How to Grow and Care for Scarlet Runner Bean
Annuals, Phaseolus
If you're growing Scarlet Runner Beans, your're growing an edible ornamental.
That's right! It's grown as a flowering plant and as a vegetable. Pretty
cool, eh!?
Scarlet Runner beans, and other varieties of runner beans, are easy to grow.
It's fast growing, climbing up to ten feet in a season. Plants will produce
a profusion of pretty red and white flowers, amidst a heavy cover of leaves.
Plant Scarlet Runner Beans where they can grow up a fence, trellis, bamboo
canes, or some other kind of support.
Propagation:
Scarlet Runner Bean are grown from seeds. Germination is quick. In warm soil,
they can emerge in under a week.
Sow Scarlet Runner Bean seeds directly into the garden after the last frost
in your area. Beans are highly susceptible to frost in both spring and fall.
So, do not plant them too early.
How to Grow:
Growing Scarlet Runner Beans is easy. Grow Scarlet Runner Bean in full sun.
Plants prefer a rich, soil. Adding compost prior to planting, will help
them to grow quickly to their full potential.
Scarlet Runner Beans require something to climb. Plant them along a fence
or trellis. Trellises are a great way to display this attractive, flowering
ornamental. After the blooming period, the beans will be accessible to harvest
right from the trellis. In the vegetable garden, fences and bamboo poles
are most often used.
Add ample amounts of water and fertilizer. The plants need both, to reach
maximum growth. Just before the blooming period, apply a fertilizer high
in phosphorous, to promote blooms.
Weed around the plants, especially while bean plants are young. Once
they begin to climb, weeds will not block valuable sunlight. But, they will
continue to compete for moisture and nutrients. A heavy layer
of mulch around the plants will look good, and keep weeds down.
All bean plants are annuals that are very susceptible to frost. Cover them
up whenever cold temperatures are expected.
Harvesting Beans:
After the flowers have bloomed, bean pods will begin to grow. If picked
very young, the pods are edible. They get tough and stringy very quickly.
IMPORTANT: Most people who grow runner beans for the beans, will eat
just the beans. Beans must be cooked before eating.
Picking beans continuously, will promote new flowers and more beans!
Insects, Pests, and Disease:
Most varieties of beans are susceptible to a variety of insects, most notably
beetles. They can be effectively treated with Sevin, Diazinon or a variety
of other insecticides.
Bunnies love beans! Rabbits eat the the tender new leaves. If there are rabbits
in your area, a rabbit fence is not a nicety, it is a necessity. They will
devastate a row of beans in a hurry, eating the tender new leaves. As new
ones develop, they will come back for more.
Pest netting is effective for bunnies.
More on control of rabbits in the
garden.
Deer love to nip leaves of beans. If deer are a problem in your area, they
will be a problem with your runner beans. Fencing or
pest netting is the most effective control.
More on how to control deer in gardens.
Fungus diseases are a frequent problem in wet or humid weather. Use a fungicide
as needed. Keeping the leaves dry, and avoiding overcrowding will help
to keep disease from getting a start.
More Information:
Buy Scarlet Runner Bean and Flower Seeds Finest quality
Ferry Morse Seed, America's oldest seed company with their famous "guarantee
to grow".
Bulbs
and Perennials - Great deals on a a wide assortment of your favorite
bulbs and perennials.
Veggie Cages Throw away the wire and hoop cages.
This revolutionary cage expands a whopping 7ft! Stores flat in almost no
space. Try them on sweet peas, tomatoes, pole beans, and other climbing climbing
flowers and vegetables. |
