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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20 Apr 20, Claudia (Australia - temperate climate)
Scarlet runner bean aka 7 year bean is a perennial bean. It will die back in the cooler months and shoot up again when warm enough. You can cut them back, compost, seaweed solution and mulch. When it starts to shoot up again, it will need a good feed.
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08 Apr 20, anon (Australia - temperate climate)
My thoughts on this are, you paid $3-5 for a packet of seeds and they probably produced $20- 30 worth of beans. That is a pretty good investment. If you like, let a few mature and keep the seeds for planting in the future. Why bother messing around with old plants trimming them and looking after them for months. Your soil needs a good working over and resting and manure compost etc added to build it up for the next season of plants.
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31 Mar 20, Michele (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
We live 65klms south of Geraldton on the coast. Are we classed as Sub tropical or temperature zone please
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01 Apr 20, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It does say sub-tropical Geraldton to Carnarvon. Being 65 klm south wouldn't make any difference.
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03 Apr 20, Michele (Australia - arid climate)
Thank you for your help so I dont need to worry about a whole 65klms and go with the original
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16 Feb 20, J garthwaite (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Is it too late to sow runner beans in glass house
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18 Feb 20, anon (Australia - temperate climate)
I have never had a glass house, but if I did and lived in a cool place, then I think the glass house would raise the temperature a lot inside to maybe temperate or even sub tropical levels. Apply that thinking to your planting and growing times.
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07 Jan 19, John McKenzie (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
I grew scarlet runners this year they grew great but sadly no flowers.Any suggestions
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08 Jan 19, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Did you plant them Oct to Nov? Did you use a lot of fertiliser?
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04 Dec 18, Dale (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hello Mike Just wanting to know the names of a couple of local (QLD / sub tropical) organic seed companies to buy from. I bought one lot of seeds from Green Harvest, but some are not producing .( it happens hey) I must say it has been such a dry and extremely hot spring and these 35 plus days are a real struggle for all the veggies. I even bought a couple of cheap tarps to give some plants a little shade.... I remember in past posts you mentioned a couple of companies. Also I would like to grow organicncorn,but I didn't see it on the A to Z growing list..are they all GMO now? Your help would be much appreciated. Regards Dale
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Showing 41 - 50 of 185 comments
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To make a U cover (better description is an n shape) for climbing beans would be quite a job and probably expensive if you don't have the materials around the yard now. We had climbing bean at the Men's Shed over 8' tall. Beans don't need bees. For dwarf beans you could go to Bunnings and buy a roll of wire netting (dog mesh or similar) - I think they do 5 M rolls. 1200mm or 1500 mm high would be better. Make a shape like a small n - 1200 mm 400 up each side and 400 across the top. With the 1500 mm 500 up each side and 500 across the top. Cover with 50 or 70% shade cloth - ($5/mtr Bunnings). Shade cloth is 1800mm wide - so put that over the top and lay some wood posts or what ever along the cloth on the ground - also put a piece of tin or wood on the end to stop them going in that way. My plants are growing pretty good - will be interesting to see if they flower soon. My tunnel is a little small.

- Mike

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