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This heirloom pole bean was shared with Seed Savers Exchange by the late Dr. John Wyche of Hugo, Oklahoma. His Native American Cherokee ancestors carried this bean over the Trail of Tears, the infamous winter death march from the Smoky Mountains to Oklahoma (1838-39) that left a trail of 4,000 Native American graves.  

Also known as Cherokee Black, this variety is good as both a snap and dry bean. It is a vigorous climber that loves the sun. It is highly productive and when mature, the greenish-purple 6" pods encase shiny jet-black seeds. A few beans planted in rich soil under a good trellis will result in plenty of food! 

Sow seeds outdoors in full sun after danger of frost has passed and soil and air temperatures have warmed. Place seeds 1" below the soil and 4 inches apart. These beans need a 6-8 foot trellis for support or something to climb on. Harvest frequently to increase yield. Pods can be left on the vine to mature and then harvested as dry beans and seeds.

Pick them right around the 55 day mark to enjoy them as a snap bean, which means that the outer shell of the bean is green and tender. You can steam them with a little butter and salt or eat them raw. Keep them on the vine a little longer for the next phase, which is the bean stage. At this point, the beans display various shades of purple and are better shelled and cooked, but will still taste pretty good fresh out of the shell. Around 90 days, the beans will be dry in the shell and can be saved and planted the next year or collected for winter storage. You can use the dried beans for stews, casseroles, and soups.  Enjoy! 

Growing these beans in your garden is an easy and rewarding task and great for beginning gardeners. They grow well in the summer when the soil has consistently warmed to 65 degrees. These plants are bushy and occasionally semi-vining, producing 6"–8" pods produced at the top (crown) of the plant. I have grown these both supported with a trellis and unsupported and feel that they perform better with support - especially if space is limited.  

Planting of black-eyed peas is usually done in rows that are 2 to 3 feet apart, with seeds planted 1 inch deep and placed 4 inches apart in the row. They should be planted in full sun. Moisten the soil prior to planting.

Blackeyed peas are typically mature between 60 to 90 days after planting and can be harvested for several weeks. Harvest the beans before maturity for young, tender snap beans, or leave on the vine to dry for winter storage and soups. Leaves are also edible at younger stages, prepared in the same way as spinach and other greens.

This historic pear-shaped, yellow mini-tomato can trace its lineage back to the 1700s in Europe. During the 1800s, this tomato came to both England and the United States. It traveled west with the pioneers and north with the fur trade. It is interesting to note that tomatoes grow wild in the Andes Mountains of South America and were part of the diet of the indigenous tribes of the area for thousands of years. It was most likely the European explorers that introduced tomatoes to the Italians, where the first recorded use of tomatoes was in 1550. Since then, they have traveled around the globe and have become a gardener's favorite. 

The brightness of the golden yellow tomatoes are not only beautiful to look at, but they are packed with good stuff for your body too. The yellow pear tomato contains beta-carotene that can help neutralize free radicals that may damage your cells. In addition, yellow pear tomatoes have vitamin C, niacin, folate, and potassium to help regulate blood pressure, nerve function, and muscle control. Truly a gift from nature with all these great health benefits!

They grow best during the hot summer months in North America and have a long growing season. Because of this, they should be started indoors. Plant seeds, 1/2 inch deep in starter pots, 4-6 weeks before your last expected frost date. Thin well once the sprouts appear by choosing the most vigorous growers. Harden off and transplant outside when the overnight temperatures stay above 60 degrees. Plant 3 feet apart and provide a stable structure for the plant to climb on as it grows. This is an indeterminate variety, which means that it produces fruit continuously until frost and grows like a vine. (Search online for "hardening off" instructions for tomatoes, best soil composition for tomatoes, and last expected for your zone)

At the 70 to 80-day mark, tomatoes should be getting plump and ripe. Yellow Pears are ready when they are easily plucked from the vine and have no green whatsoever. Each batch ripens in stages over a 1-2 week period, with most plants providing tomatoes for up to two months after the initial harvest, depending on soil conditions and weather. 

We hope you enjoy growing and harvesting your heirloom variety tomatoes and would love to hear about your experience with them. Feel free to contact us with questions or comments!

A word of caution - tomatoes are members of the nightshade family, a plant family with known toxic compounds. Due to their history and association with a more deadly member of the nightshade family tomatoes were slow to gain acceptance as a food crop. While tomatoes themselves are fine to eat, the leaves and stems of the plant are considered toxic.