RUNNER BEANS HOW TO GROW

DID YOU KNOW?

Runner beans are among the easiest crops to grow and with staggered sowings you can harvest from July to September. There are many super varieties and they are not particularly fussy about site and soil as long as they are well fed and get plenty of sunshine.

SOW: April-July

Sowing Direct

e bene ts of direct sowing (usually mid-May in milder regions, mid-June in colder ones) include no messing about with pots and compost and roots travelling straight down. Have the supports in place rst and sow 5cm (2in) deep and 15cm (6in) apart. Pots and modules of ready to plant bean seedlings are relatively cheap to buy in. e main drawback here is lack of variety choice.

Sowing Under Cover

A mid-April sowing is ideal in most parts of the country. Temperatures above 10C (50F) are needed for germination and they tend to fare best out on the staging or on a heated bench with an open top rather than in a propagator. Young bean seedlings seem happy to be separated by pulling their roots gently apart, so one method is to ll several shallow 15cm (6in) pots and sow six or seven seeds in each. Alternatively, sow one per deep cell in a cell tray 5cm (2in) by 4cm (1½in). Sow again in late May/early June with a further batch in the rst week of July. If you are only going to sow once, make it mid-May.

How To Plant

Runners are best rotated about your plot so they don’t occupy the same piece of ground every year. Having said this, many gardeners grow in the same spot year after year when restricted to a small growing area and they often have few or no problems. Soil should be good, deep and full of well-rotted organic matter either dug in or spread on the surface, preferably in autumn.

Most runners need the support of 2m (7ft) long hazel poles or bamboo canes forming circular wigwams, or double rows. For wigwams, mark a circle of 45cm (18in) diameter on the ground and push a pole into each of ve holes, and tie the tops in over the middle. Plant one bean at the foot of every pole and one in the middle. Peas will cling to almost anything, unlike beans which need something to spiral around and climb up.

For long rows, run two parallel garden lines down the bed, 35cm (14in) apart and set the poles or canes in opposite pairs, 23-30cm (9-12in) apart all the way down. Tie the tops together over the middle, then run a pole horizontally so it rests along the top. Tie each pair to it for added stability. Plant one bean at the foot of each pole. Water in immediately.

Harvesting

‘Hestia’ is a good dwarf variety for container growing

Growing On

Grow runners in a sheltered position to encourage pollinating insects and ll your plot with lots of owers to bring them in. Whiteowered varieties are less attractive to sparrows and often set better in hot, dry weather. French bean crosses (such as redowered ‘Firestorm’ and white- owered ‘Stardust’) taste like normal runners but are self-pollinating and therefore very reliable. Water well during dry spells and mulch around the roots after planting to retain water through the summer months. Feed occasionally with a high potash feed such as a tomato liquid fertiliser or comfrey feed. Nip out growing tips when beans reach the tops of their supports to stop a tangle forming.

Growing In Pots

Choose the largest container manageable. A good growing medium is half proprietary compost and half a 50:50 mix of good garden soil with well-rotted garden compost. For climbing varieties, x a wigwam of poles as normal. Sow or plant 20cm (8in) apart around the poles. Alternatively, choose a dwarf variety such as ‘Hestia’.

Harvest pods every few days, selecting beans just as pods reach full size but before the beans start to swell inside. If necessary, they’ll store well in a poly bag in the fridge. ey can also be frozen after preparing and blanching lightly.

‘Firestorm’ is a red-flowered, selfpollinating bean