Bean Kentucky Wonder Seed Packet

Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean Seeds

You can't lose with this 1800s heirloom. 'Kentucky Wonder' (brown seeded) has wonderful, if not unsurpassed flavor. It out-produces most other pole beans with heavy crops of 9" long, gently curved, oval pods. A multi-use bean: drying, shelling and green. Stringless when young. Excellent for freezing. Good production even in hot climates. Disease resistant.

Variety Info:

Days to Maturity: 63 days

Family: Fabaceae

Type: Snap Bean, Pole Bean (Learn More)

Native: Mexico and South America

Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual

Exposure: Full sun

Plant Dimensions: 5'–7' long vines

Variety Info: 7"–9" long, ½" wide silvery-green pods; stringless when young, brown seeds. Pre-Civil War variety known then under different names, released as 'Kentucky Wonder' in 1877 by J. H. Gregory & Sons seed company. Resistant to bean common mosaic virus.

Attributes: Bean Mosaic Virus Resistant, Heat Tolerant, Frost Sensitive

Sowing Info:

When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is at least 65?F, ideally 70??85?F. Successive Sowings: Every 7 to 14 days up to 80 days before your average first fall frost date. NOTE: In very hot summer areas, skip sowing as high heat approaches, temperatures consistently above 90?F will prevent beans from forming.

When to Start Inside: Not recommended; bean seedlings are sensitive to root disturbance.

Days to Emerge: 6 – 12 days

Seed Depth: 1"

Seed Spacing: 1 seed every 6"

Row Spacing: 36"

Thinning: Not required

Harvesting: Snap beans are ready to pick when the pod "snaps" or breaks in half cleanly. This is when seeds have just begun to form and the pods are several inches long (depending on the variety). Hold stem with one hand and the pod with the other hand to avoid pulling off branches, which will continue to produce. Harvesting early and often will stimulate flower production for more beans. At season's end, plants are great compost material if they are disease-free.