Victoria County Master         Gardener Association

ASIAN-INSPIRED GARDENING

Try your hand at growing Chinese radish, black-seeded bean

March 08, 2013

by Marcia Kauffman/Victoria County Master Gardener

Edited by Charla Borchers Leon/Victoria County Mater Gardener

Photo contributed by Wikipedia.com

The black-seeded Chinese bean is related to the black-eyed pea and is often referred to as the yard-long bean due to its lengthy pods. Grown in the spring, they should be harvested in a bunch of 10-12 at a time for a normal serving that can be prepared as a regular green bean or as a stir-fried vegetable with olive oil and garlic.

 Photo contributed by Wikipedia.com

The Chinese radish, also known as Japanese daikon, is a fall season cruciferous root crop with both its leaves and roots edible. It can be eaten like a carrot, sliced for salads and is often used in stir-fry dishes.

Contributed Photo by Kathy Klein

This Joi Choi variety of bok choy, also referred to as a Chinese mustard plant, grows to maturity in 45 days in cool fall or early spring gardens. In addition to its value as a beautiful garden plant, it is used in Chinese cooking as a substitute for celery or cabbage and as a staple in stir-fry dishes.

Chinese New Year for most people conjures pictures of a dragon leading the parade or children with firecrackers celebrating the occasion. For myself, my thoughts reflect back to the memories I have and the inspirations I gained in meeting with Chinese nationals.

Chinese culinary dishes

For example, I had the opportunity to host a Chinese teacher for a week. The Chinese teacher, Fang or Francis for her American name, prepared dishes she enjoyed such as celery cooked with eggs or Chinese dumplings filled with shredded celery, onion and shrimp.

Another time, a local chemical plant team (of which my husband was one) was teaching a process to 25 Chinese professionals. We were invited to a lavish feast to celebrate Chinese New Year. This feast included dishes such as raw octopus (not my favorite), Chinese green beans and mushrooms.

Since then, I have enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, extending that challenge to the garden where I like to raise the foods I cook. Although I haven't grown the vegetables mentioned in this article, this topic led me to do research: one vegetable for the fall planting and one for the spring planting.

A fall Asian vegetable

The Chinese radish is a good crop for a small garden as it doesn't take much room to grow to maturity.

• Description

Chinese radish, Raphanus sativus, often called "lo pue" or "lor bark" is a cruciferous root crop. The roots as well as the tender, young leaves can be eaten. The vegetable may differ in shape and color such as cylindrical or spherical - or white to green - and grow to 2 to 4 inches in diameter.

• Planting directions

This vegetable is a cool-season crop that should be planted three to six weeks before the first frost of the season. When preparing the ground for planting, create rows by spading the dirt to a depth of eight-12 inches. Then use 10-20-10 fertilizer over the prepared soil. Plant the seeds 1/2-inch deep with 1 inch between plantings. The gardener will need to water frequently to keep the soil moist but not wet.

After small plants appear within four to six days, thin the shoots to 2 inches apart. You will be able to harvest these radishes within four to five weeks.

• Pests

The insect pests of this vegetable are the armyworms, beetles and root pests. The solution can be as simple as applying glyphosate to the winter weeds to create a stale seedbed a few weeks before planting so weeds won't grow, thus creating a bed for the insects.

How to eat Chinese radishes

• Eat raw like a carrot
• Julienne into strips for salads
• Use in stir-fry dishes

A spring season Asian vegetable

Chinese beans, Vigna sesquipedalis, are often called yard-long beans.

• Description

This kind of Chinese bean is related to black-eyed peas which grow pods from 10 to 20 inches long. There are two kinds: red-seeded and black-seeded of which the black-seeded is preferred due to taste.

• Planting directions

After the soil is warm in the spring, plant the seeds 1/2-inch to 1-inch deep and 3 inches apart.  Before they produce beans, tiny white or purple flowers will blossom.  After the flowers have been pollinated, tiny, dark green beans will appear.  They will reach 12 inches in length in a few days.  It will take around 50-70 days from seed to harvest the pencil-size pods.

Pick these pods in bunches of 10-12 pods per bunch. The vine may grow as tall as eight feet, so be sure to support them with a wire or string support.

• Pests

The black bean aphids may prey on the tender plants. Whenever yellow spots appear on pods from these aphids, spray with dimethoate. Another pest is the red spider mite that can create a speckled, silvery appearance. Spray with dicofol to eliminate these critters.

How to eat Chinese green beans

• Fix as an ordinary green bean
• Steam
• Stir-fry in olive oil and garlic

The weather is growing warmer, and my thoughts and shopping tend to go toward the garden. As one who loves gardening, I'm always looking for ways to challenge my knowledge for success. That desire along with the inspiration I received from my brief association with those of Chinese culture has encouraged me to try to grow one of these vegetables. It just may be my next step on my gardening journey.

The Gardeners' Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas AgriLife Extension - Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.

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ASIAN VEGETABLES THAT CAN BE GROWN LOCALLY

• Choi sum
• Gai Lon or Chinese sprouting broccoli
• Bok choy
• Maruba santoh and Mizuna of mustard green family
• Black-seeded long beans

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LUNCH AND LEARN WITH THE MASTERS

• WHEN:  Noon-1 p.m.
• WHERE:  Pattie Dodson Health Center, 2805 N. Navarro St., Victoria
• COST:  Free and open to the public
• ABOUT:  Victoria County Master Gardener Kathy Chilek will present a program on "Rainwater Harvesting."  Bring your lunch and drink.