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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16 Jan 14, Marilyn (Australia - temperate climate)
Where can I buy Scarlet Runner beans in Rockingham Western Australia
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17 Apr 14, Lyn (Australia - temperate climate)
I'm in Rockingham and bought mine in Bunnings Rockingham. They grew extremely well (just about took over the garden) with lots of flowers but very few beans. I think it is the wrong climate for Scarlet Runners as it is too hot to set beans. I'm going back to the ordinary round runner beans.
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30 Dec 14, Di (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Try snake beans. They are also known as yardlong. I find them generous and hardy. I grow both the red and green types. I love scarlet runner beans but sadly, they only seem to do well in cooler climates.
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12 Dec 13, sabrin (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
how far apart do you plant scarlet runner beans
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03 Jan 14, Julie (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Sabrin, we planted ours about 30 cm apart.
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05 Dec 13, Angela (Australia - temperate climate)
I have the purple kings growing. started off really well lots of flower and quite a few beans before they had reached the top of the pole. Now the lower leaves are all turning rust colour and not producing many beans. any suggestions. I have fed them with dynamic lifter about 3 weeks ago. They have had water from reg rainfall. 2 or 3 heavy rains per week.
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12 Nov 13, Georgia (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
just wondering, what pests and diseases climbing beans are prone to?
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21 Oct 13, (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
I am interested to buy some seeds. Bhat Thohoyandou South Africa
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06 Sep 13, Victor Green (Australia - arid climate)
What is the best PH for beans also best fertiliser thank you
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27 Nov 13, Elizabeth (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Around neutral, beans are a fertilizer crop so if your soil has a good amount of organic matter not much fertilizer is needed. Worm Tea or Castings or Seasol as water-ons or compost. Beans naturally up the amount of nitrogen in the soil. In rotation I put compost on a patch, grow leafy green (lettuce, spinach...) then fruiting (tomato, squash, corn... ) root (potato, onion, sweet potato, radish...) then beans or peas. A bit of compost will go on in-between as well as Seasol.
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Showing 191 - 200 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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