Asparagus beans: cultivation and care in the open field with a photo

Asparagus (green) beans gained recognition much later than other varieties. Now it is very popular in cooking. The pods of this culture do not contain coarse fibers, therefore they are used whole. The care and cultivation of asparagus beans is practically no different from other varieties, but there are still some features.

Description of popular varieties and existing varieties

String bean is an annual variety. It is characterized by curly leaves and bivalve beans, in the middle of which are large beans. The fruits are blocked by spongy flaps, which soften when cooked.Green beans are a storehouse of useful components, among which protein is the leader.

Culture does not require much light. For a plentiful harvest, 12 hours of daylight is sufficient. Leguminous varieties self-pollinate, so several species can be grown on one site at once.

Asparagus beans are curly and bushy, early-, mid- and late-ripening.

Cereal varieties are meant to be eaten only with grains as their shells are too hard. Such varieties are to be grown in a warm climate; they do not ripen in the middle lane. The most popular varieties of grain beans are:

Chocolate girl. Mid-season plants that reach a height of about 1 meter. The culture is characterized by long yellow fruits.
Ballad. Mid-ripening beans that are resistant to dry weather. When ripe, light yellow fruits with small purple spots are formed. The value of this variety is that it contains the maximum amount of protein in its composition.
Ruby. Also a mid-season variety. Characterized by burgundy beans and narrow pods.

Asparagus beans are usually eaten whole. This distinguishes it from peeling varieties, which are unsuitable for whole use due to the content of the parchment layer. Many gourmets consider green beans to be the variety with the highest palatability. Most often, the following varieties of asparagus crops are planted in Russia:

Crane. A cultivar characterized by compact bushes and lint-free pods with a delicate flavor.
Oil King. Fast ripening culture with delicate taste.
Hell Rem. Climbing bushes with soft pink fruits that taste like mushrooms.

These varieties are also known for their ability to remove excess fluid from the body.

How to choose a variety

Which variety to prefer depends on individual desires and climatic conditions. In mid-latitudes, for example, early and mid-season varieties are grown. No more than 130 days are given for the ripening of varieties of late ripeness.

Curly are characterized by long pods. They are planted not only to get a good yield, but also to decorate the site. This is due to the fact that the plants have decorative beautiful flowers and flexible stems that will become a real decoration of any structure.

Bush varieties are characterized by small fruits that are not suitable for eating. First of all, bush beans are planted as green manure to enrich the soil with nitrogen.

In a temperate climate, gardeners prefer to grow these varieties of asparagus beans:

Oil King.
Panther.
Sax.
Purple Queen.

These varieties are characterized by unpretentious soil and care.

Seed pretreatment

Before planting seeds of asparagus beans, pre-sowing preparation is carried out, namely:

carefully sort out the grains, removing bad and damaged ones;
soaked for 12 hours in water at room temperature;
before sowing, the grains are dipped in a weak solution of boric acid for several minutes.

Terms and technology of sowing

Culture does not require any special features of sowing. Asparagus beans are planted in soil warmed up to at least 10 degrees.In this case, night frosts should completely stop. As a rule, this is the middle-end of May. For better germination, the seeds are pre-soaked in water. Some gardeners use a weak solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect the material.

Pay attention! If the soil is sufficiently moist when planting the seeds, there is no need to soak them.

To increase disease resistance, grains are soaked in an aqueous solution of boric acid before planting. Then the seeds are lowered into the holes made, the depth of which is from 3 to 5 cm. For bushy varieties, 10 cm are left in one furrow, and 30 cm between the recesses. Hybrid climbing varieties should be at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other, while the distance between rows should not be less than 0.5 m.

Seat and its preparation

The preparation of the soil for asparagus beans has been done since autumn. No special effort is required for this. Apply standard soil digging and fertilization. Superphosphate, potassium chloride or humus can be used as the latter.

On the eve of planting, the site is subject to re-digging. In the case of increased viscosity of the soil, gardeners add a little sand to it. Before planting beans, the ground is fluffed with a rake.

Planting asparagus beans in the open field involves the mandatory disinfection of the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Growing methods

How to grow a crop depends on the characteristics of the variety. Bush varieties with a strong stem are planted in rows, the distance between which is at least 20 cm. A staggered planting order is also allowed. Curly beans with liana stalk require pre-installation of support.

You can also plant beans in seedlings. But in this case, it is important to make sure that there will be no more frosts. Seedling seedlings are planted in the ground only after full onset of heat, otherwise all plants will die.

At home

Growing beans on a windowsill is a less common way. Early varieties are perfect for this purpose. Curly varieties of asparagus beans will also become a decoration in the house, because in their external characteristics they resemble a liana. And during the flowering period, when purple, white or pink inflorescences appear on them, these plants surpass even the most decorative flowers.

To grow a good crop on a windowsill, you need fertile soil. Bush crop varieties should be grown in pots with a volume of at least two liters. For curly species, you will need large containers, with a volume of at least 30 liters. Sowing is carried out with both dry and germinated seeds.

Since the bean is a light-loving plant, it is recommended to place containers with plants on the south side. Lack of sunlight can negatively affect the growth of crops and, as a result, the harvest.Also, do not forget about timely support. Otherwise, the full growth of plants is impossible.

