From www.evergreenseeds.com:

Yardlong Bean, also called Chinese Long Bean, is a vigorous climbing annual and the plant begins to produce long pods, ranging from 14 to 30 inches, 60 days after sowing. The pods hang in pairs that should be picked for vegetable uses before matured. Yardlong Bean is a subtropical/tropical plant and is widely grown in Southeastern Asia, Thailand and Southern China. It is a very interesting plant to grow – you almost need to check/harvest long beans everyday because they grow very quick in warm climates. It is, however, sensitive to the temperature and grows relatively slow in mild/cold environments. Like to grow common beans, it is recommended to rotate the planting locations every year for getting the best results – do not repeat planting at the same spots within 3-4 years. Edible pods are very crisp, tender and delicious. Long beans are cut into shorter sections and cooked like common green beans. There are many varieties grown in the Orient and they are generally identified by the color of the matured seeds.

I believe the first time I heard of these, it was from Jack Spirko, talking about picking 6-8 beans and it being enough for his family’s evening meal. I was almost sold at that point. What pushed me into trying them was that I heard that they grew VERY fast in the heat, the hotter the weather, the faster they grew. (See a pattern yet in my veggie choices for summer?)

I purchased my first pack of seeds from eBay. From planting til the first harvest seems like 6 or so weeks, I do not recall. What I DO recall is that once I saw the first blossom, it turned into a pair of beans that quickly grew to be 20+ inches long! MONSTER beans! taste-testing them while on the vine proved them to be a taste match to every other green bean I’ve ever eaten. WOOHOO! Another winner! I planted several more sets of seeds, then went on to purchase other varieties, reds, purples, and whites. Reds grew very well, as did the greens, but the others fared poorly, and since I only tried one planting for each color, I don’t know if it was the seeds or my locations and or/methods.

Playing off my previous success, I opted to stick with the reds and the greens.

One of the joys of these is that they are heirloom, and will breed true. This means if you save some pods, and let them dry on the vine, when you shell them, you will be left with the seeds to plant for the next generation – something that you should look for in a anything you plant. Hybrids are fine for a single season, but they may not breed true. Not so for the yard-long beans! I’ve even let early beans dry out and plant them in the same season, giving me two generations in a summer.

However, all good things must come to an end. Since having gone Paleo, I cannot/will not eat any legumes, including these lovely things. I could eat the pods only (its the seeds that cause the gastronomical grief, read more about why here), but won’t push it. I probably won’t be growing ANY beans or peas from now on. However, if you do not care, I’d suggest growing these! They are a great producer, and given that they do so well in the heat, can fill in the gardening gaps during the worst part of the Florida summer.

I’ll omit the nutrition table, as these are very close to the green beans we all knew as kids.

And here is an offer. If you live in this area and would like some of my leftover seeds, let me know and I’ll get some to you. Quantities are limited, so act now. Operators are standing by!

db

PS- Are you on Facebook? So am I! Go to FloridaHillbilly, and click “Like”, subscribe to my feed, and tell your friends! The more folks involved in growing some of their own food, the less likely they are to take off cross-country looking for the world’s last Twinkie.