Growing Jack Bean

by Ellen Peavey
(Colbert, Georgia)

A friend sent me a Jack Bean pod how do I stored it for the winter? I read where they can grow fourteen feet tall. Any information on how to store it and how to plant it next Spring would be very helpful. This is the first time I have seen a Jack Bean Pod.

Comments for Growing Jack Bean

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Oct 13, 2011
 What I know about Jack Beans and Sword Beans
by: Caroline

Hi there, If it is a real Jack Bean it will grow very tall, but there are lots of different sorts and some send out a mass of branches that twine over everything in your garden. I've grown one like that and although it said Jack bean on packet, it was a type called Jack Sword Bean I was told.

Jack beans look like big fat broad beans, a bit goldy darker, and the pods and beans can be eaten when pea size, very nice. Or you can grow them on like broad beans and de-pod them and eat the beans. Don't eat raw as like lots of beans they have poisons in them, and tip out the cooking water too.
I would just save your bean once it is perfectly dry like all seeds in a dry cool place. Take out of pod or not as long as everything is dry. Wrap in newspaper or put in plastic to keep out moisture. If you seal in plastic bag, keep in fridge is v good. They grow a lot in India and they come from Hawaii I think so like hot weather so poke the seeds in soil in warm spring about a thumb down. Look forward to hearing your results and whether you liked them for dinner!
Oct 14, 2011
 Saving Jack Bean
by: Ellen

Thanks for the information. I still have the Jack Bean in it's pod waiting for it to dry, going to plant it next Spring. Hopefully it will survive and grow to be fourteen feet tall. Does it have to be planted in full sun?
Oct 14, 2011
 Jack beans like sun
by: Caroline

Good luck, and make sure you really dry it because it can go moldy otherwise. Yes do put it in your sunny part of garden because it likes heat and sun nearly all day. It will die down when cold or frost and you will need to save seeds to grow each year.
Oct 20, 2011
 Saving Jack Bean
by: Ellen from Georgia

Thanks Caroline your comment was very useful still waiting for the pod to dry then will open it and wrap it in newspaper. Will plant it this Spring have lots of sunny spots to pick from.
May 31, 2013
 jack beans
by: ed bucklew

i'm sure you will enjoy your jack beans. they do grow tall and the blooms are beautiful. the plus side is that the humming birds love them. I grow mine on a trellis and love them.
Apr 05, 2014
 Jack Bean
by: Ann Roberts

I have grown Jack Beans for many years here in Texas just for the beauty of the flower. My grandkids love seeing hugh white moths at night fluttering from flower to flower. I usually plant them with Moon flowers around my pecan trees that have died from the drought.
Apr 05, 2014
 Growing Jack Beans
by: Ellen

I have been growing Jack beans for two years now, I find them truly amazing. Even through the drought we had they survived, planted five of them and had so many seeds to swap for other seeds. I have sent them to Europe and trading for seeds that I haven't ever seen before. It wasn't that difficult to send them to Belgium. I still have seeds left and am still swapping for seeds that I don't have, haven't tried to eat the jack bean yet but will this year. This is one bean you can't eat raw it must be cooked, kind of like a pinto bean. I'm going to plant five more seeds this year.
Oct 01, 2014
 Jack Beans
by: Jessie - Master Gardener Vol

As a Grandma, I grow the Jack Beans for a novelty to share with the children. i also share the story of "Jack and the Bean Stalk". I want for them to get excited about growing 'things'. This yr. my Jack Beans took 1st Place at our local County Agriculture Fair. Great fun.
Apr 14, 2015
 Buying Jack Beans
by: Kelly

Do you know where I can buy some Jack Beans other than Thailand or China? I have grown them several times over a chain-link fence and I adore how fast they grow and how beautiful the flowers smell. I would love to cover a 6' privacy fence with them. Any help you can give will help!
Apr 15, 2015
 They're available on Amazon
by: Bryan

You can buy them on Amazon. I just received a package of 3 today. The package says to nick the hard shell before planting. I'm guessing them is to allow water through the shell. I'll probably take some sand paper to the shells and will soak them for a few hours before I drop them into the ground.
Apr 15, 2015
 Jack Bean
by: Anonymous

I grow the jack bean so I can have a different seed to trade with. I just put one in the ground in front of the chicken run, had it inside for a month got too big. Ellen from Georgia
Apr 17, 2015
 Jack Beans
by: Ellen from Georgia

Kelly if you want jack beans will be happy to send you some. Do you have any seeds you would like to trade for some? If not that's okay, I'm always looking for hot peppers or diffenent squash.
Aug 14, 2015
 NO FLOWER FOR MY SWORD BEAN AFTER 4 YRS!!!
by: Anonymous

Please someone tell me how i can get my Sword bean to FLOWER!! its been 4 yrs. The first 2 they died back in winter but last 2 yrs they went CRAZY!!! IT IS A WEED NOW!! my husband wants to cut it TOMORROW!!!! please someone tell me how we can get FLOWERS!! i read from a 1912 HI agri book dryer soil makes more flowers??? Thanks!!! PLEASE EMAIL ME!! at
tigger_eyes_here (@) yahoo

Thanks!!!!!
Mar 26, 2017
 lost my beans
by: Anonymous

been growing my jack beans for three years and last spring I collected my seeds and left the state for three months, We returned and I went to plant my annual beans and cannot find the pods I collected. Very disappointed.
Mar 26, 2017
 Jack Bean
by: Ellen from Georgia

This is an heirloom jack bean that came from a Florida , it has been passed down. It was used as a meat substitute. My friend gave me a couple and I planted them vertical they grew up on the chicken coop. It takes 150 days to mature , long pods all over the vine.

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