Sounds like the writer of that article would be a good source. Maybe offer them a trade?

yep, listed in SSE Yearbook. email me if you'd like, i have a favor to return ; )

Thanks DarJones, for sharing that fascinating link!

George

I invited the author of the article to visit the thread and maybe join GW and trade with us. My comment didn't show up right away, so maybe it's moderated, but I hope she does get it and stops by. I read a few of her other posts and enjoyed them too.

Here is a clickable link to the article.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dolloff Bean Article

I received a package of about 40 seed of Dolloff beans from Leigh today. Much thanks!!

DarJones

Planted these beans today 4/19/2010 in a row about 70 feet long. They are about 2 feet apart which means lots of space to grow and maximize production.

DarJones

Seed germination was excellent with about 95% of the seed up and now plants about 10 inches tall. The heavy rainfall has encouraged rapid early growth.

DarJones

I picked the first of the Dolloff beans July 1, 2010 and got about 500 seed which are now in a tray drying. They are going to produce about 10 times that much from the looks of the vines. I already love the looks of these. They have that unique feel and texture of a really good to eat bean.

DarJones

So - how did they taste??

They have a rich buttery flavor that is hard to describe but very good. I'm growing them again this year to the tune of a fully planted 120 ft long row. With luck, I'll have enough to supply seed to Sandhill Preservation.

DarJones

Burke Holler has cool and short summers. Not an easy place to grow beans. It appears that Dolloff should be easy to grow here and I am very much looking forward to growing a modest 14 foot row. - Dick

That makes two of us. I had planned to grow "Dolloff" and "Golden Lima" last year, to evaluate the differences between the two. Flooding prevented that, neither of them made it into the ground. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this year.

Zeedman, I hope this summer has much better bean weather there than last year did.

As I read about some of the Vermont gardeners, it appears that their summer temperatures resemble ours with their 50 degree nights. The main difference is that they get rain in the summer and we seldom do. - Dick

I have two samples of Dollof to try next year, one from Fusion and one from the writer of the article. (I traded her for some Ma Williams) There is a difference in appearance.

The ones that she sent me look just like the ones in the photo on her blog while the ones from Fusion are darker, more reddish than tan, and have fewer speckles. I wonder if Fusion has more iron in the soil, or is there another reason they would look different?

Meanwhile there is another bean called the Blue Coco pole that looks very much like the Dollofs on her blog, just less regular in shape. I may grow all three next year and look for similarities or differences.

Fusion, did you think that the Dollof was a Horticultural Lima, or a Phaseolus vulgaris?

Here is a link that might be useful: Dollof

HappyDay, I believe that Dolloff, Horticultural Lima and Golden Lima are all common beans not limas. I also expect to plant two samples. - Dick

Happy,

My seed were grown in a very different climate which undoubtedly influenced seed color. If you note, mine have a more bronze tone vs the Vermont seed which are distinctly pinkish.

There is no doubt in my mind that these are P. Vulgaris.

I'll know later this year how they turn out. I'm set to plant in about a week and will put in a full row for this season.

DarJones

Seed Saver has the Golden Lima for sale and it does look just like the Dollof.

Here is a link that might be useful: Golden Lima

My packet of Dolloff from Leigh came yesterday and they sure do look like Golden Lima.

There are a couple more photos of them at the link below along with many other great pictures.

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos

Sorry about the link above. It appears that every time he adds photos it changes the url for all the previous photos! The Golden Limas are on page 27 as of this morning.

Shelled some Dollofs today from both Leigh and Dar and they are definitely the same bean. The dried beans look like the photo of the Golden Lima, but the Dollof shellies are a nice pinkish color, very pretty as a shellie! I may blanch them tomorrow and freeze.

I have some seed saved for next year but have not yet tasted them. It looks like even the direct planted Dolloff may make dry seed. They are the earliest of the pole shellies this year.

The Dollofs are the fastest of my large beans, with many shellie stage beans and many dried. Closely followed by the Ma Williams, which has many shellie stage and a few dry. The Blue Coco is the fastest, with nearly all beans dried, but it is a pencil thin bean. Jimenez, Barksdale, BE3, many others have many big beans but none dry. This is a problem as we have a frost coming.

Dolloff turned out to be easy to grow here. Even those that were not started in pots made dry seed. Considering three 14 foot trellises next summer.

Happyday I was not able to save seed for Jeminez/Jimenez in the short summer of 2008.

Hmmmmm, there is a canadian source for Dolloff, Heritage Harvest Seed carries them, I've been smacking my fingers, saying slow down girl you've got so many beans in your stash you haven't tried yet, BUT, the more I read about this bean the more I want to try it.... as I said before I need a keeper LOL.

Annette

I can send you some Dollof, Annette.

Happy, your not helping......LOL. Call me weak willed I'd love to try a few, half a dozen or so would do me.

You'll like them, they finished fast and are a colorful orangish red speckled, make big shellies as the original poster said... not as big as some beans we know tho!

I found a place to buy some Dolloff.... unless someone wants to trade.

Nancy, I have a pack of them if you would like.

They are not adapted to my climate though I can grow them if I plant extra early.

DarJones

That would be great, Dar. I sent you an email but didn't hear back yet.

Nancy I could also spare you some. You can contact me at drloyd7 (at) comcast.net. - Dick

Dolloff turned out to be ideal for the PNW this summer. It was the earliest of the large seed pole shellies and it kept producing fine quality shellies for six weeks giving us some great mid-October meals.

Found some thanks:)

This post was edited by Paully37 on Fri, Jan 9, 15 at 8:45

Grew Golden Lima this year - it was excellent, have Dolloff from the GW autumn trade (Canadian) and will try both next year. They do look slightly different - the Dolloff is a bit squared.

Paully I have grown Dolloff for a few years. Like other large brown seed types, it does not mind sharing its DNA. This year a couple plants turned up with white seeds and much longer pods. So my seed is suspect. If you would like I could send you seed that is a couple years old that I would have more confidence in. - Dick

Thank you for the offer drloyd:) I found someone to send me some already. I will keep in mind the promiscuity of dolloff and plant them far apart from other legumes. Thanks for the tip!