Growing Beans in your Garden

By:Sriram Aravamudan

The weather is perfect for growing a variety of low-maintenance beans in your garden now. Make the most of it

It's the end of August. The soil's nice and moist, and the weather's cool but not cold. Even Jack of Beanstalk fame couldn't have chosen a better time to plant his magic beans, that grew up and up through the clouds into giant land. Bangalore weather's great for a large variety of beans, especially French Beans (huralikai). They are grown in the hillier areas of the country almost around the year, though even lower lying areas can grow them in the cooler months.

India's the fourth largest producer of green beans in the world, after China, Indonesia and Turkey. We are, however, the largest producers of dried beans in the world, with an annual production of almost five million metric tons! Quite an achievement, considering most bean species in India are introduced crops.

The earliest green bean to have been introduced into the Indian subcontinent is probably the Cowpea (Vigna sinensis). Said to originate from Africa, cowpeas made their way into the Indian subcontinent in the second millennium BC, with written references to them dating as far back as 300 BC. These long light green beans, also known as alasande, payar or chowla, are sometimes called yard beans because of their long pods. They are particularly suited to coastal regions, though they don't seem to mind Bangalore's cool, dry weather either.

Their root nodules are brilliant nitrogen fixers, and are often used as intercrop species to rejuvenate the soil between millet and sugarcane crops.

French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) originated from the South American Andes. They get their French titles from the cultivars that were developed in France and introduced around the world by traders and settlers. The 'pole' type of French bean needs support to clamber over and produce fruit, while the dwarf variety tends to remain bushy. Most commercial seed companies mention what type of bean their seed packets contain, right on the packet.

How do you plant beans in your garden? Hmm, that's a tough one. You need to walk all the way to a brightly lit spot in your garden with a dried bean seed in your hand. You then have to bend down, make a hole in the ground with your thumb, put the seed in and cover it up. Fine, you can plant it in a pot if it makes your life easier. Then there's the terribly complicated chore of watering it every four days and watching while it grows. You can take a break from the backbreaking labour if it rains. If you see whiteflies attacking your plant, remember, they love the colour yellow. Make sticky traps for them by hanging up bits of yellow polythene sheets smeared with cooking oil. They'll be all like, 'Ooh, yellow,' and make for the sheets like a pack of.. err.. whiteflies. And you can be like, 'Buhahaha, yes, yes, come come.'

It doesn't end there. In three months, you'll need to make the arduous journey back to your plant to pick the beans off it. Sorry, it's tough, I know. But, as they say, no pain, no gain.

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Indian scientists find a ‘wonder herb’ in the high Himalayas which can regulate the immune system.

Indian scientists find a ‘wonder herb’ in the high Himalayas

IANS | Aug 25, 2014, 07.41 PM IST

Rhodiola rosea. (Getty Images photo)

LEH: In the high and hostile peaks of the Himalayas where sustaining life is a challenge in itself, Indian scientists say they have found a "wonder herb" which can regulate the immune system, help adapt to the mountain environment and, above all, protect from radioactivity.

Rhodiola, a herb found in the cold and highland climate, has led India's leading scientists to wonder if it is the end to the quest for "sanjeevani", the mythical herb that gave renewed life to Ram's brother Lakshman in the epic Ramayana.

Locally called "Solo" in Ladakh, the qualities of Rhodiola were largely unknown so far. The leafy parts of the plant were used as vegetable by locals. However, research by the Leh-based Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) is exploring the therapeutic values of the herb that shows it can do wonders for the troops posted in difficult high altitude areas like the 5,400m-high Siachen glacier.


Rhodiola rosea, yellow flowers with glaucous succulent leaves. (Getty Images photo)

"Rhodiola is a wonder plant that has immunomodulatory (enhancing immune), adaptogenic (adapting to difficult climatic condition) and radio-protecting abilities due to presence of secondary metabolites and phytoactive compounds unique to the plant," RB Srivastava, director, DIHAR, told IANS.

Srivastava said the herb can mitigate the effects of gamma radiation used in bombs in biochemical warfare.

"A concerted effort involving conservation, propagation and sustainable utilization of this unique medicinal herb will surely result in rediscovery of sanjeevani for the troops deployed in extreme climatic condition along Himalayan frontiers," said the director.

The Leh-based lab of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the world's highest agro-animal research laboratory, has been researching on this wonder plant for more than a decade.

"While its adaptogenic qualities can help the soldiers in adjusting to the low pressure-low oxygen environment, the plant has also been found to have anti-depressant and appetizer properties," said Srivastava.​Rhodiola heterodonta. (Getty images photo)


Rhodiola heterodonta. (Getty images photo)

In the barren glacier of Siachen where white is the only colour visible for miles, depression is a problem troops face. The high altitude and harsh climate also make them lose appetite.

DIHAR has already developed herbal adaptogenic appetizer, and herbal adaptogenic performance enhancer that improves performance in extreme high altitude conditions, and has been highly appreciated by the Army.

Rhodiola is also found in other parts of the world with other countries like the US and China engaging in research on the wonder herb.

The plant has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to combat high-altitude sickness, while in Mongolia physicians prescribed it for tuberculosis and cancer.

Researchers in Russia studied its impact on athletes and later on cosmonauts.

Some other qualities the plant is found to be containing in studies across the world include fast recovery after heavy workout, memory enhancement, and cardiac stress reduction.

"Our research reveals its potential for anti-aging, tissue regeneration, protecting neurons during lack of oxygen, and cognitive improvement," said Sunil Hota, who is working on investigating medicinal properties of the plant at DIHAR.

OP Chaurasia, ethnobotanist with DIHAR for nearly two decades, told IANS that they have successfully established a field gene bank and Rhodiola plantation of nearly two acres in the premise of the laboratory.

"We are trying in vitro propagation of the plant to increase its population," added Chaurasia.