Soldier Beans Keep Soldiering on In the Garden During this Heat

Wow, it really got hot. Our garden is really parched. I gave up on the tomatoes for the season. My peppers need to be watered just about every day. It’s been weeks since we had any fresh green beans. But a few crops are still producing – eggplants and okra love this heat.

But this year I tried growing a summer-loving green bean substitute, and I’m highly impressed: Thai soldier beans.

I’m not sure why they got the name “soldier beans.” Perhaps it has something to do with the mottled appearance of the pods. They sort of look like camouflage. But they do come from Thailand.

These beans come from the same species of legume as field peas aka Southern peas, which include blackeye peas and cowpeas.

The scientific name is Vigna unguiculata. Most varieties of cowpeas are intended for shelling. A few varieties, though, including the socalled “yardlong” beans of Asia, are eaten like fresh green beans. Thai soldier beans are among those types.

This variety doesn’t get as long as some of the yardlong beans. I’ve been harvesting them when they get about 18 inches long and about as wide as a pencil. They taste just like green beans. And they love the heat.

Out of everything growing in the garden right now, the Thai soldier beans seem the most immune to heat and drought.

Some growers consider these a semi-vining variety, meaning they don’t necessarily need a trellis. I’m growing them up a six-foot trellis and they have crawled to the top. I suppose you could grow them without a trellis, but the plants may sprawl out and get unwieldy.

They’re fairly quick to maturity – about 60-70 days. If you plant some now, you could get a few harvests before the first frost arrives, which will kill them.