Adzuki Bush Bean

Seed Count: Approx. 15 Seeds

Days to Maturity: 90-120 days

Bush variety, Snap/Dry bean

Description:  The Adzuki Bean is mainly grown to be used as a dry bean, and is pretty popular in East Asian cuisine.  These sweet, and nutty versatile beans are low in fat, and highly nutritious.  This beautiful, burgundy, creamy bean is used to make sweet delectable fillings for desserts, like donuts and mochi.  It can also be used to make soups, and porridges.  My favorite thing to make with Adzuki Beans is Patjuk, 팥죽, which is a Korean red bean porridge.  Fresh green pods can be harvested for fresh eating, but this bean is mainly harvested when matured and dried.  These short bush plants do not require trellising, but might benefit from staking if they get too heavy.  This variety requires a long growing season in order to harvest for dry beans.

How To Grow

Sowing:  Sow in average soil, in a sunny location, after the soil has warmed, as seeds may rot in cooler soils. Sow seeds 3 inches apart, in rows 24 inches apart, and cover with 1 inch of soil. Seedlings emerge in 10-14 days depending on soil and weather conditions. Thin to 12 inches apart when seedlings are 1-2" high.  Beans do great companion planted with beets, carrots, and cucumbers.  However, avoid growing near all members of the allium family, and sunflowers.

Growing:  In dry weather, keep soil well watered. Plants need about 1 inch of rain per week during the growing season. Make sure foliage has time to dry in order to reduce disease.  Do know that this plant can get scorched with intense heat.  These beans grow in a bush habit with short runners, and shouldn't need support.  However, you can support them if they grow too heavy for themselves.

Harvesting:  To harvest, pick pods when young and tender for the best taste and tenderness. Check vines often since this is a very productive plant.  By picking often, you are encouraging more bean production. Fresh beans are best used immediately, but will keep in the fridge for several days. To save seeds or harvest dry beans, allow the pods to mature fully and dry on the vine. If frost or rainy weather threatens before your beans are dry, pull the plants and allow them to dry indoors. They should be completely dry 10-15 days later. Remove the seeds from the pods by hand, and store the seeds in a cool, dry place for up to 3 years. These beans will also freeze well, if blanched first.