How to Grow Adzuki Beans : Care and Harvest

The Adzuki Beans are fairly easy to grow, although it will require a long season. Therefore, you must start to plant them indoors on short season climates. Growing the beans in your garden can help you to harvest its health benefits and add more interest in your dinner menu.

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The beans are a type of ancient Asian legumes. They are commonly grown as pulse, dried bean and also used fresh. Furthermore, they have been cultivated for various centuries in Japan and China, as well as other Eastern countries. The nutrition content of these beans consists mainly of loads of fiber and vitamins, and as such, they are a popular choice of beans to grow at home.

Propagation

The Adzuki Beans can grow easily from Adzuki bean seeds and it is available in many varieties. Consider choosing a variety that is in accordance to your zone as well as in your growing conditions.

Being a long season plant, Adzuki will also require a total of 120 days from the day you sow them until harvest. In some climates where the beans cannot be possibly grown outdoors, the beans must first be planted in a container indoors. The beans can fix nitrogen, although they would require inoculation with rhizobacteria.

Planting Adzuki Beans

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The plants cannot tolerate transplanting well. As a result, the Adzuki bean seeds must first be grown in compostable containers. You can then plant the containers directly in the ground. The beans should be planted about an inch deep and must be four inches apart. Thin the beans up to 18 inches apart once the plants are about two inches tall.

You must wait until the last frost is over before planning. The soil temperature must not be more than 60 degree Fahrenheit before sowing and planting the beans. Consider using a soil thermometer. It should be put up to two inches into the soil to get a good reading. The temperature must be consistent for several days before you can begin planting.

Also Read: How to Grow Ginger in Pots

Requirements for Growing Adzuki Beans

Adzuki Bean Seeds Adzuki Beans Growing Adzuki Beans

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Make sure that you’re in a place with USDA Zone 4 and above. As mentioned, the ideal temperature should be from 60 to 90 degree Fahrenheit. In essence, growing the Adzuki is like growing soybeans.

Adzuki beans must be grown in a neutral soil. The soil should be drained well. It must be loose and filled with organic matter.

Growing the Adzuki requires lots of sun. Planting must be done in the sunny areas of your garden. Keep the soil moist, while the foliage should be as dry as possible.

Adzuki Beans Care

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Caring for the Adzuki beans is as easy as growing them. Fertilize the beans with a garden compost. Do not use nitrogen rich fertilizers, in the same way you would with other legumes. This will encourage the production of foliage instead of pods.

The beans germinate slowly and this will encourage the growth of weeds. The weeds tend to thrive in the Adzuki field. When growing Adzuki beans, it is recommended to weed them regularly. Remove all unwanted plants in the garden. Mulching must be done in order to minimize the growth of weeds.

Weed with a hoe or by hand. Do this delicately, seven to ten days after planting, when the seedlings are leafed out. This will give the beans enough head start, which also allows them to shade out many weeds when the plant begin to mature.

Crop rotation is also recommended for the beans. So rotate the plants after every three years in order to avoid the depletion of the nutrients in the soil.

Harvesting

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You can harvest the pods once they turn green. You can also wait until they become dry and tan. Hull the beans to begin harvesting the seeds. The most important part of caring for the beans is to grow them in well-drained soil. The plants require consistent moisture although they cannot abide with boggy soils.

Harvest the beans after about 60 days. If you wanted to eat them green, then harvest them right away. But if you want them dried, then leave the pods attached in the plant until it dries out. This should take up to 60 days and even more. Production of seedpods will falter if the temperature will reach more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Young Adzuki pods can be harvested early. You can use them as much as you can, in the same way you do with the snap peas. One of the most common uses is to wait for the seed to pop and split. Then you can harvest the dried seeds.

Using Adzuki Beans

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It has been found that the Adzuki beans are filled with many nutrients. As a matter of fact, it contains about 25% of protein. The beans also contain folates, as well as Vitamin A and B. It is also rich in minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and manganese. Indeed, the beans are nutritional powerhouse.

Another popular use of the Adzuki is as sprouts. This is through the use of sprouter or strainer. Rinse the beans two times each day and leave them in clean water every time. After only 24 hours, you will already have fresh edible sprouts.

Dried Adzuki beans can also be saved up to one year. It is estimated that about 20 to 24 beans can feed a family of four in a season. This might sound like a lot. However, the seeds are actually easy to store for all year round. The shelled beans must be stored in an airtight container. The container should be placed in a cool and dry location until it is ready to consume.

The plants can also help to enrich the soil if they are worked in right at the end of the growing season. The plant can also be intercropped in order to save more space and provide for a diversity of more crops.

Green or dried Adzuki beans are also used for cooking in various ways. It can be used as additive to salads and soups. It is added as vegetables to certain dishes and it is being made to flour.

For Oriental cuisines, the Adzuki beans are being boiled in the mixture of water and sugar. This will produce a popular food known as the red bean paste.

Also Read: How to Grow Chickpeas

Adzuki Properties and Benefits

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If you are growing Adzuki beans, then you should know what are the benefits that you can get out of them.

First off, the beans contain 336 calories for every 100 grams of the beans. These nutrient enrich beans have up to 65% of carbohydrates. It also has 22% protein and .3% of fats.

The beans are also hailed as an excellent therapeutic agent to treat all kinds of kidney ailments. The beans help to strengthen the overall functioning of the adrenal gland and kidney. Consuming the beans can also help to detoxify the body and minimize swelling.

The beans also contains huge amount of high quality protein. It has almost all kinds of amino acids except for tryptophan. They can also serve as a meat substitute, which makes them an ideal vegetable for vegetarians.

The beans are filled with so much iron. They are anti-anemic and help to improve vigor. They also provide enough calcium that your body needs and helps in weight loss.

With the various benefits of Adzuki, it’s no wonder why a lot of people would choose to grow this plant. So if you’re thinking of growing vegetables in your garden, then choose the Adzuki beans.