A green waterfall has appeared in the garden!?
Misha: This time we’re trying a slightly unusual type of cowpea.
Hachibee: Cowpeas? You mean the beans used in red bean rice?
Misha: That’s right. But this time, we’re trying a type of cowpea called Yardlong bean, which grows incredibly long.
Poob: Hi! Nice to meet you. I’m Poob, the cowpea fairy. Yardlong beans are like my hair, yes, they look like a waterfall!
Hachibee: What?! They’re that long? What kind of scenery awaits us?!
Misha: This is exciting! Let’s get started!
Yardlong bean “almost weekly” cultivation report
4/13 Seed planting
Hachibee: S-So these are cowpea seeds, or rather, beans? They look exactly like the red beans used in sekihan (red bean rice).
Poob: Heh heh, well, red beans are also in the legume family, genus Vigna.
4/20 It hasn’t germinated yet.
Hachibee: As expected, the sprouts haven’t come up yet.
4/27 It will not germinate.
Hachibee: Hmm! When will the eyes pop out?
Poob: Hehehe, just a little more.
5/4 Germination!
Hachibee: There it is!
Misha: It’s cute how the bean pieces stick together and come up to the surface.
5/11 Leaves open
Hachibee: It looks just like a butterfly that has landed on the ground.
5/18 Leaves begin to grow
Hachibee: The leaves are starting to get a little longer.
5/25 The buds open further
Misha: Quite a lot of leaves come out all at once, don’t they?
6/1 The stems grow longer and the leaves begin to grow lush.
Hachibee: It’s suddenly started growing really fast.
6/8 The leaves begin to grow.
Hachibee: Wow, it’s growing so fast! It’s just like Jack and the Beanstalk.
Poob: Hahaha, of course. Because they’re beans.
6/15 The grass is growing rapidly.ン伸びる
Misha: Wow, it’s growing so fast! It’s so satisfying to watch.
6/22 The vines grow, and the plants begin to grow taller.
Misha: This is turning into a complete Jack and the Beanstalk situation.
Poob: The vines are growing so fast, it’s about time to put up a net for them.
6/29 The vines are growing rapidly.
Hachibee: It’s growing incredibly fast. It’s growing so much that it’s practically spilling out of the net.
7/6 flowering
Hachibee: Whoa! I was overwhelmed by the power of the vines, but suddenly a flower bloomed here!
Misha: It’s shaped like a butterfly, like a typical legume flower.
Poob: They’re beans, you know. They’re such pretty colors, aren’t they?
7/13 The bean pods begin to grow.
Hachibee: Suddenly, from the tip of the flower that had finished blooming, a bean pod began to grow with a “boing!”
Misha: This is quite an unusual sight. It really does stretch out so suddenly.
7/20 The bean pods are formed.
Hachibei: This is amazing. I don’t even know what to compare it to to describe this!
7/27 The sheath gets even longer.
Poob: What do you think?
Hachibee: I see! And indeed, the length of a single cowpea pod seems to be about three feet (90 cm).
8/3 The bean pods are ripening.
Poob: And then the bean pod ripens, dries, and produces beans.
Misha: The waterfall is gradually turning sepia-toned. It’s such a divine sight.
2/18 Harvest!
Hachibee: The bean pods have completely lost all their moisture and are totally dried out.
Poob: And now it’s time to harvest. Yardlong beans have incredibly long pods, so the yield is enormous. Eat as much as you like.
Misha: The sight of the majestic bean pods swaying in the wind, as if the garden had turned into a green waterfall, and the bountiful harvest. Having Yardlong beans for a year was like having a theme park in the garden, and it was so much fun.
~A quick tip! Yardlong bean cultivation tips~
Cultivation difficulty：★★☆☆☆
If you plant them in the spring,
they’ll grow rapidly, and by summer your garden will be transformed into a theme park with a waterfall!
Once the vines start to grow, prepare stakes and netting as soon as possible!
