Howur Bean is a pole lima bean with deep roots in the Gila River Indian Community of Arizona, where it has been cultivated for generations in the low desert. The light beige pods contain beans that range from plain to mottled with black markings, giving each plant a distinctive character. This variety thrives in heat and drought conditions that would stress other beans, making it an exceptional choice for gardeners in warm, dry climates. As a frost-tender pole bean, it climbs and produces throughout the warm season, requiring moderate water and well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.
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Originally collected from the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, Howur Bean carries the agricultural legacy of indigenous cultivation in the American Southwest. The beans display striking light beige coloring with occasional black mottling, and the plants are remarkably tolerant of drought and intense heat, a trait refined through generations of growing in the low desert. This pole variety is worth seeking out if you garden in arid or semi-arid regions where conventional beans often struggle.
As a lima bean, Howur Bean is prepared in many of the same ways as other Phaseolus lunatus varieties: shelled from mature pods and cooked in soups, stews, and side dishes. The beans can be eaten fresh when young and tender, or dried for storage and use throughout the year. In regional Southwest cuisine, beans of this type have historically been a protein staple, either cooked simply with minimal seasoning to highlight their natural flavor or incorporated into more complex bean dishes.
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Transplant seedlings outdoors once all frost danger has passed and soil temperatures reach at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Space transplants 6 inches apart in rows 24 inches apart, positioning them near sturdy trellising or poles for climbing.
Direct sow seeds outdoors after the last frost date, when soil temperature is between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the most common method for beans and allows the plants to establish their root systems in place.
Harvest mature lima beans by removing the entire pod from the vine when the pods feel full and firm to the touch, indicating the beans inside have sized up. For fresh use, pick pods when beans are plump but still tender. For dry storage, allow pods to fully mature and dry on the vine until the pod walls are papery and brown; shell the dried beans and store them. The light beige color of both the pods and mature beans makes them easy to spot among the foliage.
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“Howur Bean comes directly from the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, where it has been part of local agricultural practice in the low desert for generations. Native Seeds/SEARCH, an organization dedicated to preserving traditional crop varieties of the Southwest, originally collected this bean for their Seed Bank Collection. The variety represents a living connection to indigenous farming knowledge in Arizona's challenging desert environment, where selecting for heat and drought tolerance was not a luxury but a necessity for reliable harvests.”