Last edited on 1 Nov 2026. View history

Zebra Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

A variety of bean

A stringless pencil-pod climber with speckled purple pods about 12 cm long. The seeds have zebra-stripe patterns.

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Zebra bean facts

Lifespan

Annual living and reproducing in a single year or less

Growing zebra beans

  1. Dig the bed and add compost 1 week before sowing
  2. Put up supports for climbing beans 1 week after sowing
  3. Water regularly at sowing every week
  4. Weed carefully 3 weeks after sowing every 2 weeks
  5. Pick beans regularly at first harvest every week
  6. Leave some pods to dry for seed 6 weeks after first harvest
  7. Pull out finished plants and dig in the roots 8 weeks after first harvest

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Ecological requirements

Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Family / Taxonomy Magnoliopsida
Rosidae
Fabales
Leguminosae
Optimal temperature 16 - 25 °C
Absolute temperature 7 - 32 °C
Optimal rainfall 500 - 2000 mm/year
Absolute rainfall 300 - 4300 mm/year
Optimal soil pH 5.5 - 7.5
Absolute soil pH 4.0 - 9.0
Crop cycle 50 - 270 days
Max altitude 3000 m
Life form herb
Life span annual
Habit prostrate/procumbent/semi-erect
Optimal soil depth medium (50-150 cm)
Optimal soil texture medium, organic
Optimal soil fertility moderate
Optimal soil drainage well (dry spells)
Optimal soil salinity low (<4 dS/m)
Photoperiod short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours)
Optimal light very bright to clear skies

Licensed under CC-BY-4.0 .

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) ECOCROP, the crop ecological requirements database. Version 1. https://data.apps.fao.org/catalog/dataset/ecocrop. Accessed through the CGIAR Climate Action Data Hub, https://cgiar-climate-data-hub.github.io/catalog/ecocrop_1/.

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