Tepary beans

[atash]

If this topic has been covered before, apologies. I did a search on "Tepary" and found no hits.

Phaseolus acutifolius.

I'm thinking about trying a small batch of these. I don't live in the desert, though in the desert they actually do require some irrigation (traditionally, they got runoff from nearby hills, channelled into their beds).

I'd be curious to know how it compares in performance to other dryland beans such as the pigeon pea (which is perennial--and subtropical) or the Moth Bean. Maybe I should plant them all and do a comparison. Judging from their relations, I would guess Moth Beans need a lot of heat.

If my trial works out, I could sell the seed to folks in droughty climates. Tepary beans will grow in hotter, and drier, climates than P. vulgaris can tolerate. They can pollinate at higher temperatures, have deeper root systems, and grow faster before they run out of water.

[raymondo]

I grow them, more out of interest than anything else. I haven't yet had enough of a harvest to be able to eat them. They're trouble free in my garden, once they get too big to be of interest to slugs that is.

[atash]

Raymondo, I've never eaten them yet either, but sources indicate they are quite palatable.