:09 AM

Supposedly you can tell if the beans are dry enuf to freeze by smashing one with a hammer. If it shatters, it's dry enuf. It may have been me who mentioned freezing them. I have had bean weevils hatch from inside the seed, cutting a hole thru the seeds while getting out, and make them useless.

Paquebot · #4 09/30/12, 04:20 PM

I leave mine out in the garden shed until well after freezing. I don't bring them into the house until I need them in January.

Martin

Timothy · #5 10/01/12, 08:24 AM

I live in northern NY on Canadian border. I think I'll leave mine in a nice protected can in the shed until Christmas. That should do it!

thanks all tim

DavidUnderwood · #6 10/01/12, 12:08 PM

Put a mothball in the jar.

Timothy · #7 10/01/12, 03:57 PM

why the mothball -- to repel weevils?

tim

DavidUnderwood · #8 10/01/12, 05:14 PM

yep..........

DavidUnderwood · #9 10/01/12, 05:14 PM

not repel, kill