5 Things to Remember When Growing Yard Long Beans

Yard-long beans are very popular in Malaysia’s vegetable gardens because they’re delicious and easy to grow. One of the primary benefits of these legumes is that they’re extraordinarily productive even in limited areas.

This plant is a flourishing climbing annual vine, and they’re widely grown in subtropical and tropical areas such as Malaysia and southern China. 

If you’re ready to grow yard-long beans in your garden, here are five things you need to remember.

1. Direct Sowing

It’s best to plant yard-long beans directly into the soil. Ensure the soil is warm and wait until the temperature is between 22-32 degrees Celsius to sow the seeds.

Always choose the sunniest area of your vegetable garden to cultivate beans. 

To sow directly follow these steps:

• Sow yard-long bean seeds 7cm away from each other and put 5cm of fine soil on top.
• Press the soil lightly and water it mildly.
• Seedlings will become visible in 10-14 days, depending on soil and meteorological conditions.
• We recommend spreading yard-long bean seeds every ten days for a continuous stock of beans.

Vegetable growers don’t recommend starting yard-long bean seeds indoors. Keep in mind this plant has a weak root system that might not survive transplanting.

Moreover, yard-long beans grow fast, so it’s not required to plant them in advance.

2. Type of Soil

It’s best to grow yard-long beans in well-drained soil. Since they’re legumes, they don’t usually demand additional fertilizer.

This plant can obtain its nitrogen from the air thanks to nitrogen-fixing bacteria inside the nodule on its roots. Remember, too much nitrogen causes uncontrolled vine growth and fewer beans.

Keep in mind that if you plant yard-long beans in poor soil, it’s an excellent idea to adjust the planting site with manure or compost.

Although yard-long beans are easy to grow, they like mildly acidic to neutral soil like 6.0-7.0 pH.

3. Build Supports

Yard long beans vines must have something to climb on. An excellent idea is to build trellises or stakes before planting as you don’t want to hurt the root system.

Place the supports about 4cm deep and 7cm away from each other.

The most common options are tripods or netting. Regardless of which method you use, make sure the support is approximately 2 meters high to provide shelter for the vines.

Another support system is to plant yard long beans near a fence. Gardeners recommend the fence to be 5 meters long and 1.50 meters tall.

The beans will climb without any trouble, and you will save time by not building a teepee.

If you decide to use a tripod method, it’s essential to plant three-yard-long bean seeds on each pole.

However, if you use a row trellis, make sure to sow the seeds 15 to 30cm away from each other. Always plant the seeds about 2.5cm deep.

Besides, planting legumes on trellises or poles has many advantages, such as:

• You can grow more in limited areas
• Keep yard-long beans away from the ground, animals, and pests
• Healthy plants
• Harvesting is easier
  
  

4. Water

Yard-long beans are somewhat drought-tolerant. However, this doesn’t mean they should have long dry periods.

Vegetable growers recommend giving yard-long beans 2.5cm of water weekly to encourage growth and tender pods.

5. Harvesting

Yard-long beans have a long growing time as they can take up to 90 days for harvesting. You should pick the beans when they’re the size of a pencil.

If you wait too long, the beans start losing their tenderness and crispness as the beans inside fill out. That’s why it’s crucial to harvest while they’re still firm, which is when they’re between 20 and 30cm long.

It’s essential to harvest daily once the yard-long beans start growing; doing so stimulates the plant to remain productive. Once you harvest yard-long beans, you can keep them in the fridge for several days.

After harvesting, make sure to add them to your favorite meal, particularly stir-fried dishes.

In a Nutshell

Yard-long beans are easy to grow in Malaysia as they love hot and humid weather. Make sure to plant the beans in a location that receives at least six hours of sun daily alongside something they can climb up.

Follow the steps above to grow yard-long beans quickly. Happy planting!