Growing Beans - climbing, also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners

Phaseolus vulgaris, Phaseolus coccineus : Fabaceae / the pea or legume family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
        P              

(Best months for growing Beans - climbing in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 61°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 4 - 8 inches apart
  • Harvest in 9-11 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Sweetcorn, spinach, lettuce, summer savory, dill, carrots, brassicas, beets, radish, strawberry, cucumbers, zucchini, tagates minuta (wild marigold)
  • Avoid growing close to: Alliums (Chives, leek, garlic, onions), Florence fennel

Your comments and tips

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24 Oct 18, James (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi Mike... No, they just seem to curl anywhere.
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22 Oct 18, Robyn Williams (Australia - temperate climate)
Hello. I'm wondering if climbing beans will grow on a south facing fence in Melbourne?
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23 Oct 18, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
They should grow as long as they receive plenty of sun.
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29 Sep 18, Rowan (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
What type do pinto bean belong to??
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17 Aug 18, John McGregor (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
Hi You say sow bean seeds at soil temps between 16 - 30C or August to April. Our soil temp, in Auckland, wont get to 16C until late October. Will it still be OK to sow in late August. Thanks in anticipation John McGregor
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12 Jul 18, Jane (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Mike, when I transplanted some climbing beans and peas along a fenceline, I forgot to take the tray of seedlings (with mostly different types of climbing tomatoes in) back to the bush/greenhouse. Next day I went to town and didn't water so didn't see the tray still sitting on the ground in a vege garden. Next day I saw it! Could have cried! It was if someone had snipped the tops (little leaves) of my tomato seedlings off (climbing Italian flat tomato/druzba/blue ridge and I forget what else). I don't know what :( .I returned the tray to the greenhouse and it looks like they may grow back? Tonight I found a possum in the garden but believe possums don't eat green (or pumpkin)? Could it have been grasshoppers? I was told I have planted tomatoes out of season (I am also trying to see what grows here and what is not so successful).. (started thinning out seedlings today. I put too many seeds in together., transplanting each one into separate pots:buttercrunch lettuce, rhubarb-don't kniw if will grow here- Egyptian spinach etc etc etc). Looks like the Marrow (Melbourne cream) seedlings are settling in after being transplanted in the garden). What do I feed tomato plants, please? I bought some Epsom salts but don't kniw what to do with it. Thankyou again. Jane
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09 Oct 18, Dale (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Jane, I had a problem with seedlings getting eaten. It was annoying me ,as I didn't know what was doing it. Then I decided to put a trap in among the seedlings and found that a family of bush rats were feasting on all my baby seedlings. As it has been so dry , all the wild life are coming out from the bush. Hope you had some luck.
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16 Jul 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I grow veges from March into winter and from Aug into summer near Bundaberg. Beans grow best here in spring - bean fly get mine in Autumn.
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05 Sep 18, Jane (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Mike - I was just rereading your post and it really is a great rule of thumb that I am going garden by.Appreciated.
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16 Jul 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Web page - queensland gardening.com - go to calendar and it gives a guide to planting each month. If they eat the tops of the tomatoes then you will probably only have side shoots grow. I'm going to plant tomato seeds early August and plant out early Sept. I have some tomatoes growing now - doing fairly well. Put a couple of teaspoons of Epsom salts in 9 L of water and sprinkle on the soil where the tomatoes go in. I use commercial fertiliser from Produce Suppliers (where farmers buy their fertiliser). 25Kg bag for $25-35. Use most on the lawn. About 10-14N,4-6P and 10-15K. I use about 2-3 teaspoons in 9 L of water when the plants are well established. I plant seeds into small plastic trays (get your meat etc in from supermarkets) then when seedlings germinate I plant out into 6-8 cell trays. When they start growing I place them where they receive about 3 hrs sunlight a day.
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Since I'm from North America, my answer is a "canned/typical" answer. MANY people use the 3 sisters planting here -- -- The "Three Sisters" planting method is a traditional Indigenous companion planting technique using corn, beans, and squash together in clusters. Today’s gardeners will want to keep in mind that Indigenous cultivators who originated Three Sisters farming would have been growing dent, flint, or flour corn rather than sweet corn. The corn stalks serve as a living trellis for their sister beans. Although you can grow sweet corn as a substitute for the flint type, avoid popcorn. The stalks of these plants are short enough that they might be overwhelmed by the other plants. Don’t attempt to substitute bush beans for the pole type, as the former won’t climb. You can choose whichever type of squash or pumpkin suits your fancy for this sister planting. Keep in mind that summer squashes tend to grow more bushy than vine-like, so they don’t make the best groundcover. In addition to the Three Sisters, you may also want to sow other tall plants, like sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, or amaranth, in the spaces between the hills. There, squash vines will provide groundcover for them. In addition to attracting pollinators, these extra plants can produce a crop, too. Sow them at the same time you sow the corn to give them a head start on the squash vines. This planting creates a symbiotic system where corn provides a stalk for beans to climb, beans add nitrogen to the soil, and squash covers the ground to retain moisture and suppress weeds, offering a balanced, sustainable food source. The sequence involves planting corn first, then beans a few weeks later, and squash after the beans have started to grow, ensuring each plant supports the others as they mature. Plant the corn and beans on a mound -- and the squash around the mound -- plant the additional plants (if desired) between the mounds (sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, or amaranth, or other tall plant). So in your case : 1. build your mounds & plant your SWEET corn in the middle of the mound (also plant the additional plants between the mound if desired - don't forget the boron for the corn), give it a couple of weeks, then 2. plant your POLE beans (or Green bean, string bean, snap bean), once the beans are going, 3. plant your WINTER squash around the mound. IF YOU ARE IN A VERY ARID AREA -- mounds dry out quickly, so you'll need to water MORE OR skip mounding and plant this formation flat.

- Celeste Archer

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