How to Grow Mung Beans
On this page
Mung beans are ready to harvest 50–120 days after planting.
Mung beans (Vigna radiata) — Frost-tender annual.
The short answer
- Ready in
- 50–120 days
- Site
- soil pH 5.5–7
Mung Bean (Vigna radiata)
Also known as: Green Gram · 2 sources cited
Quick Facts
Soil & Growing Conditions
Harvest & Storage
Mung bean through the season
What university and government growers’ guides add about mung beans
Almost all the practical advice for growing mung beans in a home garden comes down to one number: how warm the soil is when the seed goes in.
- It is a tender annual that is direct-seeded in warm weather, in full sun and well-drained loam at pH 5.8 to 7.0. (Arkansas Extension)
- Sow seed 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep and 2 inches (5 cm) apart once the soil has warmed to 65°F (18°C), with 30 to 36 inches (75 to 90 cm) between rows. (Arkansas Extension)
- Cold soil is the risk at sowing. In trials at 14, 17 and 20°C, the Melbourne researchers concluded that mung beans can be sown in early spring if the soil is at least 17°C (about 63°F), and described spring soil temperatures in cooler temperate regions as borderline for germination. (Agriculture Victoria / University of Melbourne)
- Pods start forming when plants are 15 to 18 inches (38 to 45 cm) tall. Arkansas gives about 100 days from sowing to harvest and lists the cultivar ‘Berken’ at 80 days and ‘Mappe Green’ at 90 days. (Arkansas Extension)
- To harvest dry beans, pull up the whole plant once about 60% of the pods are mature, hang the plants to dry, and shell the beans when completely dry; dry the seed to about 12% moisture before storing. (Arkansas Extension)
- FAO lists 20 to 35°C as the optimal temperature range for mung bean in its table of green-manure crops. (FAO)
Sources for this section
- University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture: Home Gardening Series: Mung Beans (FSA6090)
- Agriculture Victoria and the University of Melbourne (Frontiers in Plant Science): Critical temperature requirement for the germination and establishment of mungbean in temperate environments
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Plant nutrition for food security, chapter 5 (table of green-manure crops)
Section researched and checked on 24 October 2026 by the SoilCommander Editorial Team. How we check facts: editorial policy.
Last verified 2026-10-24
Growing Mung Bean in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
These 2 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA), Useful Tropical Plants (tropical.theferns.info)) is in the references of our UK guide to mung beans; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do mung beans take to grow?
Typically 50–120 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.
What soil pH do mung beans need?
A pH of about 5.5–7. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
Plan next season before the problems start
This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.
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How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
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