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thisisme_gw

Climbing beans for hot climates?

thisisme
13 years ago

I'm looking ahead to spring 2011. I want to grow beans to shade summer crops next year. My plan is to grow them on two sides of the raised beds to shade them from the scorching Arizona afternoon sun. The only requirements are that they need to grow tall and be able to take day after day of 100+ degree temps. If they can produce some beans in the heat that would be a real plus. Oh and if possible I would prefer tender and tasty. More than one variety would be nice too.

Comments (18)

  • happyday
    13 years ago

    Flintknapper has offered beans that do well in heat.

    The variety Rattlesnake is also known to like the heat, and be tender and tasty.

  • thisisme
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks happyday, I sent Flintknapper and email and I found an expensive source for Rattlesnake bean seeds.

    Anyone else with any suggestions?

  • happyday
    13 years ago

    Rattlesnakes expensive? There must be an affordable source somewhere. If you have anything to trade I could send you some.

    Or, have you considered growing sweet potatoes? I've just been looking into them and apparently they love the heat and some varieties will vine up a trellis.

  • flintknapper
    13 years ago

    thisisme. The Hopi Indians may have the beans you are looking for. Check out nativeseeds.org which is located in Tuson. They have numerous seed you can choose from. Hopi red lima looks like a good bet.
    flintknapper

  • Macmex
    13 years ago

    Yardlongs also are very good for heat. My Georgia Longs prospered through one of the hottest, driest periods in memory, here in NE Oklahoma. But they won't set seed when nights get cool.

    George

  • thisisme
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    happyday I have been growing fruit trees for awhile and have not gardened for years until this fall. Because of this I have no seeds to trade. Rattlesnake seeds on eBay are roughly $ 4.50 for ten seeds delivered.

    flintknapper I'm going over their site and have found a couple beans I think may be worth trying.

    macmex there are several varieties of Yardlongs. I plan on growing some but I'm not sure which varieties to get.

  • jwr6404
    13 years ago

    If a crop during the hot season is not a priority you might want to try Insuk's Wang Kong. If you want beans you could experiment with winter planting as well by staggering the planting of them in the December,January and/or February months.
    Jim

  • thisisme
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    jwr6404 thanks for the suggestion. Growing the beans as a sun screen is the primary purpose as long as they survive and fruit at some point. However if I can find something that can produce through the summer so much the better.

  • fusion_power
    13 years ago

    Very few pole beans will take your heat and still produce a crop. I suggest sandhill as a good place to start shopping.

    Rattlesnake is by far the most heat tolerant pole bean I've grown. Alabama #1 and Super Marconi are two more that can stand a lot of stress.

    DarJones

  • happyday
    13 years ago

    Rattlesnake seeds on eBay are roughly $ 4.50 for ten seeds delivered.

    Seriously? Sounds like those beans are worth their weight in gold! and I've just been giving them away!

    Purcell has a pound for 4.75, there's other sources selling an ounce for 2.75. Google is your friend.

  • Macmex
    13 years ago

    Here's a link for Sandhill Preservation Center.

    Maybe Zeedman (Chris) will drop in and make a recommendation on yard longs. I did notice that Sandhill has a yardlong.

    George

    Here is a link that might be useful: Sandhill Preservation Center Seeds

  • tracydr
    13 years ago

    Thissime- I got Rattlsnake seed mixed with purple pod for a pretty acreage price, maybe two dollars a pack, at the nursery on Gilbert and McKellips Rd. I'm sure you can find it there. But, I would use them for spring, fall. Plant cowpeas, limas or yardlongs to survive our summers.

  • thisisme
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    tracydr I would say you are right. For summer harvest at this point I'm looking at Lima's, Black Seeded Yardlong and Blackeyed Peas/Cowpeas. I may trial a few others but those are the ones that have already worked for others.

  • tracydr
    13 years ago

    If you find some good cowpeas, I'd love to go in on an order with you. I'd like to try some Pink Eye Purple Hull but am having trouble finding it. I'm here in Mesa, too, BTW.

  • lazy_gardens
    13 years ago

    How about Armenian cucumbers? They love the heat, love full sun and prefer to climb on trellises.

    Maybe it's my gardening suckitude, but I haven't had much luck with supposedly heat-tolerant beans, The cukes, OTOH, thrived.

  • thisisme
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    lazygardens I have Armenian cucumber seeds and an Italian squash that climbs for trellising too. The County Extension Office says Black Seeded Yardlong and Blackeyed Peas will produce through the summer heat. I was also told Dragon's Tongue Bush Beans produce through the summer here. I plan on planting the Bush Beans all over my back yard.

  • tracydr
    13 years ago

    My Dragons tongue died when it got hot but the Limas took off. They didn't set until the fall, though.

  • zeedman Zone 5 Wisconsin
    13 years ago

    I must have missed this thread when my computer died.

    Ditto on the recommendation for Native Seeds/SEARCH, and their Hopi limas.

    Yardlongs might take the heat; not sure, though, how well they would deal with the lack of humidity. You might want to try several varieties, to see which do best in your climate.

    Hyacinth beans love heat... and if you want to cover a trellis for shade purposes, the rampant vines will do so. The flowers are fragrant & attractive, and the young pods can be cooked as snap beans. Some varieties have flat pods that resemble snow peas; I recommend the purple-podded ones, which have thicker pods.

    Good sources for both are Kitazawa and Baker Creek.

    Winged beans are also tropical, vigorous climbers, and might do well there if they can tolerate the dry air. The 4-sided pods are unusual in both appearance & flavor. You can also eat the leaves as greens, and they develop edible tubers. ECHO (linked below) has a day-neutral variety.

    True rice beans (Vigna umbellata are also tropical, and daylength sensitive. They are rampant heavily branched climbers that will densely cover any trellis... and beyond, if you don't trim them back. The dry seeds resemble adzuki, and are produced in large numbers. You can eat the dry beans, but do some research first, as they may require special preparation.

    Both of the above are available from the non-profit organization ECHO, which also has literature on their cultivation & use.

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