Beans should be planted when the soil is warm in the spring. Bush beans should be planted about 2″ deep, about 4″ apart in rows. Pole beans need the support of a trellis at least 6′ high. It can be a fence, strings, a net, pole tipis or welded cattle panels tied to steel T posts 8′ apart in the row. If using a pole, plant 4-6 beans around the leg of each pole. On a trellis? About every 4″ down the row. When using the beans as snap beans, be sure you harvest as soon as the first beans are plump but before the seed bulges the pods.
BEANS about 1 1/2 oz per pack unless otherwise noted All packs are $3.00 ea
Seed saving tips: Best planted dozens of feet apart to prevent crossing varieties. Pole beans seem easier to cross than do bush beans. Allow your beans to dry in the pod until the pods are tan and dry or at least leathery. Shell the mature, dry seeds out into a shallow bowl and allow to dry well, stirring the seeds daily to ensure they all dry sufficiently for storage.
DRY BEANS
Appaloosa
Appaloosa is a great smaller bush bean from New England, given to settlers by Native tribes in the area. It cooks down tender and smooth in shorter time than many beans. The color is pretty, being a white bean with one end splashed with a combination of browns, maroon and black, looking like the rump of an Appaloosa horse. You’ll love this one! 80 days dry 1 Oz per pack
Aunt Jean’s
Aunt Jean’s I found this Canadian heirloom pole bean and thought it gorgeous. And after giving it a try, I was certainly sold! It not only survived our drought and heat but went on to be our highest producer in our pole bean lineup. To top that off, it has wonderful flavor to boot. 1 Oz pack
Ayocote Morado
Ayocote Morado Runner Bean An ancient bean originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, the Ayocote family was one of the first cultivated crops of the Americas. They are grown all over central and northern Mexico. This is a very meaty, huge and gorgeous lavender bean that is very tasty. 1 Oz per pack 100 Days.
Blue Shackamaxon
Blue Shackamaxon beans are an ancient Lenni Lenape pole bean. We were gifted a start for this wonderful bean and will add it to our “forever” garden lineup. These beans are prolific, beautiful and tasty too! The green pods quickly fill with beans then turn a purple/blue color as they bulge with beans. We love them! 90 days to Dry 1 oz Pack
Borlotto di Vardono
Borlotto di Vardano If you’re looking for a hugely productive, very tasty shell and dry bean, look no further! This heirloom Italian bean is a powerhouse in all ways. It handled our drought with ease and no watering, whatsoever. 90 days to dry 1 Oz per pack
Brighstone
Brighstone is a multi-use bush bean from England, said to be saved from a shipwreck. We found them early and the plants very lusty and strong. You can use the pods as snap beans, but you do need to do this fairly early, or the beans quickly mature and become tough. The beans are wonderful as a baking or soup bean, adding a great, beany flavor to your favorite dishes. Very productive 60 Days snap/ 85 Days, dry
Calypso or Ying and Yang
Calypso aka Ying and Yang Here’s a knock-your-socks-off pretty black and white dry bush bean. It’s fat and shiny, very productive and great in soups or baked recipes. Very flavorful when cooked up! I know you’ll like it too! 85 days to dry.
