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Post by rdback on Jul 17, 2020 19:26:17 GMT -6
Las Tablas Long (Vigna Unguiculata) in Virginia – 2020
Well, I'm a cowpea junkie. I LOVE growing (and eating) cowpeas. In correspondence with Glen, he mentioned a “long bean” that grows locally to Las Tablas. He had harvested some seeds and grown them out. He was kind enough to send some seed to me this Spring. We thought we'd give them a try here at 39N in the Shenandoah Valley. Note: This variety has no formal name, so I decided to call it Las Tablas Long.
Seeds were planted on 6/03. Inoculant was not used, as beans have been grown in this soil in prior years. Germination was very good – 8 out of 12 seeds, or 67%. (Note: I'm actually growing two trellises of Las Tablas Long for seed saving purposes, but for this log I will only be documenting this one trellis as a representative sample.) Here's what the seeds looked like.
7/06 – Seeds were planted 6 inches apart. This is 30 days after planting.
7/10 - Plants are reluctant climbers. Training is required.
7/16 – Training of vines still required and marginally successful. I don't know why, but I assumed these were a pole variety. I'm starting to think they may be a half-runner or even a bush variety. Time will tell.
Lead runners are up to about 2.5 feet.
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Post by macmex on Jul 18, 2020 6:40:42 GMT -6
This is exciting! I love cowpeas and tend to neglect planting them in the rush to do other crops. Anytime I get them planted I LOVE them. I do have three kinds planted this year: Georgia Long (Cowpea), Kentucky Red and Penny Rile.
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Post by macmex on Jul 19, 2020 5:42:16 GMT -6
I am pretty sure that Las Tablas is a long bean type cowpea. They would primarily be eaten as snap beans. Kentucky Red works alright for snaps, but it's much better for producing the actual beans.
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Post by rdback on Jul 24, 2020 11:58:39 GMT -6
They're growth resembles the Kentucky Red.
The only cowpeas I've known were black eyed peas. What's your favorite way to cook them up?
I agree with George. This Las Tablas Long is probably best eaten as a snap. Hopefully, we'll see.
Other cowpeas are better as a dry bean. And if you're doing dry beans, Hoppin' John is one of my favorites!
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Post by rdback on Jul 28, 2020 21:36:38 GMT -6
7/28 - Plants are strong and healthy, producing LOTS of lateral branching. So much so, this bean may benefit from 12 inch spacing instead of 6 inches. Still very resistant to climbing on their own. Every few days, I spend several minutes trying to train these vines. It may become a losing battle. Longest vines have reached approximately 6 feet. No sign of flowers as yet.
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Post by rdback on Aug 7, 2020 21:00:34 GMT -6
8/07 - Well, things are a changing for Las Tablas Long. We have a bloom or two, as well as a few PODS! This bean still misbehaves badly regarding climbing on its own, but since it's setting pods, all is forgiven. Hopefully, I should not have any problems producing seed for this variety before frost.
A couple of flowers and a set pod.
Cluster of four pods - which is different than the normal "pair" of pods on most cowpeas. Nice.
Plants have reached the top of the trellis and have begun the vine dance.
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Post by rdback on Aug 11, 2020 8:30:29 GMT -6
8/10 - Was down in the garden early yesterday to beat the heat and spray the beans for the Mexican Bean Beetle, and caught one of the flowers blooming. Beautiful color!
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Post by macmex on Aug 11, 2020 9:12:46 GMT -6
That beautiful lavendar color is so very difficult to capture with a photo. When I take pictures of my cowpea flowers, none of my photos ever do it justice.
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Post by rdback on Aug 18, 2020 9:15:33 GMT -6
8/16 - Las Tablas Long continues to grow very nicely. Very healthy plants which do not seem to interest pests, including the Mexican Bean Beetle. Pod production is starting to pick up.
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Post by rdback on Sept 7, 2020 19:49:23 GMT -6
8/28 - LTL continues vining and producing flowers and pods. Growth is rampant. I think a nice seed crop is ahead.
Increased number of pod sets.
In addition to the vine dance, LTL is doing the POD dance on top of the trellis!
...and LTL is starting to dry pods.
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Post by rdback on Sept 7, 2020 19:51:45 GMT -6
9/05 LTL is pretty much under its' own control, lol.
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Post by rdback on Sept 24, 2020 18:15:29 GMT -6
9/24 - Las Tablas Long continues to flower, set pods, and dry pods - all at once. It's a machine.
I usually like to cook my cowpeas starting from dry beans. I was in the garden the other day and, on a whim, decided to pick some and try them as snaps. We've been eating a lot of AX and tomatoes, so why not LTL and tomatoes? Gotta tell ya, this bean SHINES as a snap. Excellent flavor, great texture. I think there's some more of this in our future!
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