How to grow Runner Bean

Phaseolus coccineus

Keep the vines twining up the canes, and nip out the tip when the plant has reaches the top.
Pretty enough for the flower garden, if you don’t have room for a formal vegetable garden

Growing Runner bean from seed

Can be sown direct, but take care if there are slugs or mice. Protect with fleece or plastic bottles with the ends cut out until they start to climb the canes
Alternatively, start two seeds to a 7cm pot, and grow on in a cold frame or greehhouse until they are large enough to start to wrap up the canes

Try to aim for a seed spacing of at least 3.9 inches (10.0 cm) and sow at a depth of around 1.95 inches (5.0 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 16°C / 61°F to ensure good germination.

Transplanting Runner bean

Build a wigwam of canes or posts and string for the beans to climb. Plant out in a sunny warm position, not exposed to the wind. keep and eye out for slugs until the seedlings have set off up the canes.

Ensure that temperatures are mild (minimum night temperatures should be around 15°C / 59°F) and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Runner bean is a tender plant.

Harvesting Runner bean

Harvest the beans before they grow too big and stringy. Harvesting makes more flowers and a longer cropping season

Seed Saving Runner bean

Inevitably, the odd bean will escape the harvest, but if left to mature and dry on the plant, the bean seeds can be saved to grow again next year

The collected dried seeds are put in a warm place on paper towels and flipped in a few days. Leave to air dry for another few days before storing.

How long does Runner bean take to grow?

These estimates for how long Runner bean takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Days to Germination How long does it take Runner bean to germinate?
10 days

Average 10 days | Min 3 days | Max 22 days (141)

Days to Transplant How long until I can plant out Runner bean?
+ 14 days

Average 14 days | Min 6 days | Max 49 days (7)

Days to Maturity How long until Runner bean is ready for harvest / bloom?
+ 94 days

Average 94 days | Min 40 days | Max 169 days (121)

Total Growing Days How long does it take to grow Runner bean?
= 118 days

Runner bean Etymology

The botanical epithet is from the Latin coccineus meaning “scarlet”.

Runner bean Folklore & Trivia

Native to central America

Other names for Runner bean

Scarlet runner bean, Sunset runner pole bean, Runner beans, multiflora bean

Phaseolus coccineus L.

Footnotes

1 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaseolus_coccineus


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