Chippewa
Chippewa is a hugely productive variety of bush bean, grown by the Chippewas of Minnesota and Wisconsin. We love them in many ways, from soups to baked beans. They finish up early and shell out easily. We’re in love with this historic Native variety. 1 Oz per pack 85 Days
Early Warwick
Early Warwick is a fabulous bush dry bean from England. It is early producing and very tolerant of cooler conditions. It has been grown before 1890 in Warwick, England and is very popular with seed savers both there and now, here in the U.S. 90 Days 1 oz
Folsom Indian Ruin Runner Bean
Folsom Indian Ruin Want the biggest beans in the neighborhood? You can’t go wrong with these ancient pole beans from New Mexico. I was gifted a few of these huge, fat white beans by a Folsom, NM rancher who’d found a pot full of them, buried in the sand next to an ancient Indian ruin in his cattle pasture. They carbon dated over 1,500 years and when planted, they actually grew! These runner beans are hugely productive, and the white blossoms attract pollinators all summer. The taste of the cooked beans is average, but we just love them and their history. 1oo days to dry 1 oz packet
Fremont Culture Beans
Fremont Culture We were gifted a small handful of these wonderful ancient pole runner beans from a customer. They are so wonderful, looking, for all the world, like Easter Egg candies, being multi-colored, chiefly lavender and black, but also having black beans and a few white. And, they are big and fat too. GORGEOUS and tasty as well. They were initially found when construction was going on in southern Utah, unearthing a pot of these beans, originally grown by the Fremont People, which are no longer in existence. They were active over 2,000 years ago and these beans are believed to be 800 years + old. Only one company now grows them commercially, and they are still extremely rare. The blooms are white and some are red. 1 oz per pack 100 days
Good Mother Stallard
Good Mother Stallard Want a pretty dry bean that tastes great and is very productive? This is the bean for you! A wonderful pole bean which was originally introduced by Glenn Drowns of Sand Hills Preservation Center, you’ll find early drying, shiny round beans no matter where you live. About 85 days to dry. 1 oz per pack
Goose Gullet
Goose Gullet We received this variety from Canada where the story goes these beans were originally retrieved from the gizzard of a wild goose. These amazing fat tan and white speckled bush beans are very productive and also early too, not to mention they taste fantastic! 90 days dry 1 oz per pack
Hidatsa Shield Figure
Hidatsa Shield Figure This shining white w brown and darker designs bean came from the Hidatsa Indians of the Missouri River area in North Dakota. You can read about them in a favorite book of mine, Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden. It is a very productive pole bean with wonderful flavor. 90 days to dry. 1 oz per pack.
Hondo
Hondo Here’s a bean that’s named after our Catahoula Leopard Dog, Hondo. About seven years ago, I ordered some rare pole beans from South America that were supposed to be red and white speckled. I paid $1 per bean, for 10 beans! I planted them and was surprised to have them be a bush bean with beans the same color as our dog. But they were very productive, and I’ve been growing them ever since, selecting for the odd coloration. The colors are still a bit mixed up but they are all so pretty and productive. Tasty, too! You might love to give them a try in your own garden. 1 1/2 Oz 90 Days
Indian Woman Yellow
Indian Woman Yellow For a dry bean, you can’t beat Indian Woman Yellow, an old Native American bean from the West. It is a smallish round bean that is quick to cook. It has excellent bean taste and is very hardy. The history is vague. It’s thought to be either a dry bean brought to Montana by Swedish immigrants and then shared with Native Peoples or else an old Native bean shared with the Swedish immigrants. Either way, it’s a great bean for homesteaders. It is a bush to half-runner bean. 85 days to dry. 1 oz per pack
Jacob’s Cattle Bean
Jacob’s Cattle Bean aka Anasazi, not to be confused with New Mexico Cave bean which has a similar appearance of reddish brown and white spots. Jacob’s Cattle is a bush bean where New Mexico Cave is a pole bean. But this bean is not only beautiful but extremely useful and tasty especially as a baked bean or soup bean, earning it great praise in New England. 85 day to dry
King of the Early
King of the Early Here’s a beautiful red baking bean we love. I’ve been growing this bean for decades. Wonderful flavor too! Very few beans mature as early as this one does. But pick them when the pods dry or they’ll pop open on the vine! 80 days dry
Marrowfat
Marrowfat We were very happy with this heirloom bush bean! It is round, fat and oh so good to eat. Some folks liken the flavor to bacon. Although it is glistening white, it is much larger than Navy or Great Northern beans. 1 oz 90 Days
Mesabi
Mesabi This gorgeous early dry bean was bred by our friend Dara and is a stabilized cross between King of the Early and Indian Woman Yellow. It’s a hardy bush to semi-runner bean that benefits from a bit of trellising to hold the tall, loaded plants from being blown over by the wind. Hugely productive, very tasty and early to dry down. We just love them! 80 days to dry.
