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Extra Long Yardlong Bean (pole)
  • Extra Long Yardlong Bean (pole)
  • Extra Long Yardlong Bean (pole)
  • Extra Long Yardlong Bean (pole)
  • Extra Long Yardlong Bean (pole)
  • Extra Long Yardlong Bean (pole)
  • Extra Long Yardlong Bean (pole)
  • Extra Long Yardlong Bean (pole)
  • Extra Long Yardlong Bean (pole)
Extra Long Yardlong Bean (pole)

Vigna unguiculata
$4.50
Description

A spectacular bean for the home garden, providing tender and delicious fresh beans through the hottest months of summer, when regular beans are long gone. Plants produce an abundance of very long, extra long, like....up to 3' long green beans!! Pick when beans are fairly young and firm. Sweet and stringless, enjoy them steamed, stir-fried, or in soup. One bean chopped into pieces is like several smaller green beans, and in our opinion, way better and more interesting! 

Yardlong beans are the same species as cowpea, which is also thrive in our subtropical climate. But they are distinctly different. Cowpeas travelled to the Middle East and Asia from Africa, and over centuries of breeding, Asian farmers developed long, tender pods. Long beans have been recorded in Chinese literature around the time of the Song Dynasty in 1008! Yardlongs are still popular in Asian cuisine today. 

This is a really unique plant that will get a a lot of attention in your garden!

We got our seeds from Seed the Stars and this is the second generation grown in our Gainesville gardens. 
Product details
  • About 30 seeds
  • 50 days from seed to harvest
  • Seeds grown in Working Food gardens at GROW HUB in Gainesville, Florida
How to grow

Legumes are able to manufacture their own nitrogen (magic + science!) and typically do not need very rich soil or much fertilization at all. Well composted and healthy soils are still encouraged, but you will not need to offer them much in the way of fertilizer. In fact, too much will encourage rampant leafy growth at the expense of the pods.

Plant about 1"-1.5" deep, spaced 4-8" apart along a trellis of some sort as these are rampant vining plants and the long peas need to hang. Yardlong beans do not tolerate frosts and so should only be planted well after the last expected frost is over. They can also be planted from spring and into late summer/early fall. Direct sowing is recommended as legumes don't appreciate the stress of moving from a pot into the ground.
How to save seeds

Legumes like beans and peas are among the easiest seeds to save! The biggest challenge in Florida is our humidity, which can make it difficult to get seed pods fully dry on the plant. For this reason, late-summer plantings can be especially good for seed saving, as the pods mature into the drier fall weather.  Although, weather patterns are getting more unpredictable and this isn't always the case.

Allow the pods to dry indoors once harvested, and shell them soon afterward to reduce the chance of mold and pests taking up residence inside the pods. If the pods are nearly mature but the forecast calls for rain, harvest early and finish drying indoors.

Thorough drying is key to keeping bean and pea seeds healthy and reducing the risk of weevils, which can damage or destroy stored seed. Yardlong beans in particular are very vulnerable to seed-eating weevils. Continue drying the seeds with silica gel or clay drying beads, or use a household dehydrator on a low-temperature setting. Make sure the seeds are completely dry before storing.

Cowpeas and yardlong beans are highly self-pollinating, so there is generally only a small chance of crossing between varieties. However, some large bumblebees can work their way into the flowers and transfer pollen between plants. This only matters if you are trying to maintain a variety’s purity; if you don’t mind a little genetic mixing, there’s no need to worry about it.

You can successfully save seed from just one plant, but saving from 5–10 plants is better, and 20 or more plants is even better for maintaining genetic diversity and long-term vigor.

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