Marrow & MeadowEst. 1974
Dragon Tongue
Phaseolus vulgaris
Bush Snap Bean
NET 14 g · ≈ 60 SEEDS
Open-Pollinated · Untreated · Grown at Wexford Bottom
Packet No. 132 — the whole packet, front and reverse
Turn the packet to read the sowing instructions. Everything you need is printed on 5 × 7 inches of kraft-lined paper.
Seed packet, front and reverse
Sowing & Culture
MM·132·DTSowing
Direct sow after all danger of frost, when soil holds 60 °F at a depth of two inches. Press seed 1 in. into loosened ground, hilum down where you can see it, and firm the soil back over with the flat of the hand. Water once, thoroughly, and then leave the bed alone until the first crooks appear — bean seed rots in cold wet ground more readily than it drowns in drought.
Thinning & Spacing
Thin to 4 in. apart in rows set 24 in. on centre. Snip surplus seedlings at soil level rather than pulling; the roots of neighbours knit together within a fortnight and resent disturbance. A second sowing three weeks behind the first will carry the harvest to the equinox.
Soil & Site
Full sun, six hours minimum. A friable loam at pH 6.2–7.0 suits best. Withhold nitrogen: this crop fixes its own and will answer a rich bed with leaf instead of pod. A dressing of leaf mould worked in the previous autumn is ample.
Water
One inch weekly, delivered at the root. Overhead watering during flowering scatters pollen and invites rust. Mulch once the ground has warmed through.
Harvest
Begin picking at 57 days, when pods are pencil-thick and the violet striping is at its most vivid. Pick every second morning with both hands — one to hold the vine, one to lift the pod — and the plants will bear for five to six weeks. Striping fades in the pot; flavour does not.
Saving Seed
Leave the last flush on the plant until pods rattle and the stems go brittle straw. Thresh in a pillowcase, winnow on a breezy afternoon, and store cool, dark and dry. Isolate 20 ft from other varieties; this species is largely self-pollinating and comes true with little fuss.
Guarantee & Notice
Germination tested 1 Sep 2025 — 94%. Packed for the 2026 season. Untreated, never chemically dressed, not genetically engineered. We replace or refund any packet that fails you, no receipt and no argument required. Sold subject to the terms printed in our catalogue. Marrow & Meadow Seed Company, Wexford Bottom, Vermont 05733. Not for resale in AZ, ID, NM.
Planting-depth diagram
Cross-section through a prepared bed. The marker slides to the correct depth for the variety selected below.
Germination record, 2025 lot tests
Every lot is bench-tested in rolled towel at 68 °F before it is packeted.
| Variety | Lot | Depth | Germ. | Days | Soil temp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Tongue | 24-0917 | 1 in. | 94% | 8–12 | 60–85 °F |
| Chioggia Beet | 24-0442 | ½ in. | 88% | 5–10 | 50–85 °F |
| Cosmic Purple Carrot | 24-1180 | ¼ in. | 81% | 14–21 | 45–80 °F |
| Blue Coco Pole Bean | 24-0903 | 1½ in. | 92% | 7–10 | 65–85 °F |