French BeanRabiPole type (staked)Updated 20 October 2026

Kentucky Wonder

A long-established American heirloom pole bean, sold by several Indian seed companies. It needs stakes or a trellis. No Indian public trial figures exist for it, so take the days and yield from the seller as the seller's claim.

SeasonRabi

Maturity periodSeed sellers list 58–72 days to first picking; picking then continues for weeks

Expected yieldNo Indian public trial figure is published

Suitable soilLoam

Quick facts

Crop: French Bean
Type: Pole type (staked)
Season: Rabi
Maturity period: Seed sellers list 58–72 days to first picking; picking then continues for weeks
Seed rate: 25–35 kg/ha (about 10–14 kg/acre)
Expected yield: No Indian public trial figure is published
Suitable soil: Loam
Disease resistance: No special resistance claimed
Release: An American heirloom pole bean, not an Indian ICAR or state-university release. It is sold by several Indian seed companies, and no Indian public trial figure for it is listed in the national checklist.

Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.

About this variety

Kentucky Wonder is an American heirloom pole French bean, grown for well over a century. Seed-seller pages give its first pick at 58 to 72 days. The pods are long, slightly curved and usually described as stringless when picked young. It climbs and needs stakes or a trellis. It is open-pollinated, so seed from your own crop usually breeds true. It is not an ICAR or state-university release. The national vegetable checklist does not list it, so there is no Indian public trial figure for yield, days or disease reaction. Seed is sold in India by several private companies, mainly for kitchen and market gardens, and in the hills.

Should you pick this variety?

Choose Kentucky Wonder only if you want a climbing bean that keeps giving for weeks, and you already have stakes, a trellis or a fence to grow it on. It is not an Indian public release, and no Indian trial figure exists for its yield, so treat the seller's numbers as claims. For a field crop with a published yield, take Arka Anoop (20 t/ha, rust and bacterial blight resistant) or Pusa Parvati (22.5 t/ha). They are bush beans and need no stakes.

Sowing & cultivation

Sowing timeMarch to July for hill conditions; mid-October to November for the plains rabi crop
Seed rate25–35 kg/ha (about 10–14 kg/acre)
SpacingRows 60–90 cm apart, plants 20–30 cm apart, trained onto a trellis or stakes

Full French Bean growing guideSowing time, nutrients, irrigation, pests, costs and prices for French Bean as a whole crop. This is the advice that holds for every variety.

Soil & climate

Soil

pH: 5.5–6.8

Climate

Temperature: 20–25°C for growth and pod yield

Advantages & considerations

Why farmers may choose it

Climbs, so it keeps flowering and giving pods for weeks. A bush bean finishes in a shorter burst.
Open-pollinated and easy to find, so you can save your own seed.
Fits a small kitchen or market garden that already has a fence, a trellis or stakes.

Things to consider

It is not tested in an Indian public trial that the national checklist records, so its yield and days are the seller's figures. Trial a small plot before you commit a large area.
It needs stakes or a trellis. The labour and materials are a real cost, and Indian bush beans like Arka Anoop (20 t/ha) need none.
No disease resistance is listed for it. Use certified seed, because bacterial blight and anthracnose travel in the seed.
Pick pods young. Sellers advise this because old pods turn tough.

Suitable regions

States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.

Himachal Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Karnataka

Put the supports in before you sow

A pole bean is only as good as what it climbs. Set the stakes, trellis or fence at or before sowing, so the vines have something to grab from the first week.

Count the cost before you buy the seed. For every row you sow, you need a stake or string line every few feet, plus the labour to put it up and take it down. A bush bean like Arka Anoop or Pusa Parvati needs none of that.

The reward is a longer picking season, and that is the reason to grow it. If you sell to a market that wants beans every week for two months, a climbing bean can fit. If you want one quick crop and out, a bush bean is cheaper to grow.

Can you keep your own planting material?

This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.

How it compares with other varieties

Every French Bean variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.

Variety	Best for	Maturity	Yield	States
Arka Anoop	The disease-resistant Arka bean: rust and bacterial blight	No separate days-to-first-pick figure is published	20 t/ha green pods	Karnataka
Arka Komal	A flat-podded bush bean that travels well, with an optional dry-seed crop	First pick about 70–75 days (IIHR variety list)	20 t/ha pods, or 1,500 kg/ha dry seed	Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala
Arka Suvidha	A stringless, fleshy-podded bean that earns a better price	First pick about 70–75 days (IIHR variety list)	19 t/ha green pods	Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir
Contender	An early, widely adapted bush bean for the plains' autumn sowing	First picking in about 50 days	20 t/ha green pods (200 q/ha)	Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka
Kentucky Wonderthis page	A climbing heirloom bean for gardens that already have supports	Seed sellers list 58–72 days to first picking; picking then continues for weeks	No Indian public trial figure is published	Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka
Pant Anupama	A resistant bush bean for the hills and tarai, grown for pod quality, not for yield	First picking in 55–65 days after sowing	9 t/ha green pods (90 q/ha)	Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand
Pusa Parvati	The highest-yielding Indian bush bean here, with mosaic and powdery mildew resistance	First picking in about 50 days	22.5 t/ha green pods (225 q/ha)	Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana

Tools for this crop

The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what French Bean is selling for.

Subsidy and government support

Schemes that help with the cost of French Bean seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kentucky Wonder an Indian variety?

No. It is an American heirloom pole bean, in cultivation for well over a century. Several Indian seed companies sell it, but it is not an ICAR or state-university release and the national checklist does not list it.

How many days to the first picking?

Seed sellers list 58 to 72 days. Those are sellers' figures and not a public trial result. Keep a note of your own sowing and first-picking dates so you have a number for your area.

Does Kentucky Wonder need stakes?

Yes. It is a pole (climbing) bean, so it needs stakes, a trellis or a fence to climb. Set the supports at or before sowing, because putting them in later damages the roots.

Can I save Kentucky Wonder seed?

Yes, it is open-pollinated and the flowers mostly pollinate themselves, so saved seed usually comes true. Keep seed from healthy plants only, because bacterial blight and anthracnose travel in the seed.

Sourced from: Checklist of Commercial Varieties of Vegetables — TNAU Agritech Portal (national bulletin). editorial policy.