Purple Queen Improved Garden Bean Seeds

Days to Maturity: 52

Garden Bean Purple Queen Improved is an improvement over the original Purple Queen. This unique snap bean performs well even in cool weather conditions early in the growing season. The plant sets clusters of pea-shaped buds that blossom into small purple flowers, followed by plump, very dark purple pods—about 5 to 5½ inches long—with a green interior, red stems, tender white seeds, and fabulous flavor. The pods hold their striking purple color well.

A Phaseolus vulgaris variety, commonly called bush bean and bunch beans, Purple Queen is a member of the Fabaceae family. The plant grows in a low, compact, self-supporting bush that stands erect and is suitable for containers. For a continual, season-long harvest, succession plant every two weeks until midsummer.

Purple Queen Improved is easy, fun to grow, and trouble free. This shallow-rooted plant grows best in a sunny location with moist, fertile, organically rich, freely draining soil, having a slightly acidic pH between 6.0 and 6.5.

For tips on growing all types of beans—from snap and green beans to shelling and dry beans—explore our Know Before You Grow: Beans guide. It has everything you need to cultivate a healthy and productive bean crop from seed. Plus, check out the top Apps to Help You Grow and Answer Gardening Questions to make your bean-growing journey even easier.

Like all legumes, Purple Queen Improved is a nitrogen-fixer in the soil. After the final harvest is in, chop up the plant and work it back into the soil. You will be delighted with what it does for the quality of your soil next season.