VegetableBean
Akahana Mame Bean
Akahana Mame is a stunning heirloom pole bean from Asia with deep maroon beans marked by a striking black background that intensifies when dried. This open-pollinated variety produces vigorous vining plants reaching 5 to 8 feet tall, adorned with brilliant red flowers that attract pollinators while the vines climb. In 80 to 95 days, you'll harvest long, slender pods up to 8 inches containing distinctive 1-inch beans perfect for shelling fresh or drying. Hardy from zones 3 to 9, it thrives in full sun and rewards patient gardeners with a genuine heirloom experience that bridges Asian vegetable gardening traditions with modern home plots.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-9
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam; Not Waterlogged
Growth Stats
96 in
Height
TypeVining
Spacing
36
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-9
Size
96in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
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Highlights
Red flowers dancing along tall vines create a striking ornamental display while producing exceptional shell beans. The deep maroon beans with black backgrounds are visually arresting both fresh and especially when dried, where they develop a beautiful wrinkled texture. Unlike bush varieties, pole beans like Akahana Mame offer extended harvests over a longer season, making them worth the investment in trellising. Growing this variety connects you to Asian gardening heritage while providing a uniquely flavored bean that performs well across most of North America.
Common Uses
Akahana Mame beans are grown primarily for shelling fresh or allowing to mature and dry for storage and cooking. The distinctive beans work well in soups, stews, and traditional Asian bean dishes where their unique appearance and flavor characteristics shine. Because they're harvested at full maturity and dried rather than eaten as immature snap or shell beans, they're best suited to cooks seeking heirloom dried beans for long-term pantry storage and traditional preparations.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Transplant Outdoors
Direct sow Akahana Mame seeds outdoors after your final spring frost date when soil temperatures consistently reach 60 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. Plant near your prepared trellising so vines can begin climbing as they establish. Transplanting is not recommended for pole beans, as they develop long taproots that don't tolerate disturbance.
Direct Sow
Direct sow seeds into garden soil or raised beds after frost danger passes and soil temperatures reach at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant seeds near sturdy trellising or poles where vines will climb as they grow.
Harvesting
Allow pods to mature fully on the vine if you intend to harvest beans for drying and storage, which is the primary use for Akahana Mame. Pods will grow to 8 inches long and develop a papery texture when fully mature. Pick pods when they've turned brown and feel completely dry to the touch, usually around 80 to 95 days after planting. For fresh shelling, you can harvest when pods are still green and the beans inside feel full and tender, though drying is the traditional method that develops the distinctive wrinkled texture and maroon-black coloring.
Pruning
As a vigorous vining pole bean, Akahana Mame requires trellising or support structure rather than pruning. Train vines to climb your trellis in the direction you prefer, gently guiding new growth upward. Avoid heavy pruning of the main vines, as the plant produces flowers and pods along the entire length of the stem.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Unknown
Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Phaseolus
Growth Habit
Vining
Native Status
L48 (I)VI (I)
History & Origin
“Akahana Mame represents a preserved line of Asian heirloom beans, specifically selected for their ornamental red flowers and distinctive maroon-and-black dried beans. The name itself carries cultural significance within Japanese or broader Asian seed-saving traditions, though Akahana Mame enters Western gardens through the modern heirloom seed movement as open-pollinated genetics worth protecting and propagating. Its journey to contemporary seed catalogs reflects the broader effort to maintain genetic diversity in bean cultivation and preserve vegetables that might otherwise disappear from cultivation.”