With a length of about one foot, the yardlong bean is among the longest bean pods.

This particular type of beans goes by several names including asparagus beans and Chinese beans.

You might think the yard long beans is just a really long variety of green beans when you look at it, but the yard long bean is one out of the many diverse cultivars of cowpea(Vigna unguiculata)

These beans are grown in parts of Africa and Asia especially in regions where the temperature is warm and suitable for their plants.

Just like green beans, the asparagus beans or yard long can be used for cooking while their pods are still green and immature. These long beans are also used in recipes very much like green beans

This post discusses the yardlong beans and highlights the differences between green beans and yardlong beans.

They are distributed into different genera

Legumes are so diverse, with so many different members including cowpeas, common beans, and soybeans

Green beans are a product of the common beans(phaseolus lunatus) harvested while they are still immature. Green bean pods are gotten from several selected varieties of common beans.

The yardlong beans are cowpeas(Vigna unguiculata); other cowpeas that you may know of include the black-eyed beans.

Therefore, the yardlong beans are more closely related to the black-eyed beans than green beans taxonomically.

A massive difference in length

We’ve already mentioned that the pods of the yard long beans are very long. But how long are they compared to green beans?

They have incredibly long pods reaching up to a foot and a half long or lengths of 30 to 90 cm.  In contrast, green beans can reach lengths of about 12cm

This means the yard long beans pods could be more than five times longer than green beans.

Also, there are about 8 to 20 bean seeds contained in the incredibly long pods of the yard long beans.

Their pods

The yardlong beans have edible pods just like the green beans pods.

The pods of the yardlong beans are smooth. They may also be linear, curved, or coiled.

Yardlong beans are usually pale green in color. There are also brown and purple types of this type of beans.

Green bean pods are smooth, long, and slender.

Optimum temperature for planting

Yardlong beans are planted during the warm summers. They grow best within this range of temperature.

It is usually grown in Africa and some parts of Asia where the temperature is good for cultivating yardlong beans on a commercial scale.

Green beans also prefer warm temperatures which are between the range of 65 degrees Fahrenheit and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

However, green beans can be grown within a much wider range of temperatures than yardlong bean

Other features of their plants

Yardlong bean plants are a climbing variety of cowpea; this means that their plants require support.

The common beans plant could be either of a bush beans or pole beans variety.

Both plants have nitrogen-fixing capacities and can be used to improve soil quality.

The taste

Green beans and yardlong beans have a sweet taste, although yardlong beans have a stronger flavor than green beans.

Some people say they taste like asparagus, which is why they are sometimes known as asparagus beans.

Use

Yard long beans are used very much like the green beans in recipes.

Just like green beans, the bean seeds of yardlong beans are eaten together with their pods.

Their could be used in stir-fry dishes and their pods are usually cut into smaller sections.

Nutrition

The nutrient profile of green beans and yardlong beans are quite alike.

Green beans are known for being low in calories but packed with several important nutrients.

Yard long beans are low in calories as well, and they also contain vitamins and minerals.

These beans are rich in protein, vitamins C, iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

Summary

Yardlong beans are very much like green beans although they are from a different genus.

They have green pods like the green bean and are used in recipes the same way.

However, the length of the yardlong beans which reaches a length of up to a foot and the half can be used to distinguish them from each other.