Thanks mauirose and silvia I have good news. I have seen several beans way up there. This bean's flowers are tiny white/yellow that is hard to detect. I was looking for some bright color flowers. Now it seems that more flowers are gettin ready. As I have said, too much nitrogen could not be the problem because I have them in 5 different locations. The ones that are fruiting now are the ones I have paid the most attention. In another location it is growing with cypress vine, Hyacinth pole beans, passiflora incarnata, trrumpet vine. Almost all of the rest in the gang have been flowering, exept for the trumpet vines which are very young. I think, as suggested, there might be a connection with the duration of daylight. O' Powder mildew on beans??? I have that problem with cukes, squash, melon, gourds(cucurbita). But I keep them at check point. I use neem oil and daconill (on gourds) cyrus

I forgot to add to the ingredients that I use chili paste, you can substitute for hot sauce or red pepper flakes, to taste and this ingredient is optional. Some people like it hot, others not. WT Your recipe sounds good too. Bon Appetit! Tom I have not tried the purple yard long beans yet. The red and the green that I have, I picked them when still thin, if you can see the seed it is too late. You can still peeled them and cook the seed or save it. I throw out the rest. Now when I start cooking I heat the pan first to hot, the highest setting on mine is 9, then I quickly add the oil and beans together with the garlic. I test that is hot putting my hand close to the pan and feeling the heat. So far, from all the people that I am sharing the beans with (they all loved them!) First time eaters of these beans, and they are not oriental :) Actually, Tom they are a lot like you.lol My neighbor is learning how to cook and he even lost weight as a bonus. We even shared desserts and homemade bread with them sometimes. I said to him "remember the book, one thousand places to see before you died?" Well. you are going to sample one thousand different foods.lol He did not say a word on the gourd that I gave him .lol Bihai I hope that you get to eat your yard long beans. I don't have the deer problem, so I am no expert. But I have seen in organic catalogs something to repel deer. Maybe you should try that. I used to see them, when I lived in Mass, they sure like some plants more than others. Silvia

I have grown several varieties of yardlong bean, and try at least one new variety each year. "Liana" is a black seeded yardlong with dark green pods. The vines are strong climbers, and need a tall trellis. It is the earliest by far, tolerates cooler temperatures, and has a very heavy yield. The pods are about 16"-18" long at their optimal (thin) stage. It has proven to be reliable here in Wisconsin, even in cool summers, and is my main yardlong crop. "Red Noodle" has a later maturity (at least at my Northern location), requires more heat, is a reluctant climber (requires training), and does not have the best yield. So why is it still one of my favorites? The color, for one thing; reddish-purple, and it loses little of its color when blanched or cooked lightly (as yardlongs should be). The color will turn bluish, but if a little vinegar is added, the color is restored to a burgundy red - and makes a beautiful sauce. I serve it alone as an attractive vegetable, with vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder as seasoning. It lends a beautiful color to Asian soups. The pods are fairly short for a yardlong (generally 12"-15") when harvested at the proper stage, which is before the seeds begin to bulge in the pods (pencil size or smaller). But the quality more than compensates for the smaller size. The texture is very firm, and the flavor is rich, almost nutty. Unlike most yardlongs, it is palatable raw, and makes an interesting addition to salads when picked very small. "Taiwan Black" is another black-seeded cultivar, with rampant vines and a heavy yield. This is probably the strongest climber of any of my yardlongs. The pods are pale green, somewhat wrinkled in appearance, and _very_ long - 24" or longer even when young! And you would need to pick them very young, at about 3/16" width, because they develop strings rapidly. During hot weather, the pods grow quickly, and require picking almost daily. The flavor is very delicate, milder than most yardlongs... but the pods are extremely sensitive to overcooking. If you are just starting out with yardlongs, this might not be the best choice... but the pods sure do earn bragging rights! I usually start my yardlongs as transplants; but if limas & cowpeas do well in your area, you should be able to direct-seed yardlongs at the same time. The vines seem to prefer to climb natural support, although well-rusted construction remesh works too. For me, to get the tallest vines (I use a 6&1/2 foot trellis), 15-18" between plants seems to be the optimal spacing. If you use shorter support, plant them more closely (perhaps 4-6" apart) to stunt the runners. "Red Noodle" (if crowded) can be grown trailing, much like some of the more unruly cowpeas.

I am trying to grow a seed crop for distribution to other seed savers of 3 varieties of long beans (Vigna unguiculata cultigroup Sesquipedalis). Many pix posted in Garden Galleries > Great Vegetables. Thus far I have successfully saved seeds from only one variety.. details below the questions. Hummingbirds still happily frequenting them wherever they are planted. They will leave first week October to migrate south again... 1) What is the coldest night temperatures at which these plants will mature quality seeds? We are about 6 weeks yet from frost, but we are now only 2 weeks from 50 degree nights, and I know these are considered tropical plants. 2) How many pods can I leave to ripen seeds and still get a vegetable harvest from these plants? I have an eager consumer for the Anna's Taiwan Green... I barter them for dinners in my friend's restaurant... This bean failed for 2 other growers (both Taiwan-born), so there is exceptional interest in my producing a crop of this favorite vegetable. Currently I am hiding ripening pods behind the foliage where they do not show when I send my friend internet photos of the wall of her beans.... More discussion: Thus far I have successfully saved seeds from only one variety.... Yardlong, Purple Pod. Most of these seeds I got from first bloom before the extreme heat and drought, but I am also bagging blossoms to ensure that all plants are well represented in my seed saving. During our month of 100+ degree heat, both purple varieties were blooming and setting pods but most of them were totally empty or had only a few seeds (2-3). The variety from the Philippines, considered day-length sensitive, is now blooming abundantly as the temperatures have dropped to 65 nites / 90 days and we near the equinox. The earlier bloom... apparently stress induced... succeeded mostly in causing me cross-pollination problems. I have hummingbird cross-pollination problems, and now a few bumblebees as well, so I am bagging scores of blossoms daily against these bigger nectar feeders. Another variety, Anna's Taiwan Green, was planted later and is just now blooming. I consider it isolation planted, as it is 150 yards from the purple varieties, separated by buildings, low trees, and a bamboo grove... and theoretically in a different hummingbird territory. The hummingbirds begin at dawn in this area with blossoms of okra, longbeans, and bitter melon, plus still some trumpet vine in uncleared areas. They got lucky... Those visiting the purple pod beans are adding them to a floral menu of maypops (Passiflora incarnata), a few wild morning glories, and blooms of cherry tomatoes and lima beans. Thanks for your assistance. I have posted... Under Forum "Beans, Peas, and Legumes"... a further discussion of problems growing these beans this year in Arkansas. They have failed for 2 Taiwan-born gardeners... and my own beginner's experience suggests they may have somewhat limited soil fertility preferences, plus I am unsure of water requirements.