Do yardlong beans have different growing requirements than other pole beans?
I grew yardlong beans last year with moderate success. They were indeed very long and I harvested three times in the summer, but I underestimated how long the vines would be, so all I had on hand was a shepherd's hook. What type of trellis do yardlong beans need? Do they need a different kind of fertilizing schedule than regular polebeans?
Answers ( 1 )
Yardlong beans are easy to grow and undemanding. If beds are fertile, little or no additional fertilizer is needed during bed preparation; too much nitrogen causes rampant vine growth and fewer beans. Like other legumes, they can obtain nitrogen from the air with the help of nitrogen-fixing bacteria that live in nodules on their roots.
Yardlong bean vines must have something to climb on. Tripods or row trellising with poles and string or netting are effective. Whatever method you choose, make the support about 7 feet high to accommodate the vines. If using a tripod system, plant three seeds to each pole. If using a row trellis, plant the seeds 6 to 12 inches apart. The seeds are planted about 1 inch deep and should be up in a week or so.