Yoeme Brown Bean is a heat-loving tepary bean with roots in the traditional Yoeme villages of southern Sonora, Mexico. This vining variety produces a colorful mixture of tan-brown and pink-brown beans on plants that flower in both white and lilac. Exceptionally low-water and drought-tolerant, it thrives in hot, dry regions where other beans struggle, making it a natural choice for desert and arid-climate gardeners who want authentic, productive harvests without heavy irrigation.
—
Low
?-?
?in H x ?in W
—
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
This tepary bean originated from a Yoeme community on Sonora's coastal plain and grows so efficiently in heat and drought that it delivered outstanding productivity in a 2022 Tucson trial. The dual-colored tan and pink-brown beans on early-maturing plants with distinctive white and lilac flowers create visual interest in the garden. Space them just 6 inches apart in rows 24 inches wide, and resist the urge to overwater; these beans actually produce fewer pods when given too much moisture or attention, thriving instead on heat and minimal supplemental watering.
Yoeme Brown Beans are harvested for dry beans, suited to traditional bean dishes and soups common to Yoeme and broader Sonoran cuisine. The beans can be cooked in stews, refried, or prepared as a protein-rich staple in regional recipes.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Direct sow seeds into warm soil after all frost danger has passed, when soil temperature reaches 70-80°F. Plant 6 inches apart in rows spaced 24 inches wide.
Harvest pods when they reach mature size and the beans inside are fully developed and dry. For dry beans, allow pods to remain on the plant until the pods turn brown and papery and beans rattle inside. Shell the pods and spread beans in a warm, dry location to cure completely before storage.
Vining beans benefit from support structures; provide stakes, trellises, or pole-bean supports to maximize air circulation and pod accessibility. Minimal pruning is required; simply guide the vines onto supports as they grow.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
“The Yoeme Brown Bean carries the heritage of the Yoeme people, indigenous to the Sonora-Arizona borderlands. This variety originates directly from a traditional Yoeme village on southern Sonora's coastal plain, where it has been grown and preserved through generations of careful seed saving. Preserved through the Seed-Bank Collection maintained by Native Seeds/SEARCH, this cultivar represents both agricultural resilience and cultural continuity, rescued and documented through modern seed conservation efforts to ensure its survival for future gardeners.”