How to Save Bean and Pea Seeds
Let pods dry and turn brown on the plant until the seeds rattle, then dry them indoors at least 2 weeks. Beans and peas are the easiest seeds to save.
Published by ThriveThyme
seed saving bean pea
How to Save Bean and Pea Seeds
Leave some pods on the plant until they are dry, brown, and the seeds rattle inside. That can take a month past normal picking. Pull the pods, dry them indoors at least 2 weeks, then shell them or leave the seeds in the pods until planting time (University of Minnesota Extension).
Beans and peas pollinate themselves, so they are the best seeds to start with.
See if your other crops are worth saving on the Seed Saving Desk.
Step by Step
- Pick your best plants. Choose healthy, strong plants with the best pods. Skip weak or odd-looking ones.
- Stop picking a few plants, or mark a section of row, and let the pods ripen fully.
- Wait for dry, brown pods with rattling seeds.
- Pull the pods, or pull the whole plant if frost is coming, and hang it somewhere dry and airy.
- Dry indoors at least 2 weeks.
- Shell the seeds. Toss any that are shriveled, moldy, or have holes.
- Store dry seed in a sealed jar, cool and dry. The refrigerator is ideal.
Freezing fully dry seed for a few days kills bean weevils and other insect pests (UGA Extension).
How Far Apart
| Crop | Distance between varieties |
|---|---|
| Bush and pole beans | 10 to 100 ft |
| Peas | 50 ft |
Most home gardens can save more than one bean variety with a row or two between them. For the full chart, see seed saving isolation distances.
Open-Pollinated Only
Save seed from open-pollinated or heirloom varieties. Kentucky Wonder and Blue Lake beans and Lincoln and Little Marvel peas all come true from seed (University of Minnesota Extension). Skip F1 hybrids.
Disease
Do not save seed from plants with leaf spots, mosaic patterns, or rotting pods. Several bean and pea diseases ride along on the seed.
How Long They Keep
Bean and pea seed stays good about 3 years in cool, dry storage. Test older seed with the Seed Viability Desk.
Next Steps
- Log your seed on the Seed Saving Desk seed jar.
- Work out how much to plant next year with the Seed Order Planner.
Sources: University of Minnesota Extension, Saving vegetable seeds. UGA Extension Circular 1242, Seed Saving in Georgia Gardens. UC Master Gardeners, Saving Seeds chart.