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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05 Dec 16, Heather Sterling (South Africa - Semi-arid climate)
I really would like to obtain some of the purple climbing bean (Blue Peter?) seeds. They also had scarlet flowers . I last grew them almost 50 years ago and have been looking for them on and off ever since.
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03 Dec 16, Paul A'Barge (USA - Zone 8b climate)
I have had zero luck with climbing beans in zone 8B. I buy the seeds from a local greenhouse/starter and plant - diddly comes up. Next year I am going to start seeds in starter pots and I will transplant those that show up and are healthy. I think the seller of the seeds does not want to bother starting seeds and so keeps old seed around to sell to people who want climbing beans, aka rip off.
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10 Aug 20, Anonymous (USA - Zone 9a climate)
The secret to germinating bean seeds is to plant at the right time, soil temperature that is. Prepare your soil and give it a good wetting. 2-3 days later plant the bean seeds. Give a light watering after planting and then DO NOT WATER AGAIN FOR 4-5 DAYS especially in hot weather. Then just give it a light watering. OVER WATERING WILL CAUSE THE SEEDS TO GO ROTTEN.
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20 Aug 16, Pamela Cox Pamela Margaret Cox (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hobart is cool of course but sunny i summer, last year the hot spell did help loss of many beans during thode few days
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14 Oct 16, Dave (Australia - temperate climate)
suggest you use potash to promote flowering and water the climbers from the top down. Water in the evening once the heat is less. Scarlet Runners do not like hot weather.
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22 Apr 16, Robyn (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Can I grow snake beans in blue Mts?
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17 Mar 16, Trevor Watson (Australia - arid climate)
Have a trellis 6ft high and the runners are growing above . do I pinch off or let them come back on trellis and grow downwards. or wind breaks off.. Trevor Watson..
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25 Jan 16, Vanessa (Australia - tropical climate)
I am growing the English variety of green runner beans, apparently the easiest to grow.........but something is eating them, they flower beautifully, little beans appear and then I look the next day and there is only a little green stem where they were. Perhaps I am watering them too much? Are they lacking in nutrients? Can I net them all day? They originally had the tiny black fly but sprayed them and they went. Grasshoppers are vicious here but I never see them. Please, any advice would be a great help to me. Thanks
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25 Oct 16, Ted (Australia - temperate climate)
Like Tomatoes they may need a feed, try Tomato fertiliser to help the flowers setI find it helps. Also shade from afternoon Sun.
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06 Feb 16, Bert (Australia - temperate climate)
Grew a great crop of dwarf beans and then planted the same bean as you. Nothing!!! Beautiful big bushes Jack would have been proud of. Thinking of pulling them out as the flowers drop, or are bitten off. Then this morning for some reason I see lots of little beans growing. No tip here for you, but perhaps food? for thought.
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Showing 161 - 170 of 268 comments
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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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