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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01 Jun 20, Denise van der Marel (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi there, thank you for your reply. I know they can grow up to 150cm. but I'm not sure if that categoriseses these beans as dwarf (bush) beans or climbing beans?
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02 Jun 20, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Beans and peas are fundamentally different in how they climb. Peas send out little side tendrils that cling to trellises like tiny hands, and hold on that way – the central plant grows straight (ish) upwards, relying on it’s curly hands for support. Therefore, pea trellises need to include thin wires/strings etc, so that the pea’s little tendrils have something to hang on to as they grow. Beans, however, twine upwards with the whole plant, so they can handle chunkier trellises made of bamboo, wood etc. This is why they’re sometimes called pole beans – cause all they need is a pole, and up they’ll grow.
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23 Apr 21, Jane (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Thanks for this info., I had great success with twine on bamboo for peas and bamboo poles for beans.
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02 Jun 20, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I would say they are a bush as they don't have tentacles to attach themselves to a trellis/???.
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26 May 20, Eric Brooker (United Kingdom - warm/temperate climate)
Do runner beans grow up poles in clockwise direction? Anti clockwise here. Of course I need to know!
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01 Jan 21, Jason (Australia - temperate climate)
Good question. Mine are growing up in a clockwise direction - Penrith, NSW Australia.
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27 May 20, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I suggest you grow some, then you will be the expert.
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03 Jun 20, Anonymous (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Google it and read up about it.
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21 Apr 20, KATHRYN SMITH (Australia - tropical climate)
Problem growing Beans of any sort.. Dying just after one inch tall. Well watered once a day in the middle of the day when plants start to stress and getting second set of leaves.. Can it be too hot or is there a fungis in my soil? What can I treat the soil with? Planted Snake beans but only a few came up. Not growing really well. Climbing beans not producing beans Have been using Blood and Bone and Seasol. Grew Marigolds in the bed last year.
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02 Jul 20, Bec Care (Australia - tropical climate)
Hi Kathryn, I live in North Queensland and was having the exact same problem! Tried growing climbing beans in three different areas of the garden , sunny during April/May, all sprouted fine and then died after 2 or so weeks. Watered well. Some say fertilise, others don’t. Some say water well, others don’t. I should try growing them again now but a little hesitant. Did you end up getting a crop?
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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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