Pole Snap Bean, Kew Blue (Organic)
Phaseolus vulgaris. Flat Purple Pods. 55-60 days.
Deep purple pods, stems and leaves. Semi-flat beans with excellent raw flavor. Thrives in cool, wet weather and germinates well in the cold spring ground. Pods set early and continuously up the vines. Seeds dry down quick before the rains come. One of our highest yielding pole beans, it was a staple crop during our time as fresh market farmers. Originally from the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, we received this variety in 2007 from the Heritage Seed Library, in England.
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Direct sow 1″ deep May through late June in rows that are 1′ apart. Thin seedlings to 3-6″spacing. Protect early sowings from frost. Pole snap beans are productive over a long season and only need one sowing unlike their bush snap counterparts. Requires trellising; try T-posts and bailing twine or plant a few weeks after corn or sunflowers for a natural trellis.
Seed Saving
Shell seeds from fully dry pods by hand or by dancing on them. Winnow to clean. Test for dryness with a hammer – dry beans shatter. Some cross-pollination may occur, but beans mostly self-pollinate.
Crystal (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Washington
Did wonderfully on cattle panel trellises – highly recommended!
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P. O’Neill –
Where did you grow this variety? Canada
Very productive even grown in straw over poor soil with just a couple of handfuls of compost. A month of scorching weather bothered it not at all. The 4 1/2 foot trellis was not tall enough. Got the seed from a Seedy Saturday event. Grew it in Saskatchewan.
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k.a.cupp (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Washington
My little garden pocket is in the woods near an inlet, which creates cooler conditions in summer. Adaptive Seeds selections for the PNW have been a game changer this year! Compared to two other vining bean varieties I grew from another seed vendor – Kew Blue knocked them out of the park. The vines are larger, healthier, and I’ve been getting good harvests from them for about a month now. I have about 12 vines going on an A-Frame trellis with celery underneath. They’re about 6′ and spilling over the top. Plus, there are so many bonuses! 1) Purple pods are easier to see when harvesting. 2) They turn green when you cook them (how fun is that?!) 3) They’re delightful cooked or fresh. 4) They look downright impressive in the garden. 5) They grew faster than slugs could eat them and shrugged off the initial nibbling. I highly recommend growing these beauties!
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lakeladym (verified owner) –
Where did you grow this variety? Washington
I only have 6 vines that I keep pinching off so that they don’t get higher than my 6′ trellis, and I can’t keep up with these! They require very little care, and luckily my neighbor likes them too. I try to pick them before they get longer than 8″ because then they get a bit tough. I planted them in ’25 & ’26, and both years they started producing early and prolifically. In ’25 they lasted well into fall. It remains to be seen how long they last this year. Really tasty, and the purple color makes them easy to spot. I’ll be planting them again in ’27. Started them in late May, began harvest in late July, 40 mi east of Seattle. Probably could have planted earlier.
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