Great Northern bean
$4.00
(Phaseolus vulgaris)
Bush. This variety was first sold by Oscar H. Will, who ran a seed company in Bismark, North Dakota in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He seems to have been a great admirer of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara, Indigenous peoples of that area who practiced agriculture along the Missouri River. In his catalogues, he emphasized the need for seeds and agricultural practices adapted to his region, and so introduced many landraces from those peoples through his company. So this bean’s ancestors were most likely grown by the Mandan and Hidatsa before Will got it. It is not exceptionally early now, but I wish to quote from his 1896 catalogue: “We do not claim the quality to be any better than other varieties, but its extreme earliness and productiveness together with its wonderful hardiness makes it, we believe, nothing short of an agricultural wonder, which should be in the hands of every farmer. Do not fail to secure at least a small quantity.”
90 days to maturity.
40 seeds/packet.
In stock
Plant after last frost; soil must be warm or seed will rot. If growing on corn, wait to plant until corn is about 3” tall, or two weeks after corn is planted. Sow 1” deep. Space bush beans 2-4” apart. Pick dry beans when pods are fully dry; seed must be dry enough to not dent with a fingernail for storage. Dry beans can be further dried on a tarp, then threshed by dancing on them and winnowing away the chaff.