(P. vulgaris) Angelo Pellegrini (1904-1991) is a Seattle area legend. His recipe for basil pesto written for Sunset Magazine in 1946 was likely the first pesto recipe ever published in the US. An Italian immigrant, food writer, and Professor of English at UW, he left us with a body of writing that includes “The Unprejudiced Palate”, “Wine and the Good Life”, “The Food Lovers Garden”, and “Lean Years, Happy Years”, works both nostalgic and visionary in equal parts that speak to a life and culture centered around the kitchen, the garden, and the cellar. He also left us a bean. The little grey and white Italian bean known to Angelo as “Monachine” (or little nuns), originally a gift of his winemaker friend Robert Mondavi’s uncle, could be found growing in his Seattle area garden for over a half-century. Pellegrini was very, very fond of the beans, famously enjoying them one at a time with just a drizzle of olive oil. Years after his death, Angelo’s son Brent gifted the Herbfarm restaurant, an early farm-to-table pioneer, 11 seeds from which they endeavored to bring it back from the brink of being lost. The short, light green pods can be enjoyed as stringless fresh beans, but in our opinion, the variety truly shines as a shelly or dry bean with a deep flavor and creamy texture that inspires one to savor slowly. The plants are vigorous climbers and prolific producers, a bit later than many of our beans perhaps, but well equipped to endure some weather around harvest time and still make it into the pantry without much fuss.
100-110 days. UO

Packet: 40 seeds

[split]

Growing Info

SOWING:

Direct seed after the last frost date when the soil has warmed.

Note: Beans prefer well-drained, warm soil.

PLANTING DEPTH:

SPACING:

3-5" between plants with 12-24" between rows*

*Pole beans require 5+' between rows.

EMERGENCE:

5-10 days @ soil temp 65-90F

LIGHT:

Full sun to part shade

FERTILITY:

Light to Moderate. Beans can produce their own usable nitrogen from atmospheric nitrogen through a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that colonize specialized nodules in their roots. Too much soil fertility can cause excessive vegetative growth at the expense of pod set and maturity.
Beans prefer well-drained, warm soil with a pH between 6.0-7.0.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Beans prefer warm soils and may rot at lower temperatures. This is particularly true for white-seeded varieties. You love beans. Patience.

It can be quite beneficial to mix bean seeds with commercially available bacterial "inoculants" to encourage the beneficial symbiotic relationship in the growing plant's root nodules, especially if growing on ground that hasn't been planted with beans before. This can increase yields and improve plant health.

Avoid picking/weeding beans when the plants are wet. This will help prevent the spread of disease.

Provide a trellis for pole beans.

White-seeded varieties are more susceptible to rot when seeded in cool, wet, early-season conditions.

Sow Snap Beans every few weeks for continued harvests.

Harvest dry beans when the pods are brown and dry.

Bean, Pole Dry, 'Pellegrini'