Red Noodle Beans

The red noodle bean plant looks spectacular, grows rapidly, and provides a bountiful harvest.

Red noodle beans grow well on a trellis (Kate Russell)

A dear friend gifted me with a packet of red noodle bean seeds a while back. As they were a type of pole bean, I planted the seeds around things they could climb and watered them regularly. At first, nothing seemed to happen, as is normal in the world of gardening. Then I went away for a few weeks. When I returned, I was delighted to find my red noodle beans had completely lived up to their reputation. [Thank you, Carol!]

The red noodle bean story

Red noodle beans originated in Africa but are more commonly considered to be from China. Rather than being related to the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), such as kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans, red noodle beans are a variety of yardlong bean, which is a type of cowpea.

​Red noodle bean description

These climbing beans start out looking much like other pole beans. Heart-shaped leaflets appear in groups of three as tendrils take hold wherever they can, pulling the vine upward. Lovely small white, pink, or lavender flowers appear along the way, but are easily overlooked. The real surprise comes when the pods appear. Pairs of striking scarlet pods can reach over a foot-and-a-half in length.

Red noodle beans growing in a raised bed

Red noodle bean vine

Red noodle bean flower

Even if you never ate them, they would still be a stunning addition to your landscape, but you really should eat them. Both the beans and the pods are edible, though I have read that the pods do not take well to steaming.

​How to grow red noodle beans

Red noodle bean seeds should be planted 3/4-1” deep and 4” apart. Like other legumes, red noodle beans have delicate root systems that do not recover well from transplanting. These plants need heat to grow, so be sure to install them in a sunny location after the soil has warmed from its winter nap. In fact, where other legumes succumb to scorching summers and drought, red noodle beans thrive.

Vines need a sturdy support as they can reach 8’ in length or more. Trellises, cattle panels, fences, tuteurs, old ladders and pergolas can all be used as supports. Plants will need a thorough watering every 7-10 days to develop deep roots. Because red noodle beans are legumes, they do not need nitrogen fertilizer. In fact, they generally don’t need fertilizer at all, assuming your soil is healthy. You will need a soil test to know if that is the case in your garden.

Being native to tropical rainy areas, red noodle beans need a fair bit of irrigation, just be sure to allow the soil to dry out between waterings to avoid many of the diseases common to legumes.

Red noodle bean pests and diseases

Red noodle bean pests include birds, gophers, rabbits, rats and squirrels, along with ants, mites, and aphids. Those aphids may also bring mosaic viruses to your red noodle bean crop, so monitor closely for those insidious pests.

Red noodle bean pods and seeds (Kate Russell)

Harvesting red noodle beans

Plants start producing pods within 80 days. By harvesting pods as they appear, you will stimulate the vines to continue producing. In other words, the more you take, the more they make.
Pods can be harvested when pencil thin to be used whole in stir-fry, or you can allow them to reach full size to harvest what will dry into small, red beans. Keep in mind that allowing the beans to dry on the vine will slow or halt pod production. When harvesting, be sure to leave the buds above the pods in place. These buds can produce multiple sets of pods over time.

You can also succession plant red noodle beans to make full use of your local growing season.

Give red noodle beans a try! You are going to love how they look (and taste)!