Top Five Outstanding Runner Beans to Cultivate in Your Garden
Rockin' with Runner Beans: Bask in the glory of one of the easiest and eye-catching crops for your garden - runner beans! These colorful, climbing beauties can grow up to 2-3m tall but won't take up much ground space, making them perfect for your vegetable plot or a boundary-scaling wigwam. Bonus points? You can even cultivate them in a large container!
Ready to learn the lowdown on growing runner beans? Get comfy and dive into our Runner Bean Grow Guide!
What's more? The enchanting red, white, or multi-hued flowers are edible, boasting a beany taste, and add a lovely touch to salads as a garnish.
So what's the scoop on which runner beans to grow? Here's a rundown of five crowd-pleasers.
Scarlet Emperor
The classic, vintage runner bean variety, Scarlet Emperor, is cherished for its brilliant red flowers and hefty harvests of long, smooth, dark-green pods with a fantastic flavor. This heritage plant has ruled the Brits' gardens for centuries!
Painted Lady
Cue the Victorian adoration - Painted Lady runner beans are grown for their eye-catching bicolored red and white blooms as well as plentiful, tender, medium-sized, flavorful beans.
Red Rum
This self-fertile runner bean variety produces early-summer crops and keeps the beans coming throughout the season. Red Rum thrives even in single-plant scenarios and can set beans even in bad weather conditions, outperforming many others.
White Lady
The enchanting White Lady brings pure white flowers and long, mid-green, stringless, tender pods with white seeds to the table. It's a trusty cropper that can handle the heat of dry conditions better than some others.
Polestar
Bred in Blighty, Polestar offers a dependable runner bean crop with stringless, smooth, and fleshy pods of good flavor. It blooms early, flowers easily, and crops over a long season.
Pair your runner beans with sweet peas for an attractive sidekick that'll entice beneficial pollinators!
Growin' Tips
- Tuck your seeds under cover from mid-April and transfer them outdoors from late May.
- Alternatively, sow in mid- to late May directly outdoors, placing two seeds per support.
- Position your plants in a sheltered, sunlit area, and ensure the soil is rich with organic matter.
- Watch out for pesky slugs and blackfly and tackle them as they appear on new shoot tips.
- Keep plants hydrated and pick beans regularly to maintain productive beans and prolong their season.
- With their bold flavors and vibrant colors, runner beans like the 'Scarlet Emperor', 'Painted Lady', 'Red Rum', 'White Lady', and 'Polestar' not only make stunning additions to your home-and-garden but also transform food-and-drink recipes, such as salads or even stir-fries, into eye-catching lifestyle statements.
- For a truly enchanting garden, consider growing runner beans alongside sweet peas, as they will attract beneficial pollinators while adding a splash of color and charm to your home-and-garden.
- Once your runner bean plants start bearing fruit, remember to pick beans regularly to encourage continued growth and prolong the harvest season, keeping your cooking supplies stocked with fresh produce.
