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Product Details
Product Details
You can't lose with this 1800s heirloom. 'Kentucky Wonder' (brown seeded) has wonderful, if not unsurpassed flavor. It out-produces most other pole beans with heavy crops of 9" long, gently curved, oval pods. A multi-use bean: drying, shelling and green. Stringless when young. Excellent for freezing. Good production even in hot climates. Disease resistant.
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- Variety Info
- Sowing Info
- Growing Info
Variety Info
Days to Maturity: 63 days
Family: Fabaceae
Type: Snap Bean, Pole Bean (Learn More)
Native: Mexico and South America
Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual
Exposure: Full sun
Plant Dimensions: 5'–7' long vines
Variety Info: 7"–9" long, ½" wide silvery-green pods; stringless when young, brown seeds. Pre-Civil War variety known then under different names, released as 'Kentucky Wonder' in 1877 by J. H. Gregory & Sons seed company. Resistant to bean common mosaic virus.
Attributes: Bean Mosaic Virus Resistant, Heat Tolerant, Frost Sensitive
Sowing Info
When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is at least 65?F, ideally 70??85?F. Successive Sowings: Every 7 to 14 days up to 80 days before your average first fall frost date. NOTE: In very hot summer areas, skip sowing as high heat approaches, temperatures consistently above 90?F will prevent beans from forming.
When to Start Inside: Not recommended; bean seedlings are sensitive to root disturbance.
Sprouts in: 6 – 12 days
Plant Seeds (Depth): 1"
Space Seeds: 1 seed every 6"
Row Spacing: 36"
Thinning: Not required
Growing Info
Harvesting: Snap beans are ready to pick when the pod "snaps" or breaks in half cleanly. This is when seeds have just begun to form and the pods are several inches long (depending on the variety). Hold stem with one hand and the pod with the other hand to avoid pulling off branches, which will continue to produce. Harvesting early and often will stimulate flower production for more beans. At season's end, plants are great compost material if they are disease-free.
- Guadalupe G.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 starsOct 2, 20245 Stars
Epic Gardening has inspired me to start a garden, but I live in zone 5b, so I only had enough time to plant a quick grower. The Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans were planted on July 28th lol Today I got baby beans!! I should have an excellent yield Juuuust before the 1st frost😁
EGEpic GardeningOct 8, 2024Hey Guadalupe,
Great photos! Thank you so much for sharing! Enjoy your Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans! Keep on growing 🌻️
- Court Y.Rated 5 out of 5 starsSep 7, 20245 Stars
Loved these! Planning on these being a staple in our garden every season now. My kiddos loved harvesting them as well! My daughter loves shelling them! Thank you for reliable seeds!
Which best describes you as a gardener? Beginner - Tina E.LA, United StatesVerified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 starsAug 3, 2026The Best Customer Service!
Even though I gave the Kentucky Wonder a one star review (no germination) I give customer service 5 stars, they are Epic! The team was fast in responding and investigated the lot numbers of my seed packs. I do believe that it was just too darn hot... I will try again in another month! Hat's off to the great staff and their gracious and fast response!
Which best describes you as a gardener? IntermediateWho do you grow for? YourselfHow do you prefer to grow? Raised Bed - Tina E.LA, United StatesVerified BuyerRated 1 out of 5 starsJul 28, 2026Kentucky Wonderless...
Planted all of them in a raised bed and not one came up! I can grow corn and onions and artichokes but not a 4-H beginner bean? What's up with that? Just wanted some for my Bloody Mary's! Oh well...
I'll try and try again!
Which best describes you as a gardener? IntermediateWho do you grow for? YourselfHow do you prefer to grow? Raised BedEGEpic GardeningJul 31, 2026Hey Tina,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts in a review. I've reached out to you via email to offer assistance. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we are committed to ensuring your experience is positive. Thank you once again for your input. Keep on growing 🌻️
- Tiffany T.Verified BuyerRated 1 out of 5 starsApr 22, 2026Germinated, then died
Every single one started to germinate, shot down a root, never sent up a green shoot. Same with peas from BI.
Which best describes you as a gardener? IntermediateEGEpic GardeningMay 3, 2026Hey Tiffany,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We’ve reached out via email to help. Quality is very important to us, and all of our seeds are regularly third-party tested to ensure strong germination rates. In many cases, germination issues are related to environmental factors like moisture, temperature, or planting depth. We appreciate your feedback and support — keep on growing 🌻
