Anasazi-Type Dry Bean

Anasazi-1,500 Year Old Cave Bean seeds produce a patterned Anasazi-type pole dry bean seed lot. Plants have a vining or climbing habit. 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 Anasazi-1,500 Year Old Cave Bean

Anasazi-1,500 Year Old Cave Bean is sold as a dry bean selection. The principal color is mixed, and the harvest form is Dry seed selected for the named cultivar, market class, or maintained seed lot. Rich, earthy, and creamy when the dry beans are thoroughly cooked. Best uses include dry beans, soups, baking, stews, pantry storage, and seed saving. Other seed records may list it as Bean, Bean Seeds - Pole - Anasazi 1,500 Year Old Cave Bean, 1,500 Year Old Cave Bean.

• Scientific name:Phaseolus vulgaris L.
• Life cycle:Annual
• Planting season:Late Spring
• Growth habit:Vining/Climbing
• Plant height:Not confirmed for this seed lot
• Sunlight:Full sun
• Seed depth:1 in
• Germination:7–14 Days at 65–80 °F
• Spacing:6 in between plants; 36 in between rows
• Soil:Loamy; pH 6.0–6.5
• Water:Moderate
• Support:Trellis
• Reproductive type:Open-Pollinated (OP)
• 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

The catalog phrase '1,500 Year Old Cave Bean' is widely repeated in seed commerce, but the claim that ancient viable beans were recovered from a cave and germinated is not established here as archaeological fact. The familiar name remains represented so customers can recognize the seed, while the crop itself is described as an Anasazi-type patterned pole common bean for dry harvest. Present seed-lot performance and custody records are more reliable than a dramatic antiquity story. Future Anasazi-Type 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 vigorous dry bean needs a trellis and should remain on the vine until pods and patterned seed are fully mature. Because the exact seed-lot history is unresolved, record height, flowering, pod shape, seed pattern, and field timing in the next grow-out. Do not use the trade name alone as proof of cultural custody or age.

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 when the dry beans are thoroughly cooked. Cook mature dry seed thoroughly before eating.

How to grow Anasazi-1,500 Year Old Cave Bean

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 6 in apart and rows 36 in apart. Keep the soil evenly moist through flowering and pod fill without leaving the root zone saturated. Install a sturdy trellis before vines begin to run so roots are not disturbed by late construction. 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 Anasazi-Type; 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.
• Install a sturdy trellis before vines begin to run so roots are not disturbed by late construction.
• 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 single day range is shown; use flowering, pod development, dry-down, and the intended eating or seed stage to judge readiness. 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 Anasazi-Type 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 Anasazi-Type 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