Large Red Kidney Beans Seed, Heirloom Untreated 1lb

Starting from Seed

Unfortunately, kidney beans don’t transplant well so it’s best to just plant your seeds into the garden when the time is right rather than try to start early with indoor seedlings.

Choose a spot in the garden that will get full sun, and where the soil is loose enough to allow for good drainage. If you find the water pools up when it rains, it won’t be a good spot for your kidney bean plants. When you are digging the soil before planting, mix in a powdered product called an inoculant. It’s a natural bacterium that helps beans and peas get their nitrogen out of the soil.

Put your seeds out after your last frost date, and cover any sprouted seedlings if you do get an unexpected frost.

Space your seeds by about 4 inches if you have a vining variety of bean, and a bit farther to 8 inches if you are growing a more compact bush type. Bean seeds should be about an inch to an inch and a half under the soil when you plant.

Growing Instructions

Kidney bean plants hate to have “wet feet”, so don’t water too often unless the weather has been really dry. You should only water your plants if the soil has dried out, rather than water to keep it constantly moist.

Because kidney beans can produce their own nitrogen in their roots, they don’t really need any extra nutrients of fertilizer. If you are feeding your plants, don’t use any high-nitrogen mixtures around the beans or you will effect their growth. They may seem to thrive with more leaves, but at harvest time you’ll end up with a lot of empty pods.

Shallow roots make it difficult to hoe around a bean plant without harming the plant. You should pull weeds by hand, or use a good layer of mulch to keep out the weeds.