Long Bean, Chinese Green Noodle
80 days. An impossibly long and incredibly delicious treat from Asia that is sure to thrive in your garden. The noodle bean, which is, botanically speaking, a cowpea, is supremely heat tolerant. It creates vines that can grow up a trellis or crawl across the garden. It can be enjoyed as a green bean, or allowed to mature and treated as a dry bean. Harvest the skinny pods when about pencil thin and prepare them as you would a green bean (e.g., raw, pickled, stir fried, and more). Consider the long bean your go to for midsummer production when your regular green beans cannot stand the heat. Southern gardeners, especially those way down in Florida, know this is the ultimate heat-loving summer crop.
- 8-12 hours of Sun
- Sprouts in 5-8 Days
- Ideal Temperature: 75-95 Degrees F
- Seed Depth: 1/2-1"
- Plant Spacing: 6"
- Frost Hardy: No
- Vigna unguiculata
Growing Tips: Tolerates extreme heat, humidity. Soak seeds overnight; direct seed after last spring frost. Trellis vining types; pick when pods reach 12-18 inches.