Legumes
Yardlong bean
A heat-loving climbing cowpea selected for very long edible pods.
Sowing & planting windows in Australia
Planting timing varies by broad Australian gardening zone. Local weather, unusual seasons and your garden’s microclimate can shift timing.
Cool
Sow · Jan,Oct-Dec
Core months: January, October, November, December
Temperate
Sow · Jan-Feb,Sep-Dec
Core months: January, February, September, October, November, December
Subtropical
Sow · Jan-Apr,Aug-Dec
Core months: January, February, March, April, August, September, October, November, December
Tropical
Sow · Feb-Oct
Core months: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Arid
Sow · Jan-Feb,Sep-Dec
Core months: January, February, September, October, November, December
Getting started
Sow seed in the recorded window into warm soil, preferably where the plant will grow. If using containers, transplant young plants carefully before they become root-bound.
The right conditions
Give full sun, warmth, a wind-sheltered trellis and freely draining soil enriched with compost. Avoid cold, waterlogged ground.
As it grows
Install a tall sturdy support at sowing, guide young vines onto it and keep moisture even during flowering and pod fill.
Ready to harvest
Pick long pods young and flexible before the seed bulges strongly. Older pods become fibrous; dry seed is a separate cooked use.
Important cautions
This timing is for Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis, not French or common climbing beans. Cook mature dry beans thoroughly.
Related how-to guides
Choose supports for peas, beans and other climbers
Identify the growth habit.
Plant guidance: P11b Wave 2 propagation, safety and plant-specific guide audit. Planting windows are a guide rather than a rule.