Drying Bean Seeds - Whipple

Minimum Seeds per Packet: 16

Packet Weight: 14g

Planting Season: After Last Frost

Sowing Method: Direct Seed

Seed Depth: 1"

Direct Seed Spacing: 1-3"

Soil Temperature: 60-80 ℉

Days to Sprout: 7-14

Mature Spacing: 3-4"

Sun Requirement: Full Sun

Frost Tolerance: Frost Sensitive

Days to Harvest: 70

When to Seed Drying Beans 

Drying beans are a fast-maturing, frost sensitive crop that should be directly seeded into the garden after all danger of frost has passed. 

Where to Plant Drying Beans

Drying beans will want a spot with full sun and loose, well-draining soil. They’ll love a spot rich in organic matter, but too much nitrogen can cause plants to produce more leaves than flowers or pods. 

Growing Drying Beans

Drying bean cultivars are primarily bush type, unless otherwise noted. If you do end up growing a pole or half-runner drying bean, be sure to provide a trellis. While any bean can be used as a drying bean, these varieties have been selected for flavor and production in regards to drying specifically. Plant drying beans one inch deep and one to three inches apart, in rows one to two feet apart. Once germinated, they can be thinned to their mature planting distance of three to four inches. Assuming your soil is high quality with well-aged organic matter, you shouldn’t have to apply any kind of fertilizer. Something that can be helpful is to use a legume inoculant. This ensures that legumes will have all of the symbiotic microbes they need. Typically, these microbes are already found in the soil but can be in low numbers if your garden is depleted or has recently been converted from a lawn. Make sure your beans get at least one inch of water per week. 

Harvesting Drying Beans

Unlike with your regular green bean plantings where you will harvest your beans often and before you see much bean development in the pods, with drying beans you want to leave the beans to mature and then ultimately dry on the plants for the best flavor and nutrition. Plan your plantings to leave at least four weeks for the beans to dry on the plant. After you separate your beans from the dry pods, spread your beans out to continue drying for at least two more weeks. We strongly recommend you freeze your beans for about two weeks before storage to kill any possible bean weevils that might be present.

Bean- Bush, Pole, Phaseolus vulgaris

Pollination, self; Life Cycle, annual; Isolation Distance, 20 feet

Cross-pollination is rare with beans, but it is prudent to not grow different varieties next to each other to avoid the risk. Earmark a couple of plants at the beginning of the season for seed saving. To encourage optimal pod development, water very little and don't feed the seed plants, nor pick any pods from them to eat. At the very end of the season, pick the pods when they have turned crisp and brown. Some varieties will shatter –meaning the pod will split open to disperse the seeds- so keep an eye on your seeds' progress and harvest accordingly. With smaller varieties, the whole bush can be uprooted and hung upside-down for drying. The seed inside the pod should be hard. Dry the pods in a well-ventilated place, clean and winnow, and store.