Rice River
Rice River This wonderful pole bean was bred by Dara and loved by all her friends, me included! It is very early, producing lots of medium sized tan speckled tasty beans. (Sure it’s tasty with Blue Coco and Seneca Allegany Pinto in its background.) 90 days dry. 1 oz 90 days dry
Rosso di Lucca
Rosso di Lucca If you want a lot of tasty dry beans quickly, you’ll want to plant this one. Hugely productive, this reddish-purple bean with dark speckles and stripes wowed us and we are not easily impressed with new-to-us beans! 90 days
Scarlet Runner
Scarlet Runner I’ve grown Scarlet Runner pole beans for years. Not only are the lusty, tall vines covered with red flowers which bees and other pollinators love but the bean pods really impress kids and adults alike, being over 8″ long and fat too. And the seeds! They are stunning lavender and black spotted and can pass for beads. 90 days to dry
Six Nation Iroquois
Six Nation Iroquois We grow many Native American beans which are stars in the culinary field. This bean is no exception. This bush bean is one of the most productive beans in our lineup. The fat pods each contain at least five fat white beans with red stripes. Very beautiful and wonderful flavored too. 1 1/2 oz. 90 days
Smith River Super Speckled
Smith River Super Speckled We love this bush bean from the Northwest. It is productive and much prettier than plain old red kidney beans. The flavor is great, too. I use them in chili, baked beans and many other dishes. You’ll love them! 90 Days
Swedish Brown Bean This is the heirloom bean our Swedish neighbors have grown for hundreds of years for their famous baked bean recipes. It is a very productive bush bean that thrived in our drought. It is a shining tan, medium sized bean with wonderful flavor. 1 oz per pack 85 Days
Tiger’s Eye
Tiger’s Eye I was really impressed with this gorgeous dry bush bean this year. The plants were very productive, and the pods dried down quite quickly to house beautiful large golden beans with brown stripes. Wonderful flavor too. The skins all but disappeared when they were cooked. 85 days dry
Turkey Craw
Turkey Craw This is a very old southern pole bean. The story goes the original beans dropped out of the crop of a wild turkey being dressed to eat. You can use these stringless pods while the bean is young for snap beans or let them dry for wonderful dry beans. Beautiful white frosting over dark tan, round, shining beans. 60 days to snap/ 100 dry 1 oz per pack
Tuscarora Bread Bean
Tuscarora Bread Bean I looked far and wide to find these rare Native beans, grown by the Tuscarora. Finally, a seed saver sent me five beans. I carefully planted these bush beans and was rewarded with a big handful of mature beans. Now I have enough to offer them here. They are a shiny, reddish speckled bean and are quite productive. The Tuscaroras used them in stews and mixed the cooked beans in cornbread. Very good! 95 Days 1 Oz per pack
Wild Orca
These are Calypso, not to be confused with Wild Orca
Wild Orca We’ve recently found these old, gorgeous beans which are not the same as the Calypso, also called Orca by some. They are smaller, more black speckled and very productive bush beans we simply loved at first sight. They cook up faster than most larger beans and have wonderful, earthy flavor. 90 Days
Bush Bean Party Mix
BUSH BEAN PARTY MIX
Are you having a hard time picking some dry beans? We’ve created a mix of productive and beautiful bush dry beans for you. Raise them together and enjoy eating them and discover your new favorites out of the mix to grow next year!
Bush Bean Party Mix includes many of our favorite bush dry beans, all put together. 1 ½ Oz per pack. All mature in about 90 Days.
POLE BEAN PARTY MIX
Like our very popular Bush Bean Party Mix, we’ve decided to also include a Pole Bean Party Mix of some of our favorite pole beans, which create a wonderful mixture of flavors and colors; perfect for your favorite soup or baked beans. 1 1/2 Oz per pack. All mature in about 90 days.
SNAP BEANS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH MULTIPLE USES
Planted next to our Scarlet Runners, Carminat were simply stunning! (They’re different species of beans so they don’t cross.)
Blauhilde
Blauhilde These succulent, sweet purple pole beans are an instant hit in our garden, especially with children. They, like many other purple vegetables, turn green when cooked, making them seem like magic to the little ones. Hugely productive, these pretty beans quickly become a favorite, even when grown in flower beds. (They have pretty lavender flowers too!) Originally grown in Germany. 68 Days 1 Oz per pack
Carminat
Carminat This was one of our most surprising beans this year! We love Monte Gusto and Carminat is a look-alike only purple. Even the leaves and stems are purple, along with the beautiful blossoms. Wow is all I can say. And boy is it productive! We harvested tons of these wonderful beans this year and yep, they sure tasted great too! So tender and perfect in stir-frys! (The beans do turn green when cooked, like nearly all purple veggies.) 70 days to snap. Quite small seeds so 1 Oz per pack.
