How to Grow Urd Beans USA
On this page
In the US, urd beans are ready to harvest 60–140 days after planting.
Urd beans (Vigna mungo) — Frost-tender annual, intolerant of frost and of prolonged cloudiness.
The short answer
- Ready in
- 60–140 days
- Site
- soil pH 6–7
Urd Bean (Vigna mungo)
Also known as: Black Gram · 2 sources cited
Quick Facts
Soil & Growing Conditions
Harvest & Storage
Urd bean through the season
Plan your Urd Beans planting
When to sow and plant Urd Beans depends on your own frost dates. Check the USA vegetable planting calendar. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
What the research guides add
Urd bean is the same crop as black gram, an Indian pulse, and Feedipedia gives the temperature and soil window it likes.
- It is generally found in lowlands but can grow up to 1,800 m above sea level provided there is neither frost nor prolonged cloudiness. (Feedipedia)
- Optimal growth conditions are average day temperatures of 25 to 35°C and annual rainfall of 600 to 1,000 mm. (Feedipedia)
- It grows better on rich black vertisols or loamy, well-drained soils with a pH of 6 to 7. It can withstand acidic soils (down to pH 4.5) if lime and gypsum are added, but is sensitive to saline and alkaline soils. (Feedipedia)
- It is often used as a dry-season intercrop in rice or wheat, as it has a beneficial effect on soil nutrient status. (Feedipedia)
- It has poor tolerance of wet tropical climates, but in high-rainfall areas it can be grown in the dry period on residual moisture. (Feedipedia)
Urd bean (black gram) in the USA: climate data
| City | USDA zone | Last spring freeze (32°F) | First fall freeze (32°F) | Freeze-free days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck, ND | 4a | 14 May | 27 Sep | 136 |
| Madison, WI | 5b | 1 May | 10 Oct | 160 |
| Milwaukee, WI | 6a | 19 Apr | 29 Oct | 192 |
| Atlanta, GA | 8a | 15 Mar | 20 Nov | 252 |
| Orlando, FL | 10a | 25 Jan | winter freezes only | 355 |
| San Diego, CA | 11a | none in a median year | none in a median year | 365 |
Dates are the median 32°F freeze dates and freeze-free days from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; zones come from the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map (ZIP code of each city centre).
Sources for this section
Section researched and checked on 25 October 2026 by the SoilCommander Editorial Team. How we check facts: editorial policy.
Last verified 2026-10-25
Growing Urd Bean in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
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 urd beans; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do urd beans take to grow?
Typically 60–140 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.
What soil pH do urd beans need?
A pH of about 6–7. 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
Almost everything on this page resolves to your own frost dates rather than the calendar — the last spring frost moves by roughly two months between zone 3 and zone 10. The USA Garden Planner works from your zone so the timing is already decided before the season starts.
Get the USA Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Written for US growing conditions
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 USDA hardiness-zone and frost-date data, with Cooperative Extension sources cited directly where one exists for a crop. 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.
Related guides
More from the same group (peas & beans):
Growing advice for your part of the USA
Timing and conditions change a lot inside one country. These guides cover frost dates and growing seasons region by region.
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.