Essex Pea Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris 

Story: We first came across this bean through the wonderful Heritage Seed Library who acquired them in the 1980s from a grower in Broxted, Essex where they had been grown and saved since before WWII. The plants are tall and productive with white flowers and pale green pods. The beans themselves are beautiful, bicolour white and maroon with speckles. 

Seed Saved by: Omved Gardens

When to sow: April - May indoor, May – June direct

Requirements: nutrient-rich soil, regular watering, and a lot of sun.

When to harvest for eating: June - September - like many French beans, these can be eaten green but they make exceptional drying beans, harvested when fully mature. 

When to harvest seed: July - Oct. When beans are fully mature and pods turn brown. In southern England, typically July/later summer.

Need to isolate: No

Saving Seed From dwarf French beans: Isolation: French beans are self pollinating and rarely cross pollinate though it is good practice to allow 3m between different varieties. Processing Seed: Allow beans to fully ripen on the plant, when they begin to turn brown and papery, pick whole pods and bring them inside to dry fully. Once completely dry, shell the beans from their papery pods. 

Number of plants to save seeds from: 5-10 minimum, 10 or more is ideal

Pollination: Self pollinated

How to send seed back: Please label all seed with variety, type, date and your contact. If you didn't get a chance to fill out our online data collection form, you can also send us a few lines about how it grew for you/flavour etc. Please aim to send back 1/3 cup of dried bean seed or more so that we can continue to share with network members. Send to: The Seed Saving Network, Omved Gardens, 1 Townsend Yard, N6 5JF.

Please remember, if you’re an individual grower you can order up to 4 packets of seeds. If you order more than this, you will receive just four packs to begin with. This is to ensure we get plenty of data in return and to keep our stocks sustainable for years to come.* 

*Community groups, Seed Saving Network Guardians and experienced growers can order larger quantities, please email us at info@seedsaving.network if this is the case.

If an item is out of stock we will send a close alternative.