I have three Vigna varieties in my collection—Japanese, Chinese, and Korean—along with two types of common beans. I won’t focus on the common beans; I’ll stick to Vigna. The Japanese Vigna is a vigorous climber that can reach up to 16 feet, and it needs support to grow. Its pods can reach about 3 feet long, and the yield is roughly 6.6 pounds per plant. The Chinese Vigna is similar in habit and height but produces shorter pods, up to 20 inches, with a lower yield of about 4.4 pounds per plant. The Korean Vigna is a bush variety that keeps producing until the first frost. You can use Vigna the same way you use regular beans.
I also grow ornamental beans that bloom with bright red flowers all summer and produce large seeds. These are perfect for trellises—let them brighten your space. The house I live in stands out because of those decorative beans. I also grow an orange bush bean that can produce up to three harvests of green pods a year in Dagestan’s climate.
