Kentucky Wonder Pole Green Garden Bean
Price: $2.95
SKU: 30300811This popular variety was grown throughout the South by the 1850s and first mentioned in publication in an 1864 edition of "Country Gentleman" magazine under the name, 'Texas Pole'.[1] James J. H. Gregory & Sons released it commercially as 'Kentucky Wonder' in 1877. Under this name or one of its many synonyms, it has been one of the most popular green beans of all time. Each ounce is approximately 75 seeds.
Don’t bother trying to get an early start with beans – you’ll waste a lot of seed! Beans are a tender vegetable and you should not plant them until all danger of frost has passed and the soil remains above 65ºF. Sow seeds 1½ inches deep, every two to three inches. As they make efficient use of vertical space, provide a trellis. Use string or twine as wire will heat and burn the tender vines.
Pick the pods while young as they are more tender and succulent and less likely to be stringy. For seed saving, allow the pods to fully mature and dry completely out on the vines.
- "Beans of New York: Being Vol. 1 - Part II of Vegetables of New York," U. P. Hedrick, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, 1931, p. 25.
- "American Varieties of Garden Beans," W. W. Tracy, Jr., USDA Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D.C., Bulletin 109, pg. 118.
Customer Reviews:
By Nicholas Adcock on September 9, 2021
I will never grow another bush style bean. These things produced a lot and are easier to pick.
By Rachel Lewis on February 6, 2015
I'm pretty sure the fable Jack In The Bean Stalk was written about Kentucky Wonder. I have never had luck with this bean in the three sisters companion planting as it grows taller than all the corn and sunflowers I've planted it with! Amazing harvest, gives enough to can for the winter and donate to a food bank too!
By James Wood on September 7, 2013
I didn't have any luck with these beans this year. It has been 25 years since I last grew them. I remembered them being a nice string bean. This year however though a lot of beans were produced the pods were all flat. The row of Blue Lakes right beside the Kentucky Wonders grew perfectly. I don't know what the problem was but I probably will not try this bean again for a while.
By Karl Alberts on October 6, 2012
I really had great success with this bean, I know why the are called Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean, they continued on up the line until they finally pulled my wire down. Our plants where really heavy producers of beans, I had to keep giving the away, we couldn't eat the all. They are still producing now in October.
