Purple Queen Bean Seeds (Phaseolus vulgaris) – Striking deep-purple bush bean with tender, flavorful pods that turn green when cooked; perfect for fresh eating or steaming.
Minimum: 20+ Seeds
Add a touch of royal color and flavor to your garden with Purple Queen Bean, a stunning heirloom bush variety prized for its high yields, reliability, and unique purple pods that transform to green when cooked. This classic Phaseolus vulgaris cultivar is as ornamental as it is delicious, producing heavy clusters of crisp, stringless beans that thrive in a wide range of growing conditions. Compact, early, and resilient, Purple Queen is an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced gardeners looking for beauty and bounty in equal measure.
From its lush green foliage and violet blossoms to its deep-purple pods, every stage of this plant adds ornamental charm to vegetable beds and container gardens alike. Whether steamed, sautéed, or enjoyed fresh, these beans deliver a tender, buttery flavor with a satisfying crunch, perfect for salads, side dishes, and farm-to-table meals.
🌱 Plant Highlights:
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Type: Bush bean (non-climbing, compact habit)
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Scientific Name: Phaseolus vulgaris
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Days to Harvest: 50–55 days
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Growth Habit: Compact, 18–24 inches tall
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Pod Length: 5–6 inches
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Color: Deep royal purple (turns green when cooked)
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Flavor: Mild, buttery, slightly sweet
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Best For: Fresh eating, steaming, sautéing, canning, freezing
💜 Flavor & Culinary Uses:
The Purple Queen Bean stands out for both its vivid hue and delightful taste. The pods are stringless, tender, and juicy, with a subtly sweet, nutty flavor that remains rich and satisfying even after cooking.
Culinary ideas:
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Fresh Snacking: Enjoy young pods raw for a crisp, garden-fresh bite.
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Steamed or Sautéed: Their color shifts from deep purple to bright green, a fun and tasty kitchen transformation!
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Stir-Fries & Side Dishes: Retains texture and flavor even when cooked.
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Salads: Use lightly blanched pods for color contrast and crunch.
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Preserving: Excellent for freezing or canning thanks to uniform size and texture.
Try pairing Purple Queen with lemon, garlic, and butter to bring out its subtle sweetness, or toss it into fresh summer salads for a pop of color and nutrients.
🌿 Growing Conditions & Tips:
Purple Queen is a reliable, fast-maturing bush bean that thrives in warm weather and adapts well to most soil types. It is an ideal choice for small gardens, raised beds, or containers, producing high yields without the need for staking or trellising.
Planting:
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When to Sow: After the danger of frost has passed and soil is at least 60°F (16°C).
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Depth: 1 inch deep.
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Spacing: 3–4 inches apart in rows 18–24 inches apart.
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Sunlight: Full sun (6–8 hours daily).
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Soil: Loose, fertile, well-draining; enriched with compost.
Care:
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Watering: Keep soil consistently moist but not soggy. Water at the base to prevent leaf diseases.
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Fertilizing: Beans are nitrogen-fixing, so light feeding is best. Compost or organic mulch promotes steady growth.
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Temperature: Thrives in 70–85°F (21–29°C). Avoid cold or overly wet conditions.
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Pests/Diseases: Resistant to mosaic virus and tolerant to rust, a strong choice for organic gardens.
Harvesting:
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Harvest when pods are firm, smooth, and about 5 inches long.
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Frequent picking encourages continued pod production.
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Handle gently to preserve plant productivity.
Yield Tip: Successive plantings every 2–3 weeks ensure a continuous harvest all summer long.
🌾 Nutritional & Health Benefits:
Purple beans aren’t just pretty, they’re packed with phytonutrients and antioxidants, especially anthocyanins (the pigments that give the pods their purple color). When cooked, the purple fades, but the nutritional benefits remain!
Nutrient highlights:
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Rich in fiber, vitamin C, and folate
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Excellent plant-based protein source
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Contains antioxidants that promote cell health
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Low in calories and heart-healthy
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Supports digestive health and blood sugar balance
These nutrient-dense pods are a delicious way to add both color and wellness to your diet.
🌸 Garden & Aesthetic Appeal:
Purple Queen is a visual delight in the garden, its vibrant purple pods and lilac-pink flowers make it both edible and ornamental. Compact enough for urban gardens, raised beds, or balcony planters, it’s also a wonderful companion plant, enriching the soil through natural nitrogen fixation and attracting beneficial insects.
Garden benefits:
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Improves soil fertility by fixing nitrogen
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Attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies
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Easy to grow in diverse climates
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Compact growth ideal for small spaces
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High yields and consistent production
✨ Why Grow Purple Queen Beans?
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🌈 Beautiful and unique: Rich purple pods that turn bright green when cooked.
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💪 Reliable & productive: High-yielding, early-maturing bush variety.
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🏡 Great for small gardens: Compact, self-supporting plants.
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🍽️ Delicious flavor: Tender, buttery, and stringless.
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💧 Resilient: Disease-resistant and heat-tolerant.
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🌿 Nutrient-packed: A colorful source of vitamins and antioxidants.
🌼 Fun Fact:
The stunning purple hue of Purple Queen beans comes from anthocyanins, the same beneficial compounds found in blueberries and red cabbage. Though they fade when heated, the beans remain rich in antioxidants, a perfect blend of beauty and nutrition from garden to table.
💜 Experience the magic of color and flavor with Purple Queen Beans!
From their eye-catching pods to their tender, flavorful crunch, these heirloom bush beans are the perfect addition to gardens of all sizes. Easy to grow, nutrient-rich, and stunningly beautiful, they’ll make every harvest a royal celebration.
