Varieties which were once found in backyard vegetable patches and farmer’s fields fell out of favor for the hybrids developed by scientists. These heirloom seeds have slowly found their way back to the vegetable patch; brought back by gardeners looking for some old-time flavor and hardier varieties.
Unless you know a gardener who grows heirlooms and is willing to share a few seeds, some varieties may be difficult to find. With demand growing for pure seed stock, more are available from seed catalogs and seed legacy groups today.
Ten heirloom bean varieties which can be easily located and purchased from heirloom seed catalogs today are listed below.
Black Coco (Phaseolus vulgaris)
This is a mid-season bush bean that grows to about two feet tall. It can be harvested at approximately two months as a snap bean and left to dry on bushes for up to 95 days for storing. Black coco makes a good soup bean.
Great Northern White (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Great Northern is a familiar name to those who love bean soup. These are very productive and hardy white beans. This is a very good bean for soup.
Hutterite (Phaseolus vulgaris)
A very old variety with 6 to 7 inch pods. This is a truly vigorous bean plant which matures in approximately 2 to 2 ½ months.
Indian Woman Yellow (Phaseolus vulgaris)
This yellow bush bean is a good choice for short-season gardens as it is early maturing at approximately two months.
Jacob’s Cattle (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Jacob’s Cattle bean is an old-time favorite which is regaining popularity with short and long-season gardeners alike. This bush bean is extremely high-yielding. Matures in 80 to 100 days. It is very good for both baked beans and soup.
Marrow Fat Shell (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Marrow is a fat, egg-shaped white navy bean but is larger than the common navy bean. Great for bean soup and can also used as a baking bean.
Red Mexican (Phaseolus vulgaris)
This bean is also known as ‘Montezuma’s Red’. This red bean is a very prolific, long-season, small bush bean which grows well in drier soils. Red Mexican is a very good baking bean which matures in 2 ½ to 3 months.
Soldier (Phaseolus vulgaris)
This bean is known as ‘Haricot St-Esprit a Oeil Rouge’ or ‘Holy Spirit in Red Eye’ in France. This white bean has red markings near the eye and was a favorite in the Old South of the United States. Soldier is an easy to grow small bush bean, stays under two feet, and can tolerate cooler temperatures and limited periods of dry weather. Beans mature in 2 ½ to 3 months. Use as a soup or baking bean.
Swedish Brown (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Swedish Brown bean is a very hardy, small bush variety which will thrive under a myriad of conditions. This is one tough bean plant for the home garden. Beans have an unusual nutty flavor and are good as a soup or baking bean. Beans are light brown with a white eye and mature at approximately three months.
Tiger's Eye (Phaseolus vulgaris)
Tiger's Eye bush bean is an easy to grow variety which is similar in taste to pinto beans. The bush will reach about 3 1/2 feet tall making harvesting the beans a bit easier. Beans are orange with free-form maroon color streaking which resembles a tiger's eye. This bean also matures at approximately three months but may be harvested when young as a snap bean.
Beans are extremely healthy and easy to grow. Planting a few heirloom beans today will provide a life-time of seed for future crops.
Basic Growing Tips:
- Plant after last frost to avoid damage from the cold. If planted early, use row covers to protect seedlings from cold winds.
- Beans should be planted in warm, well-drained, neutral soil however lightly acidic is acceptable.
- Bean plants are susceptible to root rot; water regularly but do not over-water.
- Be careful when weeding because roots are shallow and easily damaged.
- Although cross-pollination is not very likely with beans, if growing several varieties, plant a row or two of other vegetables between beans to help prevent cross-pollination.
To read about diseases which may be a problem when growing beans see; "Bean Diseases."
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