In the past I’ve always grown yard long beans in the greenhouse. This year I switched things around and decided to do tomatoes inside the greenhouse. Yard long beans tend to grow wild and take over the greenhouse space, making it harder to walk in and harvest the beans and generally maintain the space.
The making of a trellis – we had a 12 ft of hog panel that we had purchased from Tractor Supply Farm store a few years back. It was a bit short for making a full arch, but we figured out a way to make it work. We fitted it with a few T-posts from our local hardware stores, and decided to plant blackberries (Prime Ark Freedom) on one side, and annual vines on the end adjacent to a 5*5 raised bed. I grew a row of yard long beans in three 10 gallon containers and a 5 ‘ row in the ground, and allowed both sets to climb over the arch. Both of them took off once the warmer weather in July set in. The beans are growing by a mile each day and pumping out insanely tasty beans perfect for stir fry and Thai curries.
Growing and maintaining yard long beans
Yard long / asparagus bean varieties – They come in various colors – mottled / speckled, light green, dark green and burgundy. I grow all varieties of yard long beans that I can get my hands on. This year it was the light green, dark green and the red noodle bean. The red ones are just so easy to spot and pick, which makes life in the garden so much easier. The light green ones tops slightly better in the flavor category, but I will take any and all colors of yard long beans.
Very much similar to growing pole beans, start seeds indoors in late April in cell packs for transplanting. I prefer the ones with an open bottom such as this one for a healthy root system, easy transplanting with minimal root disturbance. And/or simply direct sow 2 or 3 seeds per pole/string in late May once soil temperatures are consistently above 70 deg. I like pre-soaking the seeds for 2-3 hours before planting in diluted nettle infusion for a healthy start. Yard long beans are tropical and enjoy heat and humidity. That said, they do thrive in the Bay Area despite the dry Mediterranean weather. Keep them well hydrated through the hotter months.
The vines grow 12-20′ long, ensure you have a good trellis system going. As the vines are not heavy, a DIY jute trellis for easy composting end of season, or this reusable hortonova trellis, which has held up for 5 years with no signs of breakage, works just fine instead of a hog panel. The vines will quickly outgrow a 6′ bamboo pole. I prune the vines mid-season to perk up production and encourage branching. They continue to produce until the frost take them down in end of November.
How much to grow: As my family loves yard long beans, I grow about 18-20 plants that provide us with sufficient beans for weekly stir fries and occasional Thai stews and freeze any excess if desired. I prefer to not freeze vegetables, and eat fresh as much as possible, but in case you want to freeze some for later use, you may want to add 10-12 more plants to help maintain a good supply. Prepare for steady picking 2-3 times a week when the beans are 12-18″ long depending on the variety. They ramp up production from late July / August and continue until frost.
In my garden, it’s as though the snap beans pass the baton in mid-July to the yard long and hyacinth beans, both of which thrive in the California heat. We are lucky to have at-least one variety beans growing all the way from late April to late November.
A bountiful harvest late July
When we returned from our 2 week vacation, the fridge was empty but gratefully the garden was full and overgrown. That’s early girl tomatoes, yard long beans, marvel of venice pole bean, tindora in the clay pot that I purchased from a street side vendor in Morocco, and the copper jug has balloon vines which I added to watery soups (South Indian Rasam for its therapeutic benefits).
Stir fry – my mom’s recipe ( Vegan, Gluten free)
These beans are very common in the state of Kerala, India. Though I grew up in Bangalore, my parents lived in a neighborhood where several of my neighbors were from Kerala. I have fond memories of eating this dish not only at our home, but also in temples and at our neighbors home. The fresh juicy coconut added at the end of cooking enhances the flavor multi fold, and cooling the stomach during the heat of summer. Make sure to use coconut oil for the tempering for an authentic taste.
Ingredients
1 cup finely diced yard long beans
1/4 cup shredded fresh coconut – you can also use dry desiccated coconut if you do not have access to fresh or frozen grated coconut.
2 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin, 1-2 dry red chillies split (depending on heat level), 1 sprig curry leaves, 1 pinch turmeric, 1/8 tsp gluten free asafoetida (optional).
How to prepare – Heat the coconut oil, add mustard seeds, once they splutter, add in the cumin, turmeric, asafoetida and curry leaves. Saute and add in the diced yard long beans. Cover to cook, and add a bit of water if you need to. Once done, add a generous handful of grated coconut for that extra nutrition and serve hot. And yes, they all turn green once cooked 🙂 just like their snap bean cousins. They taste quite different from a snap bean. These nutty and sweet and have a distinct flavor.
In a nut shell, yard long beans are a great choice if you are struggling with summer heat exceeding 90-100 deg and snap beans drop their flowers. Yard longs are so heat tolerant that they can handle the excess heat and humidity in a green house! I like to have a broad nutrition range from a wide variety of foods, and this gives me one more option to include diversity in our diets. Give it a try and you are sure to be pleased.
