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Cold-hardy varieties and everything you need to grow them

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King of the Early Shell and Dry Bush Bean

Also Available As

King of the Early Shell and Dry Bush Bean

ships year-round

Related Items

Exceed® Superior Legume Inoculant, Garden Combo

seeds

Phaseolus vulgaris
(85 days) Open pollinated.

Beautiful mottled red baking bean. Seed propagated from a sample sent to us years ago by seed-saving customer Linwood Ware. King’s ability to ripen early, its capacity to swell enormously when soaked, its utter dependability through hot summers and cool, and its robust flavor won our hearts. We’ve found King easy to grow and heavy yielding year after year. Seed grown in Maine.

Supplier Transparency:
① Small seed farmers including Fedco staff

ships year-round

336 King of the Early

A: 2oz

$4.50

Check for new listings in late November

B: 8oz

$11.00

Check for new listings in late November

C: 1lb

$18.00

Check for new listings in late November

D: 5lb

$60.00

Check for new listings in late November

E: 10lb

$110.00

Check for new listings in late November

Also Available As

King of the Early Shell and Dry Bush Bean

ships year-round

Related Items

Exceed® Superior Legume Inoculant, Garden Combo

Quick Details

Hybrid Status: open pollinated
Days to Maturity: 85 days

Compare

Compare with other Shell and Dry Bush Beans

Variety	Product Type	Hybrid Status	Days to Maturity
PB&J Nebula Gene Pool	seeds	open pollinated	60 days
Fast Lady Northern Southern Pea Organic	seeds	open pollinated	65 days shell, 90 days dry
Taylor Dwarf Horticultural	seeds	open pollinated	68 days shell
Vermont Cranberry Organic	seeds	open pollinated	70 days shell, 95 days dry
Vermont Cranberry	seeds	open pollinated	70 days shell, 95 days dry
Limelight ECO	seeds	open pollinated	60 days shell, 85 days dry
Silver Cloud Cannellini Organic	seeds	open pollinated	70 days shell, 90 days dry
Limelight Dry Bean Organic	seeds	open pollinated	60 days shell, 85 days dry
Black Coco Organic	seeds	open pollinated	60 days shell, 85 days dry
King of the Early Organic	seeds	open pollinated	85 days
King of the Early	seeds	open pollinated	85 days
Marfax	seeds	open pollinated	86 days
Marfax Organic	seeds	open pollinated	86 days
Tiger’s Eye Organic	seeds	open pollinated	65 days shell, 85 days dry
Jacob’s Cattle	seeds	open pollinated	88 days
Gaucho Organic	seeds	open pollinated	88 days
White Candle Gaucho Organic	seeds	open pollinated	88 days
Soldier	seeds	open pollinated	89 days
Soldier Organic	seeds	open pollinated	89 days
Kenearly Organic	seeds	open pollinated	89 days
Kenearly	seeds	open pollinated	89 days
Calypso Organic	seeds	open pollinated	90 days
Monos Negros Organic	seeds	open pollinated	90 days
Brown Resilient Organic	seeds	open pollinated	100 days
Quincy Pinto Organic	seeds	open pollinated	106 days
Red Kidney Organic	seeds	open pollinated	102 days
Black Turtle Organic	seeds	open pollinated	102 days
Saturday Nite Special Organic	seeds	open pollinated	105 days

Shipping

Additional Information

Shell and Dry Bush Beans

About 70-190 seeds/oz packet. Seed size varies widely by variety.

Culture: In conditions of high nitrogen fertility some bush beans may develop vines in moist hot weather. Tender, will not survive frost. Plant 3–4 seeds/ft in rows 24–30" apart. Pick frequently for maximum yields, but avoid disturbing foliage in wet weather to prevent spread of fungal diseases.

Harvest at shelling stage when beans are plump inside pods. For dry beans let pods dry hard on the vine until pressing the beans with your fingernail leaves no indentation. If heavy rains or hard frost threaten before full dry maturity, either pull plants by the roots and hang them in a dry place to finish; or pick pods into mesh or paper bags and finish drying them indoors before threshing.

Beans

All beans are open-pollinated.
Days to maturity are from seeding date.

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.

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.