Adzuki Bean

Pests & beneficial insects

🐛 Prone to: Aphids

Aphids

Aphididae

Curled leaves, sticky honeydew and ants on patrol — usually with something already eating them.

, Caterpillars

Caterpillars

Lepidoptera larvae

Holes, droppings, and a pest you can simply pick off by hand.

.

Attract Hoverflies

Hoverflies

Syrphidae

The adults only drink nectar. It is the larvae that eat the aphids.

, Lacewings

Lacewings

Chrysopidae

Golden-eyed adults that mostly drink; larvae that hunt like small alligators.

, Ladybugs

Ladybugs

Coccinellidae

The one predator here where the adults hunt as hard as the larvae do.

, Parasitic wasps

Parasitic wasps

Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and relatives

Pinhead-sized, stingless, and lethal to aphids and caterpillars from the inside.

to keep them in check — plant African MarigoldGreat, French MarigoldGreat and BuglossGreat nearby.

Growing from seed

Direct-sow Adzuki Bean outdoors about 2 weeks after your last frost, keeping seeds in warm soil (around 20–25 °C). Seeds usually come up in around 10 days. Grow in full sun, spaced about 15 cm apart. Expect to harvest in roughly 100 days.

Keep track of the seeds you own.

Companion Planting

• 
  African Marigold
  

  African MarigoldGreat pair

  • ❧African Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Adzuki Bean
  • ❧Adzuki Bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that African Marigold feeds on
  • ❧African Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Adzuki Bean
• 
  French Marigold
  

  French MarigoldGreat pair

  • ❧French Marigold attracts Hoverflies and Lacewings and more, which prey on the Aphids that attack Adzuki Bean
  • ❧Adzuki Bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that French Marigold feeds on
  • ❧French Marigold suppresses pests that trouble Adzuki Bean
• 
  Allard's Lavender
  

  Allard's LavenderGreat pair

  • ❧Allard's Lavender attracts Hoverflies and Parasitic wasps, which prey on the Aphids and Caterpillars that attack Adzuki Bean
  • ❧Adzuki Bean fixes nitrogen in the soil that Allard's Lavender feeds on
  • ❧Adzuki Bean draws Bees that improve pollination for both

How to grow Adzuki Bean

1. Sow2 weeks from frost
2. Germinates10 days
3. Space15 cm apart
4. GrowFull sun
5. Harvest~100 days

Water: Medium · Height: 75 cm · Soil: Well-draining, fertile