Skip to content
Your Garden Just Got Cheaper – Click Here to Get up to 20% OFF EVERYTHING. Already a Member? Sign in Here.

Bean Seeds

Filters

Organic Heir/OP
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Peaceful Valley Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Tendergreen is a vigorous, upright bush bean producing straight, round, dark-green pods with a buttery, full flavor and fine texture that makes it ...

View full details
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Sold out
Organic Heir/OP
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

A festive blend of bush beans in a vivid celebration of colors — purple, yellow, and green pods on productive, easy-to-grow plants. All turn green ...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Organic
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Peaceful Valley Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

French Garden Bean — the elegant haricot vert of French cuisine — produces long, slender, pencil-thin pods with an exceptionally tender texture and...

View full details
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Sold out
Organic Heir/OP
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

The gold standard for French filet beans — extremely slender, tender, dark green pods on vigorous, productive plants. Maxibel's concentrated flavor...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Sold out
Organic Heir/OP
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

One of the most reliable early-season bush beans available — straight, round, tender pods on vigorous, productive plants that perform even in cool,...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Organic
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Peaceful Valley Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Provider Bush Bean is one of the most dependable and widely grown green beans in the American home garden — a vigorous, compact bush producing stra...

View full details
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Sold out
Organic
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Peaceful Valley Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Edamame Soybean brings the fresh, nutty flavor of Japanese-style green soybeans right to your backyard. Harvested when the plump, bright green pods...

View full details
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Sold out
Organic Heir/OP
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

A reliable, high-yielding pinto dry bean producing beautifully mottled tan-and-brown seeds with the classic earthy, creamy flavor that makes pinto ...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Sold out
Organic Heir/OP
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

A vigorous, heat-tolerant heirloom pole bean with stunning purple-streaked pods that cook to deep green, produced on tall, productive vines that th...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean has been a garden staple since the 1800s and earns every year of that legendary reputation — vigorous climbing vines reac...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Organic Heir/OP
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Peaceful Valley Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Black Turtle Bush Bean is a compact, productive heirloom yielding abundant small, jet-black beans with a rich, earthy flavor reminiscent of mushroo...

View full details
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Sold out
Organic Heir/OP
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

A classic yellow wax bush bean with straight, golden-yellow pods and outstanding buttery, mild flavor that's the hallmark of good wax beans. Uprigh...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Ideal Market Pole Bean is a prolific, high-yielding heirloom climbing variety with slender, straight 6-inch pods and an excellent fresh flavor that...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Organic Heir/OP
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

A reliable, productive bush bean delivering straight, stringless, medium-length pods with a clean, classic fresh bean flavor. Vigorous, upright pla...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Organic Heir/OP
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Peaceful Valley Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Royalty Purple Pod Bush Bean is one of the most visually useful beans in the garden — its brilliantly vivid purple pods make harvesting effortless,...

View full details
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Midnight Black Turtle Bean is the essential legume of Latin American and Caribbean cooking — the glossy, jet-black seeds have a rich, earthy, sligh...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Blue Lake Bush Bean is one of the most trusted and widely grown snap beans in American home gardens — the slender, dark green pods are stringless, ...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Jade Bush Bean is a highly productive, disease-resistant snap bean variety with straight, dark green, 5–6 inch pods and an exceptional flavor that'...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Blue Lake Pole Bean is the climbing version of the beloved Blue Lake family, producing an extended harvest of long, slender, stringless pods with t...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Strike Bush Bean is a productive and resilient variety with tender, stringless, uniformly dark green pods and an excellent fresh flavor that's cris...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Organic
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Peaceful Valley Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Yard Long Bean is a tropical Asian heirloom that lives up to its dramatic name — climbing vines producing extraordinarily long, slender pods, somet...

