Bean 'Lazy Housewife'

Seed saving: It is always best to save seed from plants that ripen first and are free from disease. Harvest seed pods when completely dry, crush in a cloth or burlap sack and winnow the seeds from the chaff.¹

A full sun position will ensure your plant thrives and remember to water moderately. Lazy Housewife is generally regarded as a tender plant, so remember to wait until your soil is warm and the night time temperature is well above freezing before moving outside. Lazy Housewife needs a soil ph of 6.0 to 6.8 (weakly acidic soil).

Sow seeds outdoors after the danger of frost has passed and the soil and air temperatures have warmed. Plant seeds 1" deep and 2" apart in rows 36-48" apart ¹, or in traditional pole ‘teepees’.

Try to aim for a seed spacing of at least 1.95 inches (5.0 cm) and sow at a depth of around 0.98 inches (2.5 cm). For optimal germination, soil temperature should be a minimum of 16°C / 61°F.

By our calculations, you should look at sowing Lazy Housewife about 14 days after your last frost date.

Lazy Housewife is tender, so ensure you wait until all danger of frost has passed in your area before considering planting outside.

Lazy Housewife beans can be harvested and eaten as green beans (at approx. 6" long), shelly beans (when the pods begin to dry), or dried beans (left till the pods are leathery).

This variety tends to mature and be ready for harvest in late summer.

Introduced around 1810, and often cited as the first completely stringless bean. First listed in W. Atlee Burpee’s 1888 catalog, “We presume it derived its name, which seems discourteous, from its immense productiveness making it easy to gather…” ¹

Lazy House Wife

¹ Seed Savers Exchange packet