How to grow Bean, Specialty?
- Latin Family: Fabaceae
- Latin Genus: Psophocarpus, Dolichos, Vigna, species
- Ease of Growing: Moderate
- Growing Type: Annual
These three species are all warm weather pole beans.
Psophocarpos (Winged Bean) is particularly useful because all parts are edible: beans, immature pods, leaves and even the tuberous roots.
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Bean, Specialty History
These three quite different species have all been important crops in their native lands, but are rarely grown for food in North America. Like most members of the Fabaceae, they have a symbiotic relationship with [nitrogen fixing] bacteria and can actually add nitrogen to the soil they grow in.
Soil Preference
- PH (min/max): 6.0 - 7.5
- PH Ideal (min/max): 6.5 - 7.0
Beans like a light, well-drained loamy soil, with lots of organic matter.
How to care for Bean, Specialty?
All of these beans are fairly trouble free.
Water
For best production, beans should have evenly moist soil at all times.
Fertilizer
Low nitrogen. Moderate potassium. Moderate phosphorous.
Beans don't need a lot of nitrogen in the soil because they fix their own (if there is a lot in the soil they won't go to the trouble of fixing it). They do need plenty of potassium and phosphorus though.
Seeds
Seed Viability: 3 - 5 Years
Germination Percentage: 75.0
Beans are amongst the easiest crops to save seed from; you just grow them like dry beans. They are mostly self pollinating, though insects may cause some cross-pollination. For this reason it's best to have only one variety flowering at a time if possible.
Be aware that some viruses may be transmitted through the seed. Try not to gather from diseased plants.
Light
Sun: min. 6 hours daily
Full sun.
Conditions:Warm, Hot
Season:Long Season
Storage
For longer storage the pods can be dried.
Storage Req: Dry
Storage Temp: 50-70°F
Storage Length: 1-360 days
Green beans may be stored in plastic bags in the fridge for a few days. This is usually done until you have harvested enough for a meal.
Storage Req: Refrigerator
Storage Temp: 35-40°F
Storage Length: 1-7 days
Green beans may be stored in the freezer (32F) or a can (50-70F) for longer storage.
Storage Req: Canning, Freezer
Storage Temp: 32-65°F
Storage Length: 1-360 days
Problems
Bean, Specialty Types
- Hyacinth
- Winged Bean
This form of bean known as Hyacinth Beans are highly productive when given the right amount of space and support. They tolerate heat and humidity due to the its origins in tropical Africa. The growth is a vine, producing purple flowers and a purple colored seed pod. The pods and flowers must be eaten when young because dried beans have high concentrations of cyanogenic glucosides and are poisonous.
This form of bean known as Asian Winged Beans are also known as the Goa Bean and Asparagus Pea. It is a tropical plant native to New Guinea. It does quite well in tropical areas, and can be found growing abundantly in hot, humid equatorial areas. The entire plant is edible. The leaves taste like spinach, the flowers taste like mushrooms, and the roots have a nutty flavor.
Pests
- Aphids
- Blister Beetle
- Bean Weevil
- Deer
- Cucumber Beetle
- Gophers
- Groundhog
- Leafhoppers
- Leafminers
- Mexican Bean Beetle
- Nematodes
- Rabbits
- Slugs and snails
- Flea Beetle
- June Beetle
- Mealybug
- Rats and Mice
- Tarnished Plant Bug
- Whiteflies
- Wireworm
Diseases
- Anthracnose
- Bacterial Wilt
- Curly Top
- Bacterial Blight
- Halo Blight
- Rust
- Bean Mosaic Virus (BCMV)
- Fusarium Wilt
- Downy Mildew
- Powdery Mildew
