Pole bean (Helda)
legume
- 2026 · Bed D
- Spacing
- 3 in(8 / sqft)
- Trellis
- yes
- Direct seed
- Apr 15(at frost)
- Harvest
- ~8–12 weeks from sowing
- Last fall harvest
- Oct 1(-2 w)
- Water
- 1-2 per week
- Seed shelf life
- 3–4 y
- Lifecycle
- annual
- Seed source
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
Direct seed only when soil hits 60°F — seeds rot in cool wet soil. Bear continuously through summer once started; pick pods often to keep production going. Beans fix nitrogen, so go easy on fertilizer.
Italian flat-pod romano bean. Helda shares the Bed D cattle-panel trellis with Fortex (green) and Carminat (purple).
Helda is a flat-pod romano-style pole bean — tender, meaty, holds size well past the point round beans get fibrous. Direct-seeded along its share of the trellis in early May.
- May 23, 2026
Lined up at the trellis base (May 24) First true leaves on the Helda row at the base of the cattle panel. Carminat seedlings just behind them are showing the pink-purple stems that give the variety away.