View full details
Original price $3.99 - Original price $3.99
Original price
$3.99
$3.99 - $3.99
Current price $3.99
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Royal Burgundy Bush Bean is an exceptional heirloom with striking deep purple pods that turn classic green the moment they hit boiling water — a tr...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Navy Bean is the iconic small white bean of American baked beans, Senate bean soup, and countless other beloved dishes — a compact, mild, creamy le...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Oriental Yard Long Bean — also known as the asparagus bean or Chinese long bean — is a warm-season spectacle that produces slender, tender pods gen...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Tri-Color Green Bean Mix is a colorful and practical combination of three beloved bush bean varieties in one packet — golden Topnotch Yellow, vivid...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Contender Bush Bean is a highly productive heirloom snap bean that earned its name by outperforming competitors in trials across a wide range of cl...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Light Red Kidney Bean is the versatile culinary workhorse of the bean world — the large, firm, kidney-shaped seeds with their distinctive mottled r...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Red Noodle Bean is an eye-catching and productive Asian heirloom with striking burgundy-red pods that grow up to 18 inches long — harvested young f...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Purple Hull Bean — also known as Pinkeye Purple Hull — is a Southern heirloom cowpea celebrated across the American South for its prolific yields, ...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Garbanzo Bean — the beloved chickpea — is the foundation of hummus, falafel, chana masala, and countless other dishes across the Mediterranean, Mid...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Henderson Lima Bean is the most popular lima bean variety in America — introduced in 1889 and still unmatched for its combination of early maturity...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Cherokee Trail of Tears Bean is a deeply historic pole bean that the Cherokee people carried with them on the forced removal of 1838–1839, preservi...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Provider Bush Bean is one of the most dependable snap beans ever developed — the smooth, stringless, dark green pods are crisp and sweet, and the p...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Scarlet Runner Bean is one of the most beautiful beans a gardener can grow — the vigorous, climbing vines produce stunning clusters of vivid scarle...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Cannellini Bean — the classic white kidney bean of Italian cooking — is a creamy, mild, versatile legume with a smooth texture and earthy flavor th...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Organic
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

The classic, versatile kidney bean in rich light red with a meaty, firm texture and satisfying, earthy flavor that anchors chili, soups, and rice d...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Organic
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

Perfectly uniform, straight, fine-diameter haricot vert beans on upright, vigorous plants built for continuous, easy harvesting. Medium to dark gre...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Dragon's Tongue Bean is a visually striking Dutch heirloom bush bean with waxy, bright yellow pods splashed with vivid purple streaks — one of the ...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Maxibel Haricot Bean is a premium French filet bean grown at the finest restaurants and by home gardeners who know the difference between a great b...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Organic
Original price $4.33 - Original price $4.33
Original price
$4.33
$4.33 - $4.33
Current price $4.33
Southern Exposure Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

One of the earliest maturing asparagus beans, Liana is day-neutral and performs well in both northern and southern climates, making it suitable for...

View full details
Original price $4.33 - Original price $4.33
Original price
$4.33
$4.33 - $4.33
Current price $4.33
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Roma II Bush Bean is a vigorous, disease-resistant heirloom producing flat, broad, green 5–6 inch pods with a tender, meaty texture and a clean, mi...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Organic
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

A vibrant purple snap bean that turns bright green when cooked — a charming kitchen novelty with genuinely delicious flavor. Straight, uniform pods...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Organic
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
High Mowing Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

A productive, flavorful bush bean producing straight, medium-length, dark green pods with exceptional eating quality. Vigorous, upright plants deli...

View full details
Original price $4.35 - Original price $4.35
Original price
$4.35
$4.35 - $4.35
Current price $4.35
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Gold Rush Wax Bean is a standout bush bean variety with striking bright yellow pods and a flavor that's noticeably sweeter and more refined than st...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Broad Windsor Fava Bean is the classic old-world fava — a cool-season crop beloved in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking for its large, cream...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Purple Podded Pole Bean is an heirloom climbing variety with striking, deep purple pods that turn green when cooked — making harvest effortless sin...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out
Organic
Original price $4.23 - Original price $4.23
Original price
$4.23
$4.23 - $4.23
Current price $4.23
Southern Exposure Fulfilled by Seedtime
in stock

Developed in 1949 by SC/AES and possibly originating from the pre-1855 Early Valentine variety, this cultivar is celebrated as a premier early gree...

View full details
Original price $4.23 - Original price $4.23
Original price
$4.23
$4.23 - $4.23
Current price $4.23
Heir/OP
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
MIgardener Fulfilled by Seedtime
Out of stock

Pinto Bean is one of America's most beloved legumes — the speckled tan-and-brown seeds with their earthy, hearty flavor are the foundation of refri...

