How to Grow Tepary Beans USA

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Tepary Bean (Phaseolus acutifolius)
  2. Quick Facts
  3. Soil & Growing Conditions
  4. Harvest & Storage
  5. Tepary bean, cultivated and wild
  6. Growing Tepary Bean in another region
  7. Sources
  8. Frequently Asked Questions

In the US, tepary beans are ready to harvest 70–90 days after planting.

Tepary beans (Phaseolus acutifolius) — Frost-tender annual.

The short answer

Ready in
70–90 days
Site
soil pH 5–7

Tepary Bean (Phaseolus acutifolius)

Young cultivated tepary bean plants growing in a garden bed. Photo: Eileen M. Kane, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.

2 sources cited

Quick Facts

Young cultivated tepary bean plants growing in a garden bed — “Campus White Tepary Bean, planted August 6.” by Eileen M. Kane is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Source: Flickr
“Campus White Tepary Bean, planted August 6.” by Eileen M. Kane is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Source: Flickr.
Factor Value
Soil pH 5 - 7
Time to harvest 70-90 days
Soil texture Light, well-drained soils preferred; heavy clays unsuitable
Drainage Free-draining; does not tolerate waterlogging
Lifecycle Frost-tender annual; among the most heat- and drought-tolerant beans, with a short 70-90 day season.

Soil & Growing Conditions

Desert scrub in New Mexico, the native habitat of tepary bean — “Northern edge of Aden Malpais - Flickr - aspidoscelis” by Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM is licensed under CC0.
“Northern edge of Aden Malpais - Flickr - aspidoscelis” by Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM is licensed under CC0.

Water: Very low; tolerant of drought, heat and a dry atmosphere

Soil pH range

5 7

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Harvest & Storage

A green pod of wild tepary bean among desert stones — “Phaseolus acutifolius tenuifolius 25462116” by Alex Abair is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
“Phaseolus acutifolius tenuifolius 25462116” by Alex Abair is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

When to pick: PROTA: short-duration types may mature within 2 months, but most have a growth period of 70-90 days, averaging 120 days in cooler regions. Pods are left to dry on the plant.

Growing Tepary Bean in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA), Useful Tropical Plants (tropical.theferns.info)) is in the references of our UK guide to tepary beans; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do tepary beans take to grow?

Typically 70–90 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.

What soil pH do tepary beans need?

A pH of about 5–7. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

Plan next season before the problems start

Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

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