Cherokee Trail of Tears
Cherokee Trail of Tears With our family’s Native American heritage, we love old, traditional crops and this multi-purpose pole bean is no exception. Carried on the tragic forced march to Oklahoma where many Cherokees died along the way, women carried this beloved bean, sewn to the hems of their dresses. It is a wonderful purple tinged snap bean with very distinctive sweet, beany flavor. Then as it matures, it dries down to a shining black bean that is great in any recipe. One of my favorites. 70-day green snap 90 days dry 1 oz per pack
Crawford
Crawford beans were gifted to us by Clarence Buckley of Liverpool, PA, being a cherished old family heirloom. The Crawford branch of his family brought the beans with them when they immigrated from Germany in the mid 1800’s. And we’re so glad! These rampant pole beans are like absolutely NOTHING I have grown before. The flavor is outstanding! They are a meaty bean which can be used as a snap bean when young. As they get older, they do develop a string but it is easily removed, leaving a very meaty snap bean or shell bean. At this stage, they look like a snake which swallowed multiple eggs! They can also be left to dry and used as a baking or soup bean with excellent flavor. 60 days to snap, 75 to shell, 90 to dry. 1 1/2 oz per pack. Very Limited Seed for 2025
Dragon Tongue
Dragon Tongue If you want a big, tender, juicy flat, meaty bush bean, this is the one for you! Dragon Tongue is a yellow bean with purple stripes (they fade away when blanched, cooked or canned). The taste is awesome, very sweet and beany, and they are very productive. 60 days
Gold Wonder
Gold Wonder We love this shining gold pole wax bean. It is a cousin to Kentucky Wonder, an old-time favorite pole bean. If you want lots of clean, straight pole beans, Gold Wonder is the bean for you. 75 Days snap/ 90 Dry
Iroquois
Iroquois This is one of my all time favorite beans! Not only is it super tasting, both as a snap bean and a dry bean, it is a hugely prolific pole bean, hardy AND beautiful, being striped and spotted black and white. In fact, the Iroquois name means “skunk” bean! So beautiful you could wear them as beads. 60 days snap/90 days dry
Kentucky Blue Bloom
Kentucky Blue Bloom We were gifted this Kentucky heirloom bush bean last year and grew out a few rows this year to try them. And boy were they productive! They covered the bushes with nice fat green beans and went on to make lots of great speckled red, purple and white bean seed. The seeds are fairly slender and refined. 60 days snap/ 85 days dry 1 oz per packet
Magpie
Magpie This is one of my all-time favorite beans, both for using as a snap bean and as a refined dry bean which is quick to cook. I originally received this variety from Glenn Drowns at Sand Hills Preservation Center a few years back and have been growing it ever since. It is a bush bean which is hugely productive and hardy, just loaded with slender pods, each containing about six to ten slender white beans with about 1/3 “painted” black and speckled on the other end. Very pretty! 60 days to snap or 85 days to dry. 1 oz per pack Limited supply for 2023
Marvel of Venice
Marvel of Venice We love this bright yellow Romano-type pole bean! The beans are long, tender and very flavorful. They tend to loose beautiful spiral shapes you’ll love! Like all beans you wish to eat as a snap bean, be sure to harvest them while the seeds are still quite small; when they become fat, the pod tends to get tougher. Some of my pods were over a foot long this year while still very tender and sweet. 60 days SOLD OUT FOR 2023
Monte Gusto
Monte Gusto Want an absolutely gorgeous yellow wax pole bean? How about these wonderful, slender, very long beauties? Pods are over 8″ long and pencil thin for weeks. And they’re both very tasty and hugely productive too. We just were knocked out of our socks with these new beans this year! 60 days to snap beans 1 oz per pack
Provider
Provider This is our all-time favorite green snap bush bean. As its name indicates, Provider really puts out the beans all summer long! I plant them in double rows about a foot apart and the plants support each other. Provider’s taste is excellent and every summer I can up all we want and save seed too! 55 days
Strike
Strike I never thought I’d find another bush green snap bean I liked as much as my old tried and true Providers. But I discovered Strike. This green bean is not only early, like Provider, but very productive and a little straighter and more refined. They are easy to pick, growing in bunches along the plant. 60 Days
