Psophocarpus tetragonolobus

Heirloom.  A tropical legume plant native to New Guinea, also known as dragon bean, goa bean and four angled bean. The beans have four ruffled-edged wings running lengthwise down the pods and the plant grows as a vine, reaching over 9 feet. Every part of the plant is edible; the beans ( harvest at 1-3”), leaves (cooked like spinach), seeds (dried like flour) and the roots, which are similar to potatoes. Optimum growing conditions for the Winged Bean are hot and humid weather. Day-length neutral.    

10 seeds  

PLANTING

Germination: 10-21 days. For the best germination pre-sprout seeds by soaking in water for 24 hours, until seed in swollen. Scarifying/nicking the seed coat along with soaking can also aid germination. Sow into a pot or put in a plastic bag with a small amount of soil-less mix until it sprouts. Keep at optimum temperature until it is sprouted. Plant when seed sprouts.

Germination Temperature: Optimum soil temperatures 77-85 degrees F.

Seed Sowing Depth: 1/2” deep

Outside Sowing: Only in warm climates with long growing season.

Starting Indoors: 4-5 weeks before last frost. Provide 77-85 degree F soil temperature for optimum germination. Transplant out after last frost, 12” apart.

How much does a packet plant: 5-10 foot single row

Harvest: Start harvesting pods at 1-2” up to 3-4”, they become stringy and tough as they grow larger. All parts are edible; pods, beans, leaves and shoots, tubers, and flowers.

Tips: Grows best in rich, sandy loam.Train to grow vertically, keep soil moist and fertilize sparingly. Needs warm night temperatures for best production, use frost/row cover later in the season, especially in northern climates. When pruned off after the 12th leave the WInged Bean is said to produce more shoots, resulting in more pods.