Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-239
Mung Bean
Vigna radiata (L.) R.Wilczek
Mung bean handles a hot summer better than almost any other bean in this family - its comfortable temperature range runs from the mid-20s to nearly 40C, so a hundred-degree day sits well inside its stride rather than at the edge of survival. It matures fast, as little as fifty days to dry seed, which makes it a genuine catch crop between a spring planting and a fall one. The mature seed cooks whole or split, it is the classic sprouting bean, and the young pods, leaves and flour all get used, while the crop doubles as fast-growing summer forage and green manure. It once grew on a commercial scale in Texas and stopped only because cheaper imported seed undercut it, not because the plant struggled.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 3–11
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Dry · Moderate
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 5.5–6.5
- Plant type
- Annual
- Mature height
- 24–31 in
- Mature spread
- Not yet recorded
- Plant spacing
- 12–15 in
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
Similar plants
Discover more plants with shared forest layers or growing conditions.
Adzuki Bean
Vigna angularis (Willd.) Ohwi & H.Ohashi
Adzuki is the odd one out among the beans in this group: a very hot summer is actively too hot for it, since heat above about 35C damages…
Herbaceous · USDA 3–11
African Eggplant
Solanum aethiopicum
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Herbaceous · USDA 8–12
Agrimony
Agrimonia eupatoria
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Herbaceous · USDA 5–9
Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
Alfalfa is a deep-rooted perennial legume grown worldwide as one of the richest forage crops available, its taproot running six metres or…
Herbaceous · USDA 4–11
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera
Aloe Vera is a stemless, clump-forming succulent with thick, spiny-edged leaves that store a clear gel used to soothe burns, wounds and skin…
Herbaceous · USDA 10–12
Alsike Clover
Trifolium hybridum
Alsike Clover fixes nitrogen in wet, acid ground too cold and heavy for red clover to thrive in, and its flowers keep bees working all season…
Herbaceous · USDA 5–9
The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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