Orders with subtotals $1,200 and above receive bulk pricing.
If you have placed orders totaling at least $1,200 within the past 12 months, additional orders qualify for bulk pricing.
Bulbs begin shipping in late September.
Trees and plants begin shipping in March.
Potatoes and onion sets begin shipping in late March.
Seeds ship year-round.
Tools and growing supplies ship year-round.
Orders with subtotals $1,200 and above receive bulk pricing.
If you have placed orders totaling at least $1,200 within the past 12 months, additional orders qualify for bulk pricing.
A modern upright bush version of the Central American heirloom. Small black beans with rich spicy flavor popular for soup were known to the Mayans and made famous in Cuban cuisine. First sold in 1832 by Grant M. Thorburn, one of the first U.S. seedsmen. We offer the Midnight strain developed at Cornell.
Items shipping from our garden seeds warehouse take 1-3 business days to process.
* We are currently receiving seed from our growers. We may hold orders for up to two weeks as we pack seed to complete orders.
About 70-190 seeds/oz packet. Seed size varies widely by variety.
Culture: In conditions of high nitrogen fertility some bush beans may develop vines in moist hot weather. Tender, will not survive frost. Plant 3–4 seeds/ft in rows 24–30" apart. Pick frequently for maximum yields, but avoid disturbing foliage in wet weather to prevent spread of fungal diseases.
Harvest at shelling stage when beans are plump inside pods. For dry beans let pods dry hard on the vine until pressing the beans with your fingernail leaves no indentation. If heavy rains or hard frost threaten before full dry maturity, either pull plants by the roots and hang them in a dry place to finish; or pick pods into mesh or paper bags and finish drying them indoors before threshing.
Culture: Tender, will not survive frost. Inoculate with a legume inoculant, then plant seeds 3–4" apart in rows 24–30" apart after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed. Minimum germination soil temperature 60°; optimal range 70–80°. White-seeded beans are generally more sensitive to cold soil temps than dark-seeded varieties. Legumes have moderate fertility needs and can fix their own nitrogen.
Saving Seed: Saving bean seed is easy! Leave pods on the plants to dry. Hand shell, or stomp pods on a tarp. To ensure true-to-type seed, separate varieties by 30 feet.
Diseases:
White mold, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, affects more than 300 plant species. In beans, low humidity, good air circulation and wider spacing, both between plants and between rows, reduce the likelihood of this soil-borne infection.
For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.
All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.