Tepary Bean - The bean that laughs in the face of our desert summers"
Tepary Bean -"The bean that laughs in the face of our desert summers"
Tepary Beans are one of the most heat and drought tolerant crops in the world.
They are an ancient bean ( Phaeseolus acutifolius) and very tolerant of our alkali soils and our desert heat.
So I thought - got to have a go at these !
I got my seeds from Native Seed Search in Tucson and planted them last week as the monsoon season was getting underway. We then had that lovely (rather scary) thunderstorm a few days ago and my garden got an inch of rain - fantastic !!
History
They are a very ancient bean, having been grown in the Sonoran Desert for thousands of years. A native bean , which is one of the most nutritious desert plants and some wild varieties still do actually exist in some parts on the Sonoran Desert. It was a prehistoric food crop and was used as a dry bean.
Nutritional value
They are very high in protein and help control diabetes and cholesterol due to their soluble fibre.
Varieties
There are many different varieties, Native Seed Search in Tucson carries 35 varieties. The brown varieties are said to have a more earthy flavor, while the white varieties are said to be sweeter. The packet should say 60-120 days.
Planting
Plant in early July. 4-6" apart, >1" deep. There is no need to presoak this bean before planting. Plant in mid summer.
I was told by an older native lady to plant "when the cloud that thunders appears", which I thought was such a lovely way of describing their planting.
They do not like wet conditions nor heavy clay soil. But even though they are drought tolerant, they do need moist soil in order to germinate.
What to expect out of your Tepary Beans as they grow.
Growth Habit
They are an annual crop, growing as a sprawling bush with branches lying on the ground, and the stems may get up to 3' long. They flower in late August with the pods ripening in early October.
Watering
These beans should not be over watered at all ! and they will actually produce fewer yields as watering increases, producing lots of vegetative growth but few pods. They are adapted to temperatures > 95 degrees, where others fail. They have smaller leaves than other beans and their roots go much deeper than other beans as well.
Harvesting
Stop watering when about 75% of the pods are dry. You can either harvest pulling out the plant or you can just pick the dry pods off the plant.
So.....more Tepary bean updates as they grow - unless the mice get them first ! always a worry here.
Happy Gardening !!
Tepary Beans are one of the most heat and drought tolerant crops in the world.
They are an ancient bean ( Phaeseolus acutifolius) and very tolerant of our alkali soils and our desert heat.
So I thought - got to have a go at these !
I got my seeds from Native Seed Search in Tucson and planted them last week as the monsoon season was getting underway. We then had that lovely (rather scary) thunderstorm a few days ago and my garden got an inch of rain - fantastic !!
History
They are a very ancient bean, having been grown in the Sonoran Desert for thousands of years. A native bean , which is one of the most nutritious desert plants and some wild varieties still do actually exist in some parts on the Sonoran Desert. It was a prehistoric food crop and was used as a dry bean.
Nutritional value
They are very high in protein and help control diabetes and cholesterol due to their soluble fibre.
Varieties
There are many different varieties, Native Seed Search in Tucson carries 35 varieties. The brown varieties are said to have a more earthy flavor, while the white varieties are said to be sweeter. The packet should say 60-120 days.
Planting
Plant in early July. 4-6" apart, >1" deep. There is no need to presoak this bean before planting. Plant in mid summer.
I was told by an older native lady to plant "when the cloud that thunders appears", which I thought was such a lovely way of describing their planting.
They do not like wet conditions nor heavy clay soil. But even though they are drought tolerant, they do need moist soil in order to germinate.
Bean seeds in soil, planted July 12th 2017.
We then had that lovely (rather scary) thunderstorm a few days ago and my garden got an inch of rain - fantastic !!
My first tepary bean sprout ! Popped up only 4 days after planting.
A few days later, July 19th 2017
Growth Habit
They are an annual crop, growing as a sprawling bush with branches lying on the ground, and the stems may get up to 3' long. They flower in late August with the pods ripening in early October.
Watering
These beans should not be over watered at all ! and they will actually produce fewer yields as watering increases, producing lots of vegetative growth but few pods. They are adapted to temperatures > 95 degrees, where others fail. They have smaller leaves than other beans and their roots go much deeper than other beans as well.
Harvesting
Stop watering when about 75% of the pods are dry. You can either harvest pulling out the plant or you can just pick the dry pods off the plant.
So.....more Tepary bean updates as they grow - unless the mice get them first ! always a worry here.
Happy Gardening !!
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