Vigna Asparagus Beans, Seeds, Soil Preparation

Varieties and features of growing asparagus beans

In the Kuban people this amazing plant is called "Cowpea". In this note, we will focus on the cowpea. Vigna is an annual herb of bushy, semi-bushy, creeping and climbing forms. The leaves are large, three-lobed. The flowers and beans are paired. Pods are light green with reddish spots, narrow and long, very tender at a young age.

This type of asparagus bean comes from Central Africa. In vegetable growing, varieties of cowpea are used with fleshy asparagus beans reaching a meter in length. It is widely cultivated in countries with hot climates, and in recent years it has been gaining popularity among gardeners in our country. This is one of the most productive legumes. Juicy young cowpea blades with pulp filling all the space between the valves are harvested when the seeds in the beans do not exceed the size of a wheat grain.

Cowpea beans and seeds are highly nutritious and a dietary product. They contain a lot of protein (up to 28%) and starch (47%). Green beans, in addition to a large amount of protein, contain vitamins A, B, C, mineral salts of calcium, iron and other substances necessary for the human body.

Vigna has healing properties. It is recommended as a dietary product in the treatment of liver and gallbladder diseases, as well as acute infectious diseases, diseases of the central nervous system. Puree from it is prescribed for gastritis in patients with low stomach acidity. A decoction of beans is used for kidney and bladder diseases, hypertension, heart weakness and edema, chronic rheumatism, gout, diabetes mellitus - alone or in numerous collections of medicinal plants. Green bean juice affects carbohydrate metabolism.

Seeds in different varieties of cowpea - from kidney to round shape, in a pod there are from 9 to 28 seeds. Its early varieties are usually bushy, the late ones are curly and the most productive. Young beans of early bush forms of cowpea are 6-12 cm long. These are the varieties Mash, Adzuki, Bikontorta, Koreiskaya, Katyang, Lenkomeles, Feya; semi-bush varieties - Darla, Induytsilata, Makaretti, Yar-Long - fruits 30-40 cm long; curly varieties - Countess, Long-fruited black, Chinese, Red Sed, Japanese liana; their beans reach a length of 60 to 100 cm. Vigna is a more thermophilic plant than other legumes. Its seedlings do not tolerate not only frosts, but also short-term drops in temperature. Seeds begin to germinate at 15 … 17 ° C, therefore, in the central and northern regions of Russia, it is advisable to grow it through seedlings. Vigna is drought-resistant,it tolerates atmospheric drought, is undemanding to light and withstands shade well. Curly varieties of cowpea are best grown on high arches, tunnels, pyramids, vertical trellises. There are no zoned varieties of cowpea. The best predecessors of cowpea are cucumbers, cabbage, tomato, potatoes.

When preparing the soil in the fall for digging 1 m? the soil is applied in 2-3 kg of organic fertilizers, 30 g of superphosphate, 20 g of potash fertilizers, and in the spring, 10-20 g of urea is added for digging. Before sowing, cowpea seeds should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes, then rinsed thoroughly with water. They are sown in well-heated soil, seeding them to a depth of 4-5 cm. They are sown in rows with a width of 80 cm between them, between plants in a row of 60-70 cm. When growing by the seedling method, thirty-day seedlings should be planted when the threat of frost return has passed. Caring for plants consists in weeding rows, loosening row spacings, watering. It is especially important to water during budding and when ovaries appear, as a lack of moisture can cause buds to fall off. At the same time, feeding is carried out,introducing 10-15 g of superphosphate, 5 g of potassium chloride or 1 kg of humus diluted in water 1: 1 per 1 m2.

The collection of beans begins 70 days after sowing the seeds in the ground and 35-40 days after planting the seedlings. The green shoulder blades (beans) are harvested as they form for 30-45 days. On seed plants, the beans are left until the seeds are fully ripe. The collected cowpea seeds are well dried and poured into canvas bags, having previously seasoned them well with bay leaves for the prevention of bean weevil. After all, this beetle during storage can completely ruin the entire seed stock of cowpea. And the smell of bay leaves protects seeds from caryopsis.

For those wishing to grow this interesting vegetable crop, I can offer seeds of the above varieties of cowpea, as well as many other types of beans, peas, and rare garden plants. I will send a catalog for orders. I expect from you a self-addressed envelope plus one clean one. Write: Brizhan Valery Ivanovich: st. Kommunarov, 6, Art. Chelbasskaya, Kanevsky district, Krasnodar Territory 353715.