(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. ①
King of the Early Shell & Dry Bean
King of the Early Shell & Dry Bean
(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. ①
Additional Information
Shell and Dry Beans
- Average 130 seeds/2oz packet. 2 oz packet sows 25 ft; 1 lb, 200 ft. All bush beans except where noted.
- Days to maturity are from emergence after direct sowing.
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 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.