True Red Cranberry Pole Bean - Organic

True Red Cranberry
True Red Cranberry
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True Red Cranberry Pole Bean - Organic

Phaseolus vulgaris
(102 days) Open-pollinated. Pole bean. Although one of the very best baking beans, TRC can be a difficult crop to mature, especially finicky in cool moist seasons. Garden writer Michele Owen, author of Grow the Good Life. says, “I love chili and True Red Cranberry beans cook up creamy without disintegrating with a richer flavor than any other red bean I’ve ever tasted.” Inspired by a description of “Red Cranberry” in a 1700s gardening encyclopedia, legendary bean collector John Withee, after an 11-year search, finally obtained it from Mr. Taylor of Steep Falls, Maine. The plump round maroon seeds without streaking look like Thanksgiving cranberries, unlike the speckled oval bush cranberry types. One of our oldest varieties, probably Native American, True Red Cranberry is listed on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste. Soak seeds for 24 hours to aid germination. Indigenous Royalties. ①
OGThis item is certified organic


371 True Red Cranberry - Organic
Item Discounted
Price
A: 1oz for $4.50  
sold out
B: 2oz for $7.65  
sold out
C: 8oz for $22.00  
supply limited, size not available
D: 1lb for $36.00  
supply limited, size not available
E: 5lb for $125.00   ($118.75)
supply limited, size not available

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

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.