Hidatsa Shield Figure Pole Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Seeds – Hidatsa Heirloom Dry Bean, Striking White & Brown Patterned Seeds, Very Productive

Minimum: 20+ Seeds

A Great Plains Heirloom With Painted Seeds

Some beans look like they were decorated by hand, and Hidatsa Shield Figure is one of them. Each seed is white with a bold brown pattern, a design that gives the variety its name, and it comes from the Hidatsa people of the northern Great Plains, who grew it for generations alongside corn and squash. It's a very productive pole bean that fills a jar with striking seeds and turns into a dependable pantry staple, with real history in every pod.

Who Grows Hidatsa Shield Figure Pole Bean?
The heirloom gardener wanting an authentic Hidatsa variety with deep Great Plains roots.
The Three Sisters gardener wanting a bean built to climb corn.
The dry bean grower wanting a productive, handsome bean for the winter pantry.
The seed saver preserving a traditional Native American heirloom.

What This Hidatsa Heirloom Bean Actually Is
Phaseolus vulgaris 'Hidatsa Shield Figure' is a heirloom pole bean traditionally grown by the Hidatsa people of the northern Great Plains, named for the shield-like brown pattern on its white seeds. Vigorous, twining vines climb corn stalks, poles, or a trellis, and plants bear heavily over the season. In the traditional Three Sisters planting, beans climb the corn, squash covers the ground, and the bean fixes nitrogen for its neighbors. Seeds can be eaten as fresh shell beans or dried for storage, and they cook up well in soups, stews, and baked beans. As an open-pollinated heirloom, it breeds true from saved seed. Grown as a warm-season annual, not frost-hardy.

In the Garden & Kitchen

• Dried beans: Dry and store the patterned seeds for soups, stews, and baked beans.
• Fresh shell beans: Shell mature but still-soft seeds for a rich, fresh bean.
• Three Sisters planting: Grow up corn stalks alongside squash for the classic companion planting.
• Heirloom preservation: Grow and save seed to keep a Hidatsa variety in circulation.
• Kitchen display: Show off the white and brown seeds in clear storage jars.
• Seed saving: Save mature, dried seed from open-pollinated plants to grow the same variety year after year.

Growing Hidatsa Shield Figure Pole Bean Seeds

• Start method: Direct sow outdoors after last frost; beans generally dislike transplanting.
• Germination: Sprouts in 7 to 10 days in warm soil.
• Soil temperature: Germinates best between 65 and 85°F.
• Spacing: Space seeds 4 to 6 inches apart at the base of poles, trellises, or corn stalks.
• Support: Provide a sturdy trellis or tall poles for the climbing vines.
• With corn: Plant beans when the corn is 4 to 6 inches tall so the corn can support the vines.
• Sunlight: Full sun.
• Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil supports the strongest growth and heaviest yield.
• Watering: Consistent, even moisture, especially during flowering and pod development.
• Days to maturity: Typically ready for dry beans in roughly 90 to 100 days from seeding.
• Harvest: Let pods dry on the vine, then shell and dry the beans fully before storing.
• Cooking safety: Never eat dry beans raw or undercooked; boil thoroughly for at least 10 minutes first.

Before You Close This Page
This is a bean with a story painted on its seeds, white with a bold brown pattern, from a Hidatsa heirloom that climbs corn and fills the pantry. Hidatsa Shield Figure Pole Bean is very productive, easy to save seed from, and tied to a real Great Plains growing tradition. Plant it after the last frost beside corn or on a tall trellis, and let the pods dry on the vine. Grow the bean that carries its history in every seed.