Photo: "Bean" by F Delventhal
· CC BY 2.0
Vegetable · Snap-bean
Dragon Tongue Bean
Fabaceae
Dutch heirloom (Merveille de Piemonte). 6-8 inch flat pods, yellow with purple streaks, stringless. DUAL-PURPOSE: snap bean or shell/dry bean (80 DTM for dry). Purple fades when cooked. Sweet, nutty flavor. Heavy 2-week concentrated production window. Excellent succession candidate.
At a Glance
Days to Maturity
55–60 days
Sun
6+ hours
Container
Yes
3+ gallon pot
Height
2–2.5 ft
Zone Planting Guide
Growing Guide
Germination
Germination Time
7–10 days
Optimal Temp
75°F
Seed Depth
1"
Watering
Weekly Water
1 "
Needs
Moderate
Soil
pH Range
6–7
Resilience
Heat: Medium
Cold: Low
Drought: Medium
Nutrition
Feeding Intensity
Light feeder
Harvest
Storage
Harvest as snap when pods turn yellow with purple streaks; can also be shelled/dried if left to mature.
Companion Planting
Good Companions
Silver queen sweet corn
Classic companion; beans can benefit from corn as a living trellis in mixed plantings.
Avoid Planting Near
Green onion scallion
Alliums are commonly listed as poor companions for beans.
Softneck garlic
Alliums are commonly listed as poor companions for beans.
Sources
seed-catalog
Johnny's Seeds
seed-catalog
Territorial Seed Company
seed_catalog
Territorial Seed Company
seed_catalog
Seed Therapy
seed_catalog
Baker Creek (RareSeeds)
university
Virginia Cooperative Extension — Companion Planting in Gardening (SPES-620)
university
UC Master Gardener Program (UC Davis) — Companion Planting Chart
More Vegetables
Dragon Tongue Bean Planting Dates by Zone
Planting dates for Dragon Tongue Bean vary by USDA hardiness zone. Select your zone below for frost dates, start-indoors timing, and a full monthly planting calendar.
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