Yard Long Green Beans, productive, tasty and unusual looking. These beans are a native to Africa and are an incredible heat tolerant plant that has a beautiful flower along with an attractive foliage. It is a great crop to include in your edible landscape on a trellis in your yard. These beans are also know by name as asparagus beans, Chinese beans, garter beans and snake bean.
These beans are from the same family as the cowpeas and the black-eye pea. It is an annual vine plant that can grow between 10 to 12 feet tall and prefers a warm soil and growing climate.
Gardening
Soil conditions that yard long green beans prefer is a loose, friable soil that is not to rich in nitrogen and has a ph level of between 5.5 - 7.5, but will tolerate acid soils. A soil that has a high nitrogen content can cause an abundant leaf growth that can cause a reduced productivity of the bean crop.
Raised beds or hills are the best method for growing this crop because of the fact that the soil warms quicker and the soil is looser to a deeper depth. Mixing compost or composted manure into the soil in the early spring to a depth of 8 to 10 inches will improve the soils structure and help to boost the soils fertility.
Sow seeds directly into the garden after all dangers of frost have passed. This is a warm weather crop and will not thrive in cool temperatures. Plant seeds 2 inches deep and 3 to 4 inches apart in loose soils and 1 inch deep in heavier soils. Once the seeds are planted water deeply and keep the soil moist throughout the entire growing season to have a high yielding productive crop. Once the seedling have emerged you can thin the plants to 6-12 inches apart.
Harvesting can start about 2 months from the time the seeds were planted and continuously throughout the summer months to fall.
Organic Gardening - Growing Yard Long Green Beans
A environment friendly and healthy way of gardening. Organic Gardening is away of gardening in harmony with nature. Growing a healthy and productive crop in a way that is healthier for both you and the environment.
John Yazo