Runner Beans

Ease of Growing [Scale 1-5] - 1 (Easy)

How Time Consuming

Very little apart from watering at the correct times and harvesting beans regularly.

Recommended Varieties   

• 'Organic ‘Enorma’ -  very long, smooth, slender pods. Early cropper.
• ‘White Emergo’ – White flowered stringless variety. Heavy cropper.
• ‘Scarlet Emperor’ – traditional, early variety, good flavour.
• ‘Hestia’ – Dwarf variety for containers.

Home Grown Vs Supermarket

Always home grown, you can pick when beans are still young and tender and you can’t beat fresh beans.  Supermarket beans can be old and stringy.

Best Sites and Soils

Need a good moisture retentive soil so incorporate lots of organic matter into the soil a few months before planting.

When to sow

Plant in deep pots mid to late Spring on windowsill or in the greenhouse.  Sow two seeds per pot 5cm (2” deep).
Alternatively sow direct in the ground when the soil has warmed up. They will not germinate unless the soil temperature is above 12 degrees C (53 degrees F) usually in late Spring.

When to plant

After the risk of frost late May/Early June.
Distance between rows - Plant in double rows 40cm (15”) apart or up a wigwam.
Distance between plants - 20cm (8”)

When to harvest

Jul-Sep often into Oct.. Time taken to mature 12-14 weeks.