Growing Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean Vegetable Seeds
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About Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean
Kentucky Wonder is a classic, and popular pole bean that appeared sometime in the 1850s. Although it had many names, it has faithfully made its way into seed catalogs every year since. Talk about reliability and dependability! What makes Kentucky Wonder so special that over 84 U.S. seed companies still carry it?
It is a heavy producer born in clusters over an extended season; its 7-10" pods are stringless and tender when young, and rich in flavor. It is perfect for growing on fences or poles, and reaches only 4-5 feet tall for easy harvest. It is highly adaptable, rust resistant, and is a perfect green bean for fresh, cooked, frozen, or canned applications.
1936 James Seeds says about the "improved" cultivar...
"A selection from this popular Pole Bean, which is of better quality and more heavy bearing than ordinary strains. The flavor is sweet and delicate; the pods are a deep green. 7 inches long and nearly 1/2 inch through, solid and deeply creased, and are entirely stringless until too old for use. The pods are clustered up the poles so thickly that they overlap each other like shingles, and they can be gathered in handfuls. There is no need to plant a succession of beans if you grow this variety; just keep the plants picked clean of mature pods at all times and you will gather tender beans until heavy frost."
Steve Solomon's Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades says this about Kentucky Wonder....
"The best variety for dry-gardening is Kentucky Wonder Seeded, not dubbed "Old Homestead" for nothing. Space 1 foot apart on rows 4 feet apart. Even when allowed to sprawl without poles or trellises you'll get a decent yield of delicious dry seed that tastes a lot like pinto beans."
Kentucky Wonder makes a great green bean to can! Harvest when younger to keep them from producing any strings.
My 1913 copy of California Vegetables by Wickson says "The best climbing bean for most California situations is the Kentucky Wonder or Old Homestead, which bears a mass of pods when grown to a six foot pole. It is quite hardy and can be safely planted a week or more before many other varieties. It is a medium early bean and takes very readily to the poles; wonderfully prolific, the veins being actually loaded from top to bottom with pods from six to nine inches in length; as string beans the pods are nearly round, tender and very solid".
How Grow Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean from Seed
Bush bean can be started indoors, but performs best if sown directly after the final spring frost. Sow 2-3 seeds 1" deep and 2-3" apart in moist, Organically rich, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0-6.8. Whether direct sowing or transplanting, thin out strongest starts to every 18-24" in the garden as true leaves establish. Beans need light and consistent watering but, when doing so, water as close to the root as possible to avoid saturating greens known to cause root rot and mildew. Plants thrive from a top layer of mulch to help cool soil and roots. Avoid nitrogen-rich fertilizers which will cause excessive vegetative growth with minimal bean pod production.
How to Harvest Kentucky Wonder Bean
Most varieties of bush bean are ready to harvest at about 50-60 days from sowing or once the pods are 3-5" long. Harvest often to encourage fruiting and to ensure pods do not dehydrate on the vine. Although some pods may pull cleanly from the vine, use a knife or shears for more fibrous pods to avoid accidental damage to the plant. Like many crops in the garden, it is widely believed that beans are best harvested in the morning for optimal sugar content.
