Blue Coco Pole Bean - Organic

Phaseolus vulgaris
(72 days snap) Open-pollinated. French heirloom with likely primary origin in the Rio Coco area of Nicaragua and Honduras. With chocolate-colored seed coats, bluish-purple pods, and green leaves tinged with purple, vining Coco makes a handsome plant. Can serve as a snap, shell or dry bean. Slightly curved pods with tender strings flatten as they age. Mild and sweet with a pleasing meaty flavor and nutty aftertaste. Can be harvested at 3" as filet beans, remain tender to 5" without getting stringy. Pods turn green when blanched. Freezes well. Supposedly tolerant of both heat and drought, its production slacked off in hot dry weather, recovering upon the return of rain and more temperate nights. ①

This item is certified organic

295 Blue Coco -

Item	Discounted From
A: 1/2oz for $3.50		New catalog listings coming in late November
B: 2oz for $6.25		New catalog listings coming in late November
C: 8oz for $18.50		New catalog listings coming in late November
D: 1lb for $26.00		New catalog listings coming in late November
E: 5lb for $100.00		New catalog listings coming in late November

Additional Information

Pole Beans

Avg 30 seeds/half oz packet. 775–1500 seeds/lb. Half oz packet sows 7-10'.
Days to maturity are from emergence after direct sowing.

Culture: Though it can be fun to grow “climbing” beans on tripods or sunflowers, many folks grow them on 6–8' fencing. Plant 3–4" apart along the fence. Many pole bean varieties have strings that won’t annoy you if they’re picked early and often. Frequent and thorough picking keeps your vines vigorous and productive. Pick and compost the overgrown pods that got away, or cut them coarsely and add them to minestrone as suggested by Crystal Nichols of Greene, ME. If you don’t pick them, your plants will stop producing, satisfied they’ve fulfilled their reproductive mission.

One customer says, “Many people—even gardeners and cooks—have no idea how much better tasting pole beans are. Most bush beans are cardboard by comparison.”

Poles for Pole Beans

Nikos grows hers on tripods of long lashed poles. Gloria Seigars of New Sweden, ME, employs tall limber ash saplings that can be bent double without breaking. “Wired together, several of them make a nifty arbor and grand entrance to the vegetable garden.” Will Bonsall suggests letting them climb sunflower stalks. Give the sunflowers a two-week head start.

Plant about 5 seeds to a tripod, or 2 seeds to a sunflower.

Beans

All beans are open-pollinated.
Days to maturity are from emergence after direct sowing.

Culture: Tender, will not survive frost. Inoculate with a legume inoculant, then plant seeds 3–4" apart in rows 24–30" apart after all danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed. Minimum germination soil temperature 60°; optimal range 70–80°. White-seeded beans are generally more sensitive to cold soil temps than dark-seeded varieties. Legumes have moderate fertility needs and can fix their own nitrogen. Excessive nitrogen may induce some bush varieties to develop vines in moist hot weather.

Saving Seed: Saving bean seed is easy! Leave pods on the plants to dry. Hand shell, or stomp pods on a tarp. To ensure true-to-type seed, separate varieties by 30 feet.

Diseases:

ANTH: Anthracnose
BBS: Bacterial Brown Spot
CBMV: Common Bean Mosaic Virus
CTV: Curly Top Virus
DM: Downy Mildew
HB: Halo Blight
NY 15: NY 15 Mosaic Virus
PM: Powdery Mildew
PMV: Pod Mottle Virus
R: Rust
SC: Sclerotina

White mold, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, affects more than 300 plant species. In beans, low humidity, good air circulation and wider spacing, both between plants and between rows, reduce the likelihood of this soil-borne infection.

Germination Testing

For the latest results of our germination tests, please see the germination page.

Our Seeds are Non-GMO

All of our seeds are non-GMO, and free of neonicotinoids and fungicides. Fedco is one of the original companies to sign the Safe Seed Pledge.