Prepare Soil For Beans Farming in Garden Farm | Aplus Farms

Large vegetable New Guinea bean doesn't get any prizes for accuracy as this curious vegetable isn't from New Guinea and, although its long and green, it isn't a bean. Its origins are a long way from New Guinea and lie in Africa and, if it isn't a bean, what is it?

New Guinea bean is a type of gourd, so is related to cucumber and zucchini with its flavour somewhere between the two, although who ever named it bean possibly thought it had a bean-like taste. It is a plant that does best in a tropical or subtropical climate where it grows year round, but it can be grown anywhere with a long hot summer. It's not frost tolerant, so the first and last frosts limit its growing period. 

Growing New Guina Beans Farming

• New Guinea bean is a very big plant in size and in its crop. 
• It grows as a vine that spreads over a large area but also produces very large fruit. 
• The edible gourds, which can get to a metre or more in length, can weigh 2.5 - 5kg each and have white flesh. 
• Don't let the fruit get this big, though, as it isn't very palatable. 

It's better to harvesting the "beans" when they are about zucchini size and certainly less than half their mature size.

Harvesting New Guina Beans Farming

• To get started, plant seeds in spring to grow over a strong support such as a sunny pergola or a fence.
• It can also be allowed to grow across the ground. 
• To avoid damage to the growth, select a growing position that's sheltered from strong winds.
• A clever use for New Guinea bean is for summer shade by training it over a pergola. 
• Once the frost or cold weather arrives, it dies back to let the sun shine through. 
• Sow seeds at least 30cm apart. 
• In cold climates, sow the seed in a deep container such as a tube then plant out after all threat of frost has gone. 
• Sow seeds around 2.5cm deep. 
• Keep the soil or seed-raising mix moist until the seed germinates. 
• Before planting, dig in additional organic matter to feed all that vigorous growth. 
• New Guinea bean grows rapidly and soon starts to produce white, scented flowers. 

Planting Tips For Beginners :

1. Each female flower can form a gourd. 
2. If the gourd can hang down (for example from a pergola), it will be long and straight and look very impressive. 
3. Gourds produced by vines growing across the ground or on a fence may develop a curved or bent shape. 
4. The fruit is treated much like zucchini as it's eaten raw or cooked into stir-fries or curries. 
5. It's even delicious grated and added to quiches and cakes. 
6. It is high in vitamins C and B as well as iron and is low in calories.

Planting Tips & Tricks :

Left to mature and dry, New Guinea bean can oe decorated like an ornamental gourd and used as a musical instrument or as a decoration. 

Scientific New Guina Bean

• Common names: New guina bean, calabash ground, cucuzini
• Botanical name: lagenaria siceraria 
• Family: Cucurbaceae 
• Aspect & soil: Full sun; well-drained soil 
• Best climate: Subtropics, temperate, Mediterranean 
• Habit: Annual vine 
• Propagation: Seed, cuttings 
• Difficulty: Easy