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Yard Long Beans (Asian Long Zi), am I doing it right?

Hello,

I planted a row of Asian Long Zi beans as an afterthought, just to fill the garden out. I did not read the package very carefully and thus did not notice that I should have planted along a trellis to give them something to climb.

The plants have crept along the ground, and I recently haphazardly placed a few short (24" high) trellises to try to get the beans off the ground. My soil is fairly clayey, so I planted in mounded rows this year, which has been working well to keep the plants from being underwater during the occasional Iowa downpours. The beans, however, were growing on the ground and may heave been underwater during rains, so I will be discarding those and only eating the hanging ones.

My question is; these are supposed to be bush beans, but I have one 8 ft tall stalk at one end which does not look like it is going to produce beans, and a 3 ft tall stalk with large leaves at the other end. Are these stalks just part of the bush bean plants that have gone to seed, or did a pole bean seed get mixed in with the bush bean seeds? Should I pull out the stalks? Thanks for your help.

Photos:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KMUKVA ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vGUK0l ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LHM3fR ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GAAWXY ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Tjpnqo ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xZUybm ... sp=sharing

catgrass
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I really can't answer your question, but I have grown Yard Long beans, and I can tell you, a 2 ft. trellis is not big enough. The vines can get 10 ft. tall. I zip tie hog wire to the top of my 4 ft. fence for them to climb on.

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GardeningCook
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I agree with Catgrass. As far as I know there are NO "bush" varieties of Yard-Long beans. They're all pole types, which means they require a trellising system that takes into account the fact that they can reach 8'-10' in length.

imafan26
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I have never seen a bush long bean. They will grow 8-10 ft and they will climb a tree if it is nearby. I have seen them left to sprawl. The beans are still o.k. but they usually have to be picked a lot shorter. They can get up to 3 ft long.

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Thanks for your replies so far. I will put in a taller trellis.
Still wondering if I should leave the tall stalks. I guess I will just wait and see if they produce beans.

gumbo2176
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Second what other's have already said. I've grown yard longs for several years and they are some of my favorite beans and a must have every spring/summer. They also grow well into the fall in my climate and I will be planting more in a couple weeks to replace what is now fading.

They do exceptionally well on a trellis and this makes picking the beans so much easier and cleaner by not having the beans lying on the ground. If you are asking this, I'm assuming you've never grown them before.

They are great grilled like you would asparagus. Just cut them in 6 inch lengths, season with a bit of olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and garlic powder and grill them. I also use them like any other green bean and cook them down with onion, garlic and either slices of smoke sausage or chunks of seasoning ham for a nice smothered green bean dish. I've pickled them in the past with not so good results as they tend to get a bit chewy in the brine when the skins tend to toughen up a lot more than regular green beans.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I like mine with bacon and onions, stir fried. It is good in a Filipino dish that uses a variety of garden vegetables in a stew with grilled fish called dinengdeng. I usually put in the long beans, eggplant, bitter melon, tomato, onion, wing beans, kabocha pumpkin, okra, and marungay (moringa oleifera) leaves and fruit when it is in season, ung choi (water spinach, but you can use spinach instead). If you use bitter melon, it needs to go in last, do not stir the pot, shake it instead and do not overcook the bitter melon or it will be even more bitter.
https://www.pinoykusinero.com/2014/03/di ... ables.html

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applestar
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I think I would like to try growing yard long beans next year. Isn't there red variety and green variety? Is one better than the other? I think I want to stick to just one since it sounds like this one will want a lot of space.....

gumbo2176
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Applestar, I have mine growing on a 12 ft. long by just over 6 ft. tall trellis at the end of some of my rows and it gives me more than enough beans to satisfy my needs. I've grown both of the beans you mention but the red ones are closer to deep crimson/purple in color. Unlike some red/purple beans that change back to green when cooked, these didn't and some find it unappealing to see a pot full of dark beans. As they cook, they get darker is my experience.

The only thing I don't like about them is how the react to being put in a pickling brine as they tend to get a bit tougher than normal pickled green beans. I'll use green bush beans or Kentucky Wonder pole beans for pickling.

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applestar
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Thanks, gumbo! :-()

catgrass
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I've never grown the red ones-only the green. I love their crunch, even when cooked. I like to saute them in a little olive oil with a lot of garlic until they start to turn color. Good on the grill wrapped in bacon. They grow quickly and prefer the weather "hot".

lexusnexus
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I don't personally grow them, but we do at our demo garden and they're the purple variety. Very cool looking. :D



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