Light Red Kidney Bean brings the rich culinary heritage of Central and South America straight to your garden. This compact heirloom bush bean produces tender, kidney-shaped beans with thin skins and a silky smooth texture that's prized by home cooks. Hardy enough to thrive in zones 3-11, these nutritious beans mature in 95-100 days on sturdy plants reaching just 12-24 inches tall, making them perfect for small gardens and containers.
4
Full Sun
Moderate
3-11
24in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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What sets Light Red Kidney Bean apart is its exceptional culinary quality and cold tolerance. The beans develop thin skins and a silky texture that easily absorbs the flavors of seasonings, making them ideal for everything from hearty chili to elegant bean salads. These compact bush plants adapt to many growing regions and even tolerate cool, wet climates while still producing reliable harvests. Their high protein and fiber content, combined with rich antioxidants, makes them both nutritious and delicious.
These versatile beans excel in soups, stews, and chili where their creamy texture and mild flavor shine. They're perfect for bean salads, baked bean dishes, and traditional Mexican preparations. Many cooks appreciate how readily they absorb the flavors of jerk seasoning, herbs, and spices. The beans can be cooked fresh or dried for long-term storage, making them valuable for meal planning and pantry stocking.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Direct sow seeds 1 to 1.5 inches deep after soil temperature reaches at least 60°F, usually a couple weeks after the last frost date. Space seeds 4 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart to allow adequate room for growth and proper air circulation.
Harvest Light Red Kidney Beans as dry beans by waiting until the pods have fully matured and turned tan in color, with beans rattling inside when shaken, typically 95-100 days after planting. Pull up the entire plant when most pods have dried and hang plants upside down in a dry, well-ventilated area to continue drying. Once completely dry, shell the beans by hand or by threshing to release the finished beans.
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“Light Red Kidney Bean is an heirloom variety that traces its roots to Central and South America, where beans have been cultivated for thousands of years. This particular variety was carefully bred over generations for its rich nutritional content, cooking versatility, and distinctive kidney shape that gives the bean its name. The variety made its way north through traditional seed saving networks, preserved by gardeners who valued its reliable performance and exceptional culinary qualities.”