Last Updated on August 16, 2022 by Real Men Sow
The popular legume adzuki beans in your garden are found in Japan, China, and Korea. Red mung beans are also known as Adzuki beans. They can be found wild in East Asia. The Adzuki beans are an unusual plant rarely found in European gardens and make for a stunning specimen in your garden.
Adzuki beans are very easy to grow. They also perform well in containers, which grow vertically. With the right preparation, these delicious and exotic red beans will grow well in your garden.
What Are Adzuki Beans?
The Adzuki bean is an Asian annual vining plant. The origins of this bean have been lost to time, but it has been cultivated so extensively that it is still being cultivated today. Only soybeans are grown in East Asia today.
Adzuki bean plants are bushy and approximately two feet tall. The bean pods are smooth and grow from clusters of bright yellow flowers. Adzuki beans are often deep red, but you can also find mottled beans in gray, white, and brown.
Sweetened Asian red bean paste, used to fill or top Asian desserts, is one of the most popular and delicious uses for adzuki beans. The delicious taste of adzuki beans results from their high nutrition and manageable growth.
How to Grow Adzuki Beans in your Garden
They may be available in some supermarkets’ Asian sections. Growing fresh adzuki beans is the best way for you to taste this ancient legume.
It is easy to grow adzuki beans. You can achieve great results by knowing the best conditions to grow adzuki bean plants.
Starting Seeds of Adzuki Beans
The mature bean is the seed of an adzuki bean plant. As with many legume species, adzuki bean seeds germinate quickly once the temperatures rise. For several days, gardeners can sow directly in the garden if the soil temperature is at least 60 degrees. Frost has passed. When seeds are sown in the garden, they germinate within 6 to 20 days.
Starting Adzuki Bean Seeds Indoors
Start indoors with adzuki beans seeds to get ahead of the season. Start your seeds two to three weeks before the last frost in the region. Use a knife, a file, or a piece of sandpaper to scratch the seed hull gently. Next, place the beans in a shallow saucepan of water. Allow the beans to soak for up to four hours before placing them in a shallow pan of water.
Place the seeds pots on a germinating tray and heat the soil to 70-75 degrees. Your adzuki seed will start to sprout in ten days. Once the soil has warmed up, they will be ready to go into the garden. Because the roots of adzuki beans are fragile, it would be a good idea not to attempt to transplant them. You can use a starter pot to plant the adzuki beans seedling.
Where Can I Buy Them?
You can find Adzuki beans in most stores. Although these beans can be sprouted, they will not grow to their full potential.
The best way to ensure your garden is successful is to purchase adzuki beans and plant seeds from a reputable company or young plants at your local garden center. A seed company also allows you to select the exact adzuki bean varieties you desire.
Types of Adzuki Beans in your Garden
- Takara: The most popular variety in the U.S. These medium beans can be used for baking or confectionery.
- Hokkaido is very early and can tolerate both wet and cool temperatures.
- Wase: small, early-maturing variety that’s great for sweets and soups.