In the greenhouse

In regions with a cold climate, greenhouse cultivation of beans is most often practiced. This is especially true for climbing varieties, as they require less space. Greenhouse planting of beans is carried out in late February - early March. Initially, strong strings are pulled along the rows, which will serve as a support for the plants, then soil is poured into the racks.

If planting in February, additional lighting should be installed in greenhouses, as beans require at least 12 hours of daylight hours.

Open ground

Beans are one of the most heat-loving plants that simply cannot survive in low temperatures. Therefore, planting a crop in the garden is advisable only after the onset of stable heat.If the soil on the site is of poor quality, then in the spring it is fertilized with nitrogen compounds, for example, ammonium nitrate.

Developed root system contributes to the fact that plants tolerate drought well. However, prolonged lack of moisture is also not recommended. What green beans don't like is too much moisture.

When planting deep, it will take longer to wait for seedlings, while their root system will develop worse. Therefore, the planting depth should not exceed 5 cm.

Care Tips

Spear beans are very sensitive to cold. If there is even the slightest threat of frost, the planted area must be covered with a special film. To achieve a good harvest, you need to properly care for the crop. Carry out weeding, loosening, watering, fertilizing.

Irrigation

Immediately after planting, asparagus crops are watered once every 2 days. When the first shoots appear, irrigation is carried out as the soil dries. It is important to supply moisture to the very root, watering is best done at the end of the day, when the sun is nearing sunset.

Experienced gardeners use a simple technique to moisten. To do this, a quarter of the barrel is filled with freshly picked weeds and filled with water. A week later, the culture is watered with such a solution, dissolving it in settled water (for 1 bucket of water - 1 liter of solution).

Weeding and loosening

These procedures are required for any garden crop. First of all, it is necessary to monitor and remove weeds in time, which drown out the growth of the crop. Weeding and loosening is carried out after each soil moisture, until the plants reach 10 cm.

The first loosening of the soil is necessary when the sprouts reach a height of 7 cm.

Support

Strong support is essential for climbing legumes. Its height should not be less than 1.5 cm. A special wire is pulled onto the support from above, which will later guide the plants in the right direction.

Curly arrows that shoot out are also directed to the support, after which they themselves twist around it.

Pinch shoots

After the plants reach a height of 10 cm, they are spudded. Thus, their root system is strengthened and nutrition is improved. After the plants gain a height of 2 m, they pinch the top. This is a must to conserve nutrients for a bountiful harvest.

Feeding

Most gardeners use cow dung as fertilizer. They can be used to mulch the soil or spray plants, after dissolving in water.

After the formation of the first leaves on the plants, superphosphate top dressing is necessary. At the same time, chemical compounds are also used, but if possible, it is better to refuse them or replace them with organic fertilizers.

After the formation of buds, you can fertilize with potassium s alt. It accelerates the photosynthesis of plants and increases their resistance to pathogenic microorganisms.

Pay attention! It is strongly not recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizers at the flowering stage. They provoke abundant growth of greenery, which leads to a deterioration in yields.

Harvesting

Beans are among those crops whose fruits ripen in stages. It bears fruit before the first frost. It is important not to allow the fruits to overripe, otherwise they will harden.

2-3 weeks after flowering, ovaries appear on asparagus beans, and after another 10 days, gardeners get their first harvest. As mentioned above, this variety of legumes is characterized by selective harvesting of ripe pods.

If the fruits of the culture are overripe, do not pick them, as they will not have high taste characteristics. In this case, they are left to dry and harvested for seed.

Storing green beans is as easy as harvesting. After harvesting, the pods are sent for drying, after which the grains are removed from them. The crop is stored in two ways: in tightly closed glass jars at room temperature or frozen in the freezer.

Diseases and pests - prevention and treatment

Unfortunately, beans are subject to the negative effects of many pests and diseases. In order to grow a bountiful harvest, it is important to follow preventive measures. This is the standard preparation of seeds for planting, the selection of good and fresh seed grains. After harvesting, the site is thoroughly cleaned of plant residues, including their rhizomes.To do this, it is plowed or dug deep with a shovel. At the time of digging, the soil is fed with potassium or phosphorus.

Such actions will help reduce the likelihood of defeats, but are not a guarantee of their complete absence.

Most often, asparagus beans are affected by fungi, garden insects and viral diseases. As a result, the root system of plants begins to rot. The list of the most common bean diseases includes:

white rot;
aphid;
powdery mildew.

Culture can also be affected by anthracnose and mosaic.

To reduce the likelihood of powdery mildew damage to plants, the seeds are soaked in special preparations before planting, which increase their resistance. It is necessary to plant a crop under favorable weather conditions.The collected seeds are steamed with warm air before storage.

Before the bean pods crack, they must be harvested to prevent insects from infesting them. If small bugs have already started, then the collected beans are determined for several days in the freezer or steamed in a water bath.

During the growing season, asparagus beans can be treated with agrochemicals, but not more than 1 time. To prevent such treatment from causing harm in the future, plants are irrigated with broad-spectrum biocompounds before the procedure.

If purchased seeds are used for planting, you need to carefully consider their choice. First of all, pay attention to their resistance to viral and fungal diseases. The manufacturer indicates this information on the packaging.