anyone growing improved Apios americana ? I’ve not herd back from Oikos about their availibility and I would really love to grow these things.
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Howdy-
I’m also keen on acquiring some of the improved varieties from the old LSU breeding program. They’re not very available it seems. I know that someone- forgetting who exactly— took possession of most or all of those accessions after the demise of the LSU program. Someone on the forum owns a nursery that sells them, I believe. Perhaps it’s Peaceful Heritage Nursery (I forgot the owner’s handle here) Oikos is no longer, btw, though as the owner, Ken Asmus has retired.
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There’s a thread here with some members who say they are growing them:
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thanks all,
once again I find myself back on the peaceful heritage site. They’re a great nursery.
I’ll check the forum and check the podcast too!
I’ve got two of them, with perhaps some seedlings mixed in. They are vigorous and easy to grow, and produce a lot. Beautiful later season flowers. Never been able to figure out how to cook them in a way that I like. They have a very strong bean flavor. This year I’m going to try chopping them into bean sized pieces and using in a stew with lots of ot vegetables and some beef. If you want any tubers I can ship them this fall after the first hard frost.
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lets make it happen! What do you need on my end?
Are they different than the ones sold here? Ground Nuts | Sow True Seed I’m keeping my eye on when they restock.
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These seem promising too. I’ve joined their mailing list so hopefully I dont miss em this year.
Looks like @JohannsGarden also has an improved selection available for local pickup as well:
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Thanks @swincher
Local pick up mostly, but I can ship bare root during the dormant season. It just has to be arranged directly as my website does not allow orders for shipping.
Im guessing it was your nursery I was thinking of and mentioned further up the thread. I appreciate you’re modesty. No one likes the “hard sell”.
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anyone growing these? Im debating where to plant them.
Also would love some pics of your vines, most pics are just the tubers.
I can put it:
A) under my sapling paw paws, and eventually the shade from those will be relevant , this is on the east side of my house in full sun (for now), eventually will be “dappled” sun i suppose.
B) on the west side of my house wherre my winterberry and black chokeberry are, so more part sun,
C) the north of my house in a narrow spot without competition buttrain the vines up the back of my house
Also not sure how much of a pain it will be to harvest them from near trees/shrubs. but i also like the idea of a food forest.
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I have one on the same trellis as my grape (albeit the other side of it). First year in ground, it went dormant (or died) about a month and a half ago. I was worried it wouldn’t do well in the heat and humidity of summer in basically full sun, but it grew fine. No flowers this year, but I wasn’f expecting any. It is supposed to be an improved LSU variety. Might get a couple more this year.
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If you’re wanting to harvest tubers, I think I’d give it some space away. I’ve read that a heavy mulch will keep most tubers in the transition zone. But if you have a type that sets beans, you should get a good crop.
Pawpaws tend to be fertilized largely the type of bugs willing to damage other things.
IIRC Apios is at least moderately nitrogen fixing, which can be a good thing, but too much nitrogen can limit fruitset in many species, so consider timing of the die-back/cutting of the vines as that would provide the largest potential pulse.
I believe @steveb4 grows them and says they grow like weeds, I could be misremembering though
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i have my kennebec apios under my arctic kiwi arbor. they are half day sun to half day shade in mediocore soil and have spread in to the hedgerow of trees to the west. i never fertilized. just mulched with wood chips they have to be cut back often or they will take over the kiwis. the continuing mulch has kept them near the surface so its easy to harvest. just grab the end of a rhizome and pull up. im going to harvest most of them and spread them in the woods around the property to let them naturalize. they would be excellent to co plant with jerusalem artichokes . the apios would feed N to the artichoke and the apios vines would trellis off its stalks. plus when you dig tubers to eat you get both types. both species die off and regrow every year so they wouldnt overwhelm each other. the old stalks and vines would mulch the soil naturally. i just pass the mower over my artichoke patch slowly in late oct.
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LSU Groundnut growing really well. I have two that I started in pots in the greenhouse and moved to growbags outside. I also have my one from last year in ground which has just pushed out its new shoot. The one in ground grew really well last year and, since it survived, I decided to grab the new ones. I am hoping growbags will make the tubers more harvestable.
“Crispy Snack” Mouse Bean (Amphicarpaea bracteata) sprouting. I was worried about these, sprouted later than I expected. But they are coming up now. Similar to groundnut, albeit a different species.
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where did you source the mouse bean? thats on my want list 
I also have lsu improved im planting out this year.
Check out @carya ‘s nursery, Future Forest Plants. He has several selections of groundnuts.
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I think experimental farm network has them, might not be in stock anymore