Black Turtle Dry Bean

This shiny, small jet-black bean has a dense, "meaty" texture and is very flavourful and nutritious.  It's the all-star ingredient in traditional dishes from many cultures around the world.  

A high yielding, disease-resistant and hardy variety.  Compact bush plants grow to about 18". Trellising is not required but light support can help with harvest and prevent damage caused if pods lie on wet ground.  

Direct seed 5cm (2") deep, 5-8cm (2-3") apart as soon as soil is warm, in rows 45cm (18") apart. Thin to 15cm (6") apart.  Beans usually take 8-16 days to germinate.  90-100 days to dry bean. Stop watering when the pods first start to dry. Harvest pods as they dry (or once most are dry) then store in a dry place with good airflow out of direct sunlight to dry completely (should be brittle) for easy shelling/threshing.  Whole plants can also be cut and moved under cover to finish drying if necessary.

Certified organic in British Columbia. IOPA # 1606, 1105, 1920.

How to Save Bean Seed

For a detailed look at saving bean seed as well as more comprehensive information about seed saving, check out our Seed Saving 101 blog post here 

Fast Facts

Latin: Phaseolus vulgaris, Phaseolus coccineus (runner beans), Vigna unguiculata spp. (Chinese red noodle bean)

Cross Pollination: WIll cross with beans of the same species

Isolation Distance: 10 feet

Minimum Population Size (variety maintenance): 5-10 plants

Minimum Population Size (genetic preservation): 20 plants

Planting Beans

Plant beans as you would for fresh eating, approximately 6-12” apart. Trellis climbing beans. Set aside some seed plants that will be left unpicked. 

Seed Maturity

Allow bean pods to dry completely, then harvest either individual pods or cut entire plants and lay to dry on a tarp. 

Seed Cleaning

Thresh the seeds by laying the entire dry seed stalks on a tarp and stomping and shuffling on the plants to crack open the pods and detach the seeds. It’s important that seeds are very dry at this stage to prevent them being crushed by the threshing process. Shake the threshed material through a screen, allowing the seeds to pass through and the larger debris to remain on the top. Then, winnow using wind or a fan, pouring seeds from one container to another while allowing the lighter chaff to blow away. 

Get more bean growing tips and seed saving info at Seed Savers Exchange.