View full details
Original price $2.20 - Original price $2.20
Original price
$2.20
$2.20 - $2.20
Current price $2.20
Sold out

Bean Seeds for Planting: Snap, Dry, Shelling, and Specialty Varieties

Few crops are as forgiving or as productive as beans. Our collection of bean seeds runs from tender green and wax snap beans to dry beans for the soup pot, shelling beans, long-podded vines, and ornamental runners that feed the hummingbirds as well as the cook. You'll find bush types for tight beds and containers, pole types that climb a trellis, and plenty of heirlooms, all searchable by days to maturity and heat tolerance. Beans also make some of their own nitrogen, which is why they pair so well with hungry crops like corn and squash.

Bean Seed Varieties: Bush, Pole, and Dry Beans

For classic green snap beans, Provider, Blue Lake, Contender, Tendergreen, and Strike are dependable bush varieties, while Maxibel and Compass produce the slim, tender pods called haricots verts. Gold Rush brings buttery yellow wax beans, and Royalty Purple Pod, Royal Burgundy, Dragon's Tongue, and the tri-color mixes add color to the plate and the garden. If you'd rather climb, Kentucky Wonder, Blue Lake Pole, Rattlesnake, Ideal Market, and Cherokee Trail of Tears are pole beans that keep producing for weeks, and Scarlet Runner adds red flowers. Yard Long, Oriental Yard Long, Red Noodle, and Liana grow remarkably long pods in the heat. For storage, there are dry beans like Pinto, Black Turtle, Navy, Cannellini, and Light Red Kidney, plus shelling and specialty types including Henderson Lima, Garbanzo, Edamame Soybean, and Broad Windsor Fava.

Planting Bean Seeds: Wait for Warm Soil, Then Sow Often

Beans are warm-season, frost-tender plants that dislike having their roots disturbed, so skip the indoor starts and sow directly in the garden. Wait until frost danger has passed and the soil has warmed to at least 60°F, then plant seeds about an inch deep and expect sprouts in 6 to 10 days. Bush beans produce most of their crop over two to three weeks, so a new row every couple of weeks keeps the harvest coming. Pole beans need a trellis, teepee, or fence that reaches six feet or more, but they reward you with a long, steady harvest from a small footprint. Fava is the exception: it prefers cool weather and goes in early in spring. Keeping track of all those sowing dates is easy with the Seedtime garden planning software, which builds a planting calendar around your frost dates, and the layout planner helps you place trellises where they won't shade shorter crops.

Buy Bean Seeds with One Shipping Charge

When you buy bean seeds here, you can add seeds from multiple suppliers to the same order and pay one flat shipping charge, or qualify for free standard shipping on Seedtime-fulfilled orders of $49 or more to the lower 48 states. Paid Seedtime members get 20% off seed packets marked "Fulfilled by Seedtime" and 5% off everything else in the store. You can start planning for free, and if you want unlimited calendars and layouts along with those store discounts, compare Seedtime's plans to find the right fit. Whether you want one packet of bean seeds for planting or a bush, pole, and dry bean lineup, it all ships together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my bean plants flowering but not making pods?

+

Blossom drop is the usual cause, and heat is the main trigger. Daytime highs above the high 80s, long dry spells, and too much nitrogen can all make flowers fall before pods form. Keep the soil evenly moist, mulch to hold the cool in, and skip nitrogen-heavy fertilizer, since beans make plenty of their own. Plants typically start setting pods again once temperatures ease.

When should I pick snap beans?

+

Pick while the pods are firm, smooth, and about the width of a pencil, before the seeds inside start to bulge. A fresh pod should snap cleanly when bent. Harvest every two or three days in peak season, since pods left to overripen turn tough and slow the plant down, and try to pick when the foliage is dry to avoid spreading disease between plants.

How do I harvest and store dry beans?

+

Leave the pods on the plant until they turn brown and papery and the beans rattle inside. If a hard frost or a stretch of rain is coming before they're ready, pull the whole plant and hang it in a dry, airy spot to finish. Shell the beans, spread them out for another week or two to dry completely, then store them in airtight jars somewhere cool and dark.