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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17 Mar 23, Veronica @Bundaberg (Australia - tropical climate)
Sweet potatoes are more a perennial plant, meaning they can be left in the same spot for at least 2 years. Furthermore, when harvesting, you need to dig around in the soil, which is not convenient to other plants. We grow them solely in their own beds. The three sisters is a better way to go.
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07 Jan 22, Celeste Archer (Canada - Zone 7b Mild Temperate climate)
Beans fix their own nitrogen, which if you like to companion plant (and some people do), the beans don't compete for the nitrogen. Some studies indicate the the beans assist (perk) the other plants by giving them nitrogen WITHOUT over supplying nitrogen - and too much nitrogen can be a problem for some plants (corn in particular). The standard North American Indian Three sisters planting is: Corn, beans and squash. This combination dates back ........ probably centuries and it has been around a long time for good reason: Corn is actually fairly WEAK rooted when young; corn can uprooted fairly easily when it starts growing. Squash on the other hand is a rooting power house. The squash stabilizes the corn. The squash with it's large leaves ALSO shades the soil (all plants that I know of like shaded soil, keeping their roots cooler -- even full sun plants want shaded soil). The beans then scamper up the corn, and perk the corn and squash with nitrogen. What your asking is can I take this classic all time threesome and substitute sweet potatoes for the squash. I really can't see a reason why you could not. It sounds reasonable. Further more Blistering on sweet potatoes can be prevented by adding Borax to soil - and corn loves boron (boron gives corn not only better tassels but better yields). Additionally, both corn and sweet potatoes need and love potassium. So when I think about it... it sounds like a really good combination. Best of Luck.
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23 Nov 21, Anonymous (Australia - temperate climate)
Beans do not require a lot of fertiliser. Corn and sweet potatoes do require a good fertilising. Just my opinion but I'm not a believer in mixing crops together. I think because of the fertiliser and sun requirements it would produce inferior crops. At the moment I have 7 rows of corn 60cm apart, they are 1.8m high. I would like to see how beans and sweet potatoes would have grown in that corn. The beans and sweet potato would have taken a lot of fertiliser and water and the corn crop wouldn't be as good as it is.
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19 Sep 22, Paulg (Australia - temperate climate)
Beans will do fine as I have grown them in any part of the garden with no fertiliser so growing up corn plants will work..
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15 Jul 21, VJ Pertzel (Australia - tropical climate)
Are there any beanfly resistant beans? It is so disappointing to keep losing our bean crops!
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21 Jul 21, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I only grow them in the spring time - no bugs then.
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18 Jun 21, Barker (USA - Zone 8b climate)
I’m in zone 8b and my pole beans grow like mad so I’ve never had problems with my soil and it’s mostly cow pasture about 30 years ago in other words there’s nothing in it only what I put in it. I started some raised garden beds with rich top soil and I planted small amount of seeds basically what I planted in the big garden except for a few. My pole beans were over 7 years old along with some of the other seeds but I used them to. Before you plant your beans check them out if you see a tiny little hole in it they will not grow. I soak my beans for 20 minutes before hand planting
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23 Jun 21, Anonymous (USA - Zone 10a climate)
Soak over night - up to 12 hours then plant.
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16 Feb 21, Tom ( Queensland - sub tropical climate ) (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have been told that SCARLET RUNNER beans, will usually fail to flower and fruit in my sub-tropical Brisbane location, presumably owing to temperatures and humidity. If this is correct for usual planting times, so should I try growing them in our Autumn and Winter period ?
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17 Feb 21, Anonymous (Australia - temperate climate)
There are times of the year to plant a crop and times when not to. I don't plant beans in the autumn/winter - why because the bean fly kills them. Late summer autumn is usually a wet time with rain - rain is the giver of life to most things, plants insects disease. So now I grow my beans from late winter - no bean fly no problems. In sub tropical don't expect to grow much over summer - weather extremes are too hazardous for most plants. I live near Bundy.
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Showing 31 - 40 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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