Pole beans Phaseolus vulgaris except where noted.
All packs contain 25g unless otherwise indicated.
All packs contain 25g unless otherwise indicated.
Big Jim Scarlet Runner Bean Phaseolus coccineus . A fast-growing vigorous climber sporting deep, scarlet-red showy flowers. Large, colourful seeds up to one inch long. Great for a fast-establishing shade screen or privacy screen.
Blauhilde Pole Bean 65 days. A stunningly productive and versatile climbing french bean of German origin. Vines climb to ten feet and are laden with attractive lavender blooms and tender, stringless purple pods – making them easy to pick among the foliage! Pods can become quite large, but are best picked at medium stage, and turn green when cooked. Very resistant to disease.
Blue Coco 70 days to snap stage. A rare heirloom originating in France before 1775. Known for vigour and adaptability to heat, cold & drought, making it an excellent choice for short-season areas. High yielding vines with purple-tinged leaves produce beautiful dark bluish purple pods. Like many heirloom beans, can serve as a snap, shell or dry bean, depending on picking time. Seeds are tan to chocolate colour, depending on growing conditions.
Cherokee Trail of Tears 65 days to snap, 90 to dry stage. Prolific & strong vines– does well planted with corn or sunflowers for support. A historically important variety originating with the Cherokee Nation and their forced march from the Smokey Mountains to Oklahoma in the early 1800’s. Good green snap bean when young, and turns purple with maturity.
Fortex Pole Bean 65 days to snap stage. Impressive yields of slender, crisp and stringless filet beans borne on vigorous climbing vines that can reach ten feet tall. The pods can reach up to 11 inches long and have a pronounced “nutty” taste, even when raw. The seeds have a unique, chocolate-brown colour.
Kahnawake Mohawk 90 days to dry stage. A difficult to find heirloom of First Nations origin. Traditionally used as a dry bean, but equally tasty eaten fresh if picked young. Vigorous climber and good producer with tasty meaty green pods and attractive plump round seeds, cream-colored with striking brown swirls around the “eye”.
Marvel of Venice An old Italian heirloom. Vigorously climbing Romano variety with broad flat yellow pods and plump, round and shiny black seeds. Delicious and tender when pods are young, and an excellent and productive dry bean if pods are left to mature.
Mennonite Striped String A very rare cultivar sporting large, juicy ten-inch pods that are meaty and quite tender for their large size. The dried beans are beautiful to behold, with swirls of dark stripes and flecks over a taupe coloured background.
Polish Pole Bean 90 days to dry stage. A very rare and distinct heirloom said to have originated in Poland early in the 20th century. Climbs to about six feet, and sports a multitude of small 2 to 3-inch pods, each bearing up to five lustrous and shiny, diminutive round beans. Can be picked fresh when young, but primary use is for dry beans. Very disease-resistant variety.
Rattlesnake Pole Bean 70 days to snap; 90 days to dry beans. This well-known & popular heirloom is, like many older heirlooms, versatile in its uses: it can be picked early in the season for delicious stringless snap beans, a little later for flavourful shell beans, or left to mature and dry in the pods for unparalleled winter soup beans. Beautiful, 7-inch long purple flecked pods with very attractive mauve flowers. Highly productive!
Sacré Coeur 80 days to dry stage. Acquired through Seeds of Diversity Canada member seed exchange. A true Québec heirloom, said to be grown by the Larochelle family of St. Lazare for more than two generations. Medium-vigorous climber used as a soup bean. Pods are easy to shell when dry. Beautiful bi-coloured white & speckled brown seeds. No longer commercially available, but was once carried by Semences Laval before its dissolution.
Soisson Vert Pole Bean A rare French heirloom of the flageolet class. These large, lime-green shell beans are uniquely prized for their creamy, tender texture and delicate flavour that excel in purees or traditional French cassoulet dishes. The vines are laden with easily shelled pods that dry down well in the autumn. Can be frozen to enjoy in winter like shell peas, after a short period of blanching.
Tongue of Fire 70 days to snap stage, 90 to dry stage. A French horticultural-type bean, excellent as a shell bean or dry bean. Pods are flaming magenta-striped over green. Original seed was reportedly from Tierra del Fuego and brought to Europe. Seeds are plump and round, and the vines will climb to 4 or 5 feet.
True Red Cranberry 65 days to snap stage, 90 days to dry stage. One of the oldest & most rare heirloom bean varieties under cultivation, probably of First Nations origin from what is now the northeast US. Dried beans are plump, shiny and a deep cranberry-red. Can take our cooler short growing season better than most varieties and has a rich flavour unlike any other bean I have tasted. Vigorous climber.
Turkey Craw 75 days to snap stage, 90 to dry stage. A rare heirloom with a storied pedigree from the Southeast US. Turkey Craw had been found in the 'craw' or 'crop' of a wild turkey shot in the 1800s by a local hunter, who kept the beans and planted them! Very productive, though not early. Long, stringless, meaty pods excellent for canning or freezing. At dry, mature stage, seeds are a unique buff colour with copper-caramel speckles.
Uganda Bantu In a word: gorgeous! In two more words: little jewels! This rare landrace variety, said to have originated in a small village in Uganda, is a diverse & exciting mashup of different pod sizes containing a vibrant kaleidoscope of seed colours, shapes and sizes. Ranging from round to kidney-shaped and in hues of olive-green, jade, pink and purple, earth-tones, these climbing dry beans are scrumptious and esthetically pleasing to grow. Require support up to 8 feet.
Carouby de Maussane Snow Pea 65 days. An extraordinary heritage variety originating in the south of France. Tall vines can reach 5 feet or more and require support. Pods are enormous (6 inches!), though retain their sweet, tender quality even as they size up. The bicoloured flowers are pink and mauve, making them a good choice to feature as an ornamental focus in the garden.
Champion of England Pisum sativum 60-75 days. A traditional tall-vined garden pea originating in the UK in the 1840’s. At one time, before the introduction of machine-harvesting, most pea varieties were tall-vined. The advantage for home gardeners is a great return for a small space. Champion was recently rescued from near-extinction by the ‘Real Seed’ Company in the UK. Fantastic, disease-resistant and productive.
Iona petit Pois Pisum sativum 68 days. A gourmet French shelling pea with exceptional sweet taste. Short two-foot plants bear heavily and self-support if grown in a block. The pods and peas are half the size of normal peas, and so take some time to pick and shell, but the results are well worth the effort. 20g~140 seeds.
Schweizer Riesen Snow Pea Pisum sativum 65 days. Name means ‘Swiss Giant’. An old Swiss variety. Strong-climbing & vigorous variety with large foliage, thick vines and lovely pink & mauve flowers. Generous producer of plump 6-inch pods superbly sweet and crunchy at any stage. Will grow to 8 feet!
