Dark Red Kidney Bean

Dark Red Kidney seeds produce a dark red kidney bean market class. Plants have a plant habit that still needs confirmation for this seed lot. The mature height has not yet been confirmed for this exact seed lot. Seeds generally emerge in 7–14 Days at 65–80 °F. Harvest timing is based on flowering, pod development, dry-down, and the intended use rather than one unsupported day range.

About Dark Red Kidney

Dark Red Kidney is sold as a kidney bean selection. The principal color is red, and the harvest form is Dry seed selected for the named cultivar, market class, or maintained seed lot. Rich, earthy, and creamy after thorough cooking. Best uses include dry beans, soups, baking, stews, pantry storage, and seed saving. Other seed records may list it as Bean, Bean Seeds - Bush - Kidney - Dark Red Kidney.

• Scientific name:Phaseolus vulgaris L.
• Life cycle:Annual
• Planting season:Late Spring
• Growth habit:Not confirmed for this seed lot
• Plant height:Not confirmed for this seed lot
• Sunlight:Full sun
• Seed depth:1 in
• Germination:7–14 Days at 65–80 °F
• Spacing:4 in between plants; 24 in between rows
• Soil:Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5
• Water:Moderate
• Support:Not confirmed for this seed lot
• Reproductive type:Not confirmed for this seed lot
• Harvest form:Dry seed selected for the named cultivar, market class, or maintained seed lot
• Maturity:Use crop-stage cues rather than one unsupported day range

History and seedkeeping context

Dark red kidney is a USDA-recognized dry-bean market class, not one universally defined cultivar. Different named varieties can produce beans sold within the same class. Because the present record does not identify the exact cultivar behind this seed lot, available evidence does not support assigning a fixed plant height, growth habit, maturity range, breeder, or reproductive history. What can be maintained is the dark red kidney-shaped dry seed and the lot information attached to it. Future Dark Red Kidney grow-outs should keep the original supplier, packet wording, lot, year, location, isolation notes, representative plant count, and observed harvest traits together. That record can clarify the maintained line without making the name or family account stronger than the seed and documentation support.

Why this variety is distinct

This bean must be grown to full dry maturity and cooked thoroughly. Kidney beans are not snap beans, and undercooked kidney beans are unsafe to eat. Record plant form, days in the field, pod placement, and seed uniformity during the next grow-out; those observations can help identify the cultivar rather than forcing a market-class name to carry more information than it actually does.

Harvest and kitchen or field use

Allow pods and seed to dry fully before shelling, and harvest before repeated rain or shattering damages the lot. The crop is described as Dry seed selected for the named cultivar, market class, or maintained seed lot. Dry beans, soups, baking, stews, pantry storage, and seed saving. Rich, earthy, and creamy after thorough cooking. Cook kidney beans thoroughly; do not eat them raw or undercooked.

How to grow Dark Red Kidney

Direct sow 1 in deep during the late spring planting window. Keep the seed zone near 65–80 °F and evenly moist until emergence, normally 7–14 Days. Grow in full sun with loamy soil near pH 6.0–6.5. Space plants 4 in apart and rows 24 in apart. Keep the soil evenly moist through flowering and pod fill without leaving the root zone saturated. The support requirement has not yet been confirmed for this seed lot; allow room for temporary stakes or netting during the next grow-out. The mature height has not yet been confirmed for this exact seed lot.

Season care

• Wait for warm soil in the late spring planting window before sowing Dark Red Kidney; cold wet ground delays emergence and encourages rot.
• Water consistently through flowering and pod fill, then reduce irrigation as dry-seed crops approach final cure.
• The support requirement has not yet been confirmed for this seed lot; allow room for temporary stakes or netting during the next grow-out.
• Allow pods and seed to dry fully before shelling, and harvest before repeated rain or shattering damages the lot. The crop is described as Dry seed selected for the named cultivar, market class, or maintained seed lot.
• Judge readiness by crop stage and intended use rather than assigning an unsupported calendar number.

Maturity and harvest timing

No cultivar-specific day range is shown until the exact variety is identified; wait for dry pods and fully hardened seed. Allow pods and seed to dry fully before shelling, and harvest before repeated rain or shattering damages the lot. The crop is described as Dry seed selected for the named cultivar, market class, or maintained seed lot.

Saving seed

The crop is largely self-pollinating, but occasional insect-carried crossing can occur among compatible varieties. Save from several healthy, true-to-type Dark Red Kidney plants rather than one exceptional individual. Mark seed plants before the eating harvest, remove clear off-types before they contribute pollen, and let seed reach full biological maturity. Shell only fully dry pods, discard moldy or insect-damaged seed, and dry the cleaned seed again before storage. Label the lot with crop, variety, source, year, location, plant count, isolation method, and selection traits. Keep the original packet and lot history with the saved seed so later grow-outs can be compared without relying only on memory or seed color.

Common problems

Watch Dark Red Kidney for bean beetles, aphids, leafhoppers, mites, pod-feeding insects, bacterial or fungal leaf spots, rust, mosaic symptoms, and root rots. Rotate away from legumes, avoid working wet foliage, water at the soil line, and remove badly diseased plants. Cold wet soil commonly causes poor emergence; excess nitrogen can create leafy growth with fewer pods. Save seed only from healthy representative plants.

Frequently asked questions