How to Plant and Grow Scarlet Runner Beans

Phaseolus coccineus

Beloved by gardeners for each their decorative and edible qualities, scarlet runner beans have vibrant pink flowers that entice pollinators along with the edible pods and beans.

Plus, these climbing vegetation have some benefits over common pole beans and there are numerous completely different cultivars you’ll be able to develop!

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With vibrant pink blooms, these legumes are a stunning annual choice for creating climbing screens and masking trellises – and so they even have edible pods, seeds, flowers, and roots.

Able to discover ways to develop these red-flowered legumes? Right here’s what we’ll cowl:

What Are Scarlet Runner Beans?

Scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) are vining vegetation that produce edible inexperienced pods and vibrant pink flowers.

Vines can attain seven ft lengthy – or extra – and are lined with alternate leaves, every of which is made up of three spade-shaped leaflets. These leaves are edible.

The seeds contained in the pods are attractive and may be eaten each recent, when they’re shades of purple or lavender, and as soon as they mature to a darkish blueish-black hue mottled with purple or mild brown. Some varieties have white seeds.

Earlier than pods set, nevertheless, the vines are lined with eye-catching blooms in a vibrant scarlet hue – pink with an orangish tint.

Some varieties have white, pink, or purple coloured flowers.

Cultivation and Historical past

P. coccineus is native to Mexico and Central America. It grows in its native vary at mid to excessive elevations the place nights are cool, and in a variety of open habitats.

This leguminous species has been used for meals by people for no less than 5500 years, however maybe as many as 7000 years.

P. coccineus was described taxonomically in 1753, and was grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello in 1812.

This species is a member of the legume household, associated to such various stars of the backyard and panorama as inexperienced beans (P. vulgaris), redbud bushes (Cercis spp.), and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)!

In Spanish they’re known as “ayocote,” and in English these vegetation are also called “runners,” “multiflora beans,” and generally “butter beans” – although the latter identify is most frequently used for his or her relative, the lima bean.

Well-liked within the UK as a backyard crop, within the US, scarlet runner beans are extra generally grown as ornamentals than for his or her edible qualities, and pollinators take pleasure in their blooms as properly.

Though many are tempted to develop these vegetation uniquely for his or her decorative blooms, all elements of the plant are edible – pods, seeds, foliage, and tuberous roots!

Whether or not grown for meals or for his or her stunning flowers, ayocote may be grown as a brief lived perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 11, and as an annual in colder zones.

The right way to Sow Scarlet Runner Beans

One of the simplest ways to propagate these vegetation is through direct sowing since these vegetation have delicate roots that don’t like being transplanted.

You’ll want to attend till one to 2 weeks has handed after your final common frost to sow your seeds, since though this crop is tolerant of cool climate, it isn’t proof against frost.

First set up your trellis, teepee, or different climbing assist, and the day earlier than you intend to sow, water the soil in order that it’s moist.

In anticipation of sowing, you’ll additionally wish to supply out some inoculant in your scarlet runner beans.

Make certain the product you select comprises R. leguminosarum biovar phaseoli.

I like to recommend Exceed Backyard Mixture Inoculant, which incorporates this bacterium and inoculates all kinds of legumes.

Exceed Backyard Mixture Inoculant

Exceed Backyard Mixture is out there in one-and-a-half-ounce packets, sufficient to deal with eight kilos of seeds, through Excessive Mowing Natural Seeds.

Apply the inoculant proper earlier than you might be able to sow.

Put the seeds in a small bowl with a little bit water so they’re frivolously moist, then sprinkle the inoculant over the seeds.

Study extra about utilizing inoculants with legumes in our information.

In the event you’re rising scarlet runner beans in a raised mattress following the sq. foot gardening methodology, sow eight seeds per sq. foot. If you’re planting in rows, sow one seed each six inches.

Planning to sow your scarlet runner beans in containers? Study extra about rising greens in containers with our article!

Poke one-inch-deep holes within the soil or rising medium with a dibber, your finger, or a pencil.

Drop one seed into every gap, then shut the outlet up by squishing the soil collectively and patting down the floor to make sure good contact.

Water within the seeds after sowing, and preserve the world evenly moist whereas seeds germinate and seedlings change into established.

The right way to Develop Scarlