What Is the Expected Yield Per Plant on Dragon Beans?

Yield Planning

• A yield of 1/3 to 1 pound is relatively large compared to other heirloom bean cultivars, although it is still somewhat small when compared with many modern varieties. You'll need five plants to feed a single person during the year and the plants require approximately 6 square-inches of space, so prepare a garden bed large enough to accommodate the number of plants required to feed each person in the household.

Growing Conditions

• As with most beans, Dragon Tongue beans perform best in a sunny bed with rich, fast-draining soil. They are thirsty plants and require 1 inch of water each week during the growing season to produce flowers and pods. Extra water may be required during extreme heat, particularly if the plant shows signs of stress. As bush beans, they don't require a trellis but they may benefit from a tomato cage to keep the heavily laden stems from falling over. Feeding may decrease yields if the soil is organically rich, so don't provide fertilizer if the plant appears to be performing well.

Harvest Time

• Harvest time depends on how you will eat the Dragon Tongue beans. For snap beans, harvest the pods 55 days after planting once they reach 6 inches in length, have noticeable purple markings and feel plump when squeezed. If you desire shell beans, leave the pods in place until the markings become more pronounced and turn a reddish hue. They will continue to ripen as the summer progresses, so leave the pods in place until they dry out and begin to split along the inner seam if dry beans are your aim, or to save seeds for planting the following year.

Growing Suggestions

• It is possible to prolong the harvest of Dragon Tongue beans, but only if you grow them as snap or shelling beans. Plant only a few at a time, staggering the planting time by two to four weeks so the pods develop in successive waves. For dry beans or seed saving, leave one of the first plants unharvested so the beans have time to ripen and dry out before the first autumn frost.

Problems and Solutions

• Dragon Tongue beans resist rust and are not attractive to most pests, so they are seldom damaged in that way. However, deformed pods sometimes appear. The cause is typically dry soil or insufficient nutrients. If the first flush of beans begins to curl or becomes stunted, begin to monitor the soil. Add water whenever it feels barely moist 1 inch below the surface. If the additional water doesn't solve the problem, side-dress the plants with a 3-inch layer of compost to provide extra nutrients.