The title “October beans” (Phaseolus vulgaris varieties) applies to several heirloom varieties of common bean crops which have fall-harvested pods. Sometimes they’re called fall beans. The crops’ fruits, or beans, are often harvested and cooked in the shelly bean stage, once the beans are mature but still soft, and they have a full, nutty flavor. Most October Wave plant cultivars are multipurpose, their crop used also for snap beans and dried beans. The growing phases of October Wave plants are similar to those of other common bean varieties.
Germination and Early Growth
October beans are rounded and light-colored with purplish-red streaks, dots and blotches. Bean plants are grown as annuals but are hardy at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. Plant bean seeds just two weeks following the last frost to your area or when the ground temperature reaches 65 degrees Fahrenheit. October bean plants arrive in both bush and pole varieties, with rod varieties taking longer to mature. The bean seeds germinate about 10 days after they are planted. Then the paired seed leaves or cotyledons emerge from the ground, followed by the growth of the actual leaves, each leaf with three parts. The stems and leaves continue to develop, with the plants sending out side branches as well as becoming taller.
Flowering and Pollination
Bean plants’ flowers start to appear when the plants become big enough. Bush beans start flowering earlier than pole beans. All varieties of the common bean plant (Phaseolus vulgaris), including October beans, are self-pollinating but may also be cross-pollinated by bees as well. If you would like to store October bean seeds for planting and protect against cross-pollination so that your plants create true seeds, then separate October bean plants from other bean varieties from around 12 feet. After the flowers appear, pole bean plants continue to grow taller, and bush bean plants typically stay under two feet tall.
Ancient Pod Formation
After flowers have been pollinated, the flowers fade and fall, and bean pods start to grow. The pods are green at first become speckled and streaked with reddish-purple since they mature. Though some cultivars have fibrous forks, the youthful, green pods of many October bean varieties are tender, stringless and can be picked and eaten just like string beans. An example is “Cream Colored Fall Bean,” which is a bush bean.
Pod Maturation
Since the pods mature, the beans within them become round and full, making bulges in the forks. The red coloration increases since the pods ripen. At the growth stage once the pods contain fully mature beans but the pods have not begun to dry, October beans are at the phase called shelly beans. They’re harvested at this point, the beans shucked from the cooked and forks while still new. At times the pods are permitted to dry slightly, in which point they’re called “shucky;” then the marginally dry new beans are harvested and hulled. If you would like to use the beans as dry beans, permit the pods to dry on the plants. The pods will get slimmer, with the outline of their beans pronounced, and their colours will fade to brown and reddish-brown. Harvest the dry pods, hull out the dried beans and store them in a cool, dry place.