Nautica Bush Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)

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Purchased (Park Seed)

Life Cycle

Annual

Pack Date

Vegetable (Bean)

2020

Requirements

When danger of frost has passed and soil has warmed, sow seeds 1-1.5" deep and 2-3" apart in rows 18-24" apart.

Seed Saving

Select the heartiest and most vigorous plants to harvest bean seeds for next year’s crop. Do not save seeds from weak or diseased plants, or plants that are infested with pests. Allow the bean pods to mature fully on the plant. The seeds will fill out the pod as they grow. Then the pod will begin to turn yellow and brown as the pods and bean seeds dry. Seed maturity can take up 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the variety. The bean pods should feel papery and dry when ready. You should hear the bean seeds rattle when you shake the pod. Once the pods are dry, pick the beans from the plants to dry further indoors. Be sure to harvest all the pods before frost. If the pods are not dry before the first frost, pull the whole plants and let them dry further indoors. Spread the dried pods in a single layer on a drying screen and let them dry further in a well-ventilated location, until the pods are papery and brittle. Dry for at least two weeks before testing the bean seeds. Shell a pod and test several bean seeds with your fingernail. Press your fingernail into the seeds. If it leaves a dent, the seeds need to dry longer.

Additional Info

"Beans are among nature's easiest and most beneficial home garden crops. Nautica Bean has an excellent flavor and is stringless with a medium to dark green color. Black seeded with beautiful purple flowers and very tasty extra fine green pods. A vigorous plant with high yields gives a very fine pencil shaped pod with an early maturity. Disease resistant and a great source of vitamins.

Easy and trouble-free, even for the new gardener, beans are best direct sown into the warm spring soil. For a bigger harvest, sow a fresh batch of seed every 2 or 3 weeks all spring and into the first weeks of summer. You can also sow in late summer and early fall (up to about a month before the first frost) for a fall harvest. Start bush beans like this: Space beans about 3 inches apart in single or double rows 18 to 24 inches apart. For a continuous season of bush beans, do not plant all the beans at once. Make successive plantings every 3 weeks up to 2 months before your first anticipated fall frost.

Like all legumes, Nautica is a nitrogen-fixer in the soil. After the final harvest is in, chop up the plant and work it back into the soil. You will be delighted with what it does for the quality of your soil next season.

Packed with fiber and protein (including the vital amino acid lysine), it is also an excellent source of vitamins A, B, and C; folic acid; iron; calcium; and phosphorus. Eaten with certain grains, such as corn, it makes a complete protein."