Water in, and keep moist as the newly transplanted seedlings become established.
Space your transplants six to 12 inches apart.
Direct Sowing
To direct sow, wait until one to two weeks after your last average spring frost.
Wet the soil down ahead of time to prepare for planting, and inoculate seeds as indicated above.
Poke holes in the soil two inches deep, six to 12 inches apart, then drop a seed in each hole.
Squeeze the hole shut over the seeds, pat the soil down to ensure good contact, then water in gently with the shower setting on a watering wand.
Keep the soil moist but not soggy as seeds germinate – which should take six to 12 days – and young plants become established.
How to Grow
Yard long beans love heat and don’t like cold. If you’ve had issues in your area with varieties of P. vulgaris getting wimpy during heat waves, this species may be a good substitute.
Support
Before sowing seeds or transplanting seedlings, make sure a trellis is in place to allow for vertical growth.
The trellis should be at least seven feet tall to accommodate the vigorous vines.
Light
When deciding where to situate your beans, make sure you have full sun conditions – that means six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day.
Soil
Yard long beans will grow in a wide range of well-draining soil types, including clay and sandy loam. The soil should have a pH range of 5.5 to 7.5.
Want to learn more about what type of soil you have? You may want to do a soil test!
Water
Yard long beans require about one inch of water every seven to 10 days – though of course, that quantity will vary depending on the amount of sun, heat, and wind in your area.
Aim to keep the soil evenly moist but be careful not to let it become waterlogged.
If you need to irrigate, water at the base of plants rather than from overhead to reduce the risk of fungal diseases.
Mulch
Apply a thin layer of mulch around your yard long bean plants to suppress weeds and help to prevent moisture from evaporating.
Cultivars to Select
You may be surprised that for a vegetable that’s not so well known in North America, there are in fact many different varieties of yard long beans to choose from.
Here’s a sampling of some of the best cultivars:
Mosaic
‘Mosaic’ features pods that have a mottled purple, red, and green pattern.
Harvest when pods are still slim and reach 10 to 12 inches long – in approximately 70 to 90 days.
‘Mosaic’
You can find ‘Mosaic’ seeds in an assortment of packet sizes at True Leaf Market.
Orient Wonder
‘Orient Wonder’ produces smooth, dark green pods with excellent taste and texture.
Although these ones can reach 30 inches long, harvest pods in 80 days when they are 12 to 18 inches long for best eating quality.
‘Orient Wonder’
You can find ‘Orient Wonder’ seeds in packets of 20 from Botanical Interests.
Purple Mart Tsu In
Interested in bringing some color to your garden crops? Try the dark purple pods of ‘Purple Mart Tsu In.’
This variety produces tender, stringless, 20-inch pods in 75 to 80 days.
Unlike purple colored varieties of P. vulgaris that turn green when cooked, these pods turn from purple to black with cooking!
‘Purple Mart Tsu In’
You’ll find ‘Purple Mart Tsu In’ seeds in a variety of packet sizes at True Leaf Market.
Yu Long Noodle Kin
‘Yu Long Noodle Kin’ is an early maturing variety that produces dark green pods in just 65 to 75 days. The pods reach up to 30 inches long.
‘Yu Long Noodle Kin’
You can find ‘Yu Long Noodle Kin’ seeds in a variety of packet sizes available from True Leaf Market.
Managing Pests and Disease
Whenever you grow vegetables, there’s always the chance that some insect will decide to make a meal out of your crop or that certain conditions will conspire to cause the plants to contract a disease.
Read on to know what to be on the lookout for and how to prevent these problems.
Herbivores
Rabbits and deer will happily make a meal of your yard long beans before you have a chance to harvest. The best way to deter these herbivores is to use fencing to exclude them.
Learn more about building a DIY deer-proof fence here.
Insects
Pests are numerous in the garden, but when you grow companion plants to attract beneficial insects, your chances of them doing much damage will decrease dramatically.
Predatory and parasitoid wasps, for instance, do an amazing job at keeping pest populations in check. And this crop gets extra protection from ants, as discussed earlier in the article.
Here are a few pests to look out for:
Aphids
Aphids are common garden pests that tend to congregate on the undersides of leaves. Their feeding causes stippling on the foliage and large infestations may stunt growth.
You can use a strong jet of water from your garden hose to blast them off. Repeat daily for about a week – that may be all you need!
Learn more about controlling aphids here.
Cutworms
Cutworms are larval moths that hang out in the soil during the day, emerging at night to chew through the tender stems of young seedlings.
