Ankur XXL
About this variety
Ankur XXL is an F1 hybrid yard-long (asparagus) bean bred for exceptional pod length — 16 to 20 inches — with shiny, deep-green color and the clean, straight form that sells at market. Like its sibling VuHy-Celebrity it's indeterminate, so it keeps flowering and setting pods over a long picking season rather than fruiting once and stopping.
The plant is a strong, continuous climber with profuse branching. Pods hang in clusters of two to three; because they're so long, picking at the right tenderness stage — rather than maximum length — matters most for eating quality. Good taste and post-harvest keeping quality make it well suited to market transport and short holding.
Grow guide
How to grow
Site & soil
Choose a well-drained site with good water retention and avoid standing water. Work to a fine tilth, clear old residue, mix in well-rotted compost or aged manure, and pre-irrigate if the soil is dry.
Sowing & spacing
Direct-seed one seed per hole ¾–1¼" deep, spacing plants ~18–24" apart (45 cm in medium soil, 60 cm in heavy) in rows ~47" (120 cm) apart. Seed rate is about 1.0–1.2 kg/acre. A tall, sturdy trellis is essential here — long pods need vertical room to hang straight and stay clean.
Feeding
Cowpea fixes some of its own nitrogen and needs modest fertility — no more than about 40–50 lb/acre of nitrogen as a guideline. Excess nitrogen pushes vine growth at the expense of pod set. Size phosphorus and potash to a soil test.
Watering
Shallow-rooted — light, frequent watering (roughly every 8–10 days) beats deep, infrequent watering. Even moisture during flowering and pod elongation matters most; long pods are more prone to curling or uneven fill under moisture stress.
Harvest
First picking at 50–55 days. Pick for tenderness, not maximum length — pods keep elongating past their best eating texture. Picking every 2–3 days in peak season keeps the vine flowering and maximizes yield.
When to sow · by zone
| Zones 9–11 | Sow Feb–Mar | |
| Zone 8 | Sow late Mar–Apr | |
| Zones 6–7 | Sow late Apr–May | |
| Zones 3–5 | Late May–Jun · start indoors |
| Zones 9–11 | S. California, S. & central Florida, S. Texas, Gulf Coast, Arizona low desert, Hawaii |
| Zone 8 | Coastal Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, central Texas, coastal Pacific NW, interior California |
| Zones 6–7 | Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mid-Atlantic (PA/MD/NJ), Ohio Valley |
| Zones 3–5 | Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, New England, upstate New York, high Mountain West |
Seed treatment & handling
This seed has been treated with Thiamethoxam (1.5 mg ai/g seed; EPA Reg. No. 100-941) and Thiram (0.4 mg ai/g seed; EPA Reg. No. 264-929).
Harmful if swallowed, absorbed through skin, or inhaled. Do not use treated seed for food, feed, or oil purposes. Wash hands thoroughly after handling. Keep out of reach of children and domestic animals.
Untreated seed for organic and no-spray growers is coming soon.
Good to know before you buy
- This is an F1 hybrid — saved seed won't breed true, so buy fresh seed each season.
- Trellis height matters more than usual — plan for a tall, sturdy structure given the pod length.
- The long-pod / yardlong type is a strong fit for South and Southeast Asian grocery and market channels.
Sourcing
Sourced from Ankur Seeds, 27 New Cotton Market Layout, Nagpur 440018, India. Packaged & distributed by Harvest Goals LLC, Fremont, CA · +1 (650) 305-5334.
Origin India · 5 g · F1 Hybrid · Non-GMO · For planting purposes only, not for human consumption.