Chinese long beans...any body grow them

[Jim]

I got a packet of chinese long red beans to try this year. I hear they are delicious...

[bunkie]

we're going to try growing both the red and green this year. i've read that the red ones aren't as good when cooked. going to have to test hop that theory! ;D

[Jim]

I hope they're tasty. The whole family loves beens....

[paquebot]

I've grown Asparagus, Gran Bruno, Red Noodle, and Taiwan Black the past 2 years. Red Noodle produced the most 2 years ago. Taiwan Black out-produced any of them this past season. Liked Gran Bruno the best for taste but production was terrible. Red Noodle was about middle for taste enjoyment.

Martin

[Jim]

thanks for the info Martin. I may get some Taiwan black then this year too.

Jim

[bluelacedredhead]

But the Red ones look soooo nice. What a disappointment to find out that they are a good producer but not so good in the taste department.

[americangardener]

Yeah.. bummer Martin...

I'm gonna be trying the red ones for the first time next season too. I thought they were supposed to be some of the best. Now you tell me there are better ones. Darn it. I don' t have the best ones? Now where can i find some of those Gran Bruno ones at martin? If you know of a source.. maybe there's still time for me to get the best before planting time.

Dave

[michaeljohnson]

I have never tried growing any of those, but would like to try my hand at them.
I bet I have a rare strain of runner beans that can almost beat them for length the biggest ones I grew this year were more that 27 inches long-huge things, but it is best to eat them when they are about a foot long for tenderness.
They are a champion competition strain called (Richard Hope -strain) but unfortunately I only have a small amount of seeds that I saved from this years crop-as we ate all the rest, but I am hoping to save a lot more seeds from this next years crop so that will have some to share with you guy's.

[hiven]

Interesting to know that the Red Noodle yard long bean is productive but not that tasty but it look so attractive, striking red!
I am planning to grow it next year... perhaps certain way of cooking it will improve it's taste ? Am keeping my fingers cross for this beauty!

[paquebot]

Never said that Red Noodle was bad, just not the best for me. They even had two chances to impress me, as stated. They produced like crazy in 2007 but they somehow packed it in rather fast this past year. I only managed to save enough seed for a single tepee for a third chance. It was a popular variety in one of my seed offers for 2008 so I'll grow it again to have some to share.

Gran Bruno is also scheduled for another chance in 2009. Not exactly certain what went wrong but it didn't want to climb like it should have. Some got topped by deer so possibly they don't come back like phaseolus varieties would. Resulted in a lot of curled pods near the ground but they were good eating. Probably have enough extra for several packets of 30 if someone can't find them elsewhere.

Another that I mentioned, Asparagus, gained a new name in our gardens. The pods were wrinkled rather than smooth and somewhat resembled shed snake skins. So, they became the snake beans!

Martin

[macmex]

We've been growing a yard long, called Georgia Long, since 1985. Got it from Virgil & Hazel Johnson, in MO, who got it from Faxon Stinnet in Vian, OK. This was through the Seed Savers Exchange. Georgia Long has brick red seed and produces 24" long pods. Vines can reach 20 feet. We haven't compared it with other yard longs. But we like it.

Some folk don't like yard longs as much as regular snap beans. Seems to be on account of a slightly different texture. Raw, I know I definitely prefer regular snaps. But cooked, yard longs are good.

Also, I've learned the hard way not to wait till towards the end of the season to let Georgia Long go to seed. It wants HEAT for seed production. At the end of the season, when nights are cool, it will continue to make pods. But there are hardly any seed in them. Georgia Long doesn't just tolerate heat, it requires it for good production.

We have a friend, near here, who, last summer, planted Georgia Long on a 28-30 foot arch made of cattle panels. The vines covered the arch and he and his family had a blast walking under the arch and picking the pods which hung down! He gave away many bundles of pods during the summer and still canned a lot of beans.

I haven't had opportunity to observe other varieties of yard longs. But Georgia Long pods will twine around things, just like the vine itself.

George

[garnetmoth]

Any other yardlong exploits this year?

I somehow got some red noodle bean seeds (I thought I had red seeded, but these are nice garnet colored pods)

They start setting about 1-2 weeks after the lima beans, but pump out big beans in 3-4 days on the vine. I dont prefer them raw, but think they are great stir-fried with an onion, a splash of soy and a dab of hot pepper paste. they are gorgeous too.

Macmex- Ill take the seed thing under advisement- I let one pod get too big this week and may let it finish out ripening. Ive had a few lima beans get just past shelling but some of the vines are getting a second flush of flowers starting back at the bottom!

[raymondo]

I've only found one yard long, we call them snake beans here, whether smooth or wrinkled, that will successfully produce both pods and seeds for sowing in my shortish season. It's red-podded but a bush type rather than a climbing type. It's reasonably well-flavoured, though I haven't tried many so have little with which to compare. It's called, rather imaginatively I think, Red Snake Bean!

[wildseed57]

last year we grew red chinese noodle bean which was a big hit so this year we grew it and one called Taiwan black seeded noodle bean and they have out produced all the other pole beans that we grew very tasty stir fried or steamed. the Taiwan black seeded was very long most were a good 30 inches long so just a handful would make a meal I heard that the black seeded might even be better for you than other beans do to their protein and mineral count, although I can't remember were I read this and I may be wrong, but it is a interesting side note if its right.
George W.

[garnetmoth]

Now im really confused- I thought I had "red seeded" from Baker Creek, but I also remember having a little bag of black seeded- I only planted one and of course I didnt write it down.

The beans I have growing are dark burgundy/purple, lavender flowers, and are going gangbusters. After George responded I looked for Black Seeded and found this awesome grow-out
www.mastergardeners.org/projects/ninepalms/2007/longbeans.html

They have a Red Seeded that is also red podded...? Well, I have a bean, its tasty and prolific. but apparently Chinese green noodle gave them the most production in their trial.