I’ve never grown these before. Never seen them in the grocery store. Never (knowingly!) eaten them. But I was reading articles about crops that can be planted in late winter/early spring and these figured quite prominently. Apparently, in some parts of the world they’re a diet staple. And with good reason. A protein source that can be grown in the cooler months is rare. Most beans need the warmth of summer to grow and mature. A bean that thrives in cooler temps frees up garden space in the summer when everything else is growing.
One of the articles I read encouraged gardeners to plant these “extra early.” I planted them in containers in my zone 7A garden on February 17 (after soaking them the night before). The weather was still quite wintry so I threw some plastic sheeting over them for warmth. They didn’t sprout until March 10. I don’t know if this is because I planted them too early or if they always take that long to sprout. At any rate, they’re all up now.
Apparently they can be harvested at several different points in the growth cycle but I don’t know what those points are yet or which one I’ll choose. Or if I’ll be able to identify those growth cycle points when its time to choose. That won’t be an issue for at least 2 months. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Growing something new is fun!