Runner Bean
Phaseolus coccineus
Runner beans are vigorous climbing beans with scarlet, white or bicolour flowers and long, flat pods. They are a classic UK allotment crop and an ornamental climber in US gardens.
Photo: Victor M. Vicente Selvas · Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Essential Care Requirements
Light
Full sun
Watering
High
Water generously once flowering starts; dry soil causes flowers to drop.
Soil
Deep, rich, moisture-retentive soil; pH 6.0–7.0.
Temperature and humidity
10–30 °C · Moderate humidity
Feeding
Dig compost into a trench before sowing; little extra feeding needed.
Pruning and propagation
Propagate by seed
Pinch out the tips when plants reach the top of their poles.
Pods and beans must be cooked; raw beans contain lectins.
Top Cultivation Tips
Sow outdoors after the last frost or start in pots.
Grow up a wigwam of bamboo canes.
Pick pods at 15–20 cm before beans swell.
Mist flowers in hot, dry weather to help them set.
Common problems
Aphids
Small, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new shoots and buds, sucking sap and leaving sticky honeydew behind.
How to treat it →DiseaseBean common mosaic virus
A seed-borne and aphid-spread virus that mottles and puckers bean leaves, stunts plants and reduces pod yield.
How to treat it →PestEpilachna beetles
Ladybird-like leaf-eating beetles and their spiny yellow larvae that scrape leaves into lace on beans, aubergine, potato and cucurbits.
How to treat it →PestSnails and slugs
Night-feeding molluscs that chew ragged holes in leaves, seedlings and soft stems, especially in wet weather.
How to treat it →PestSpider mites
Tiny sap-sucking mites that thrive in hot, dry conditions, causing speckled, dull leaves and fine webbing.
How to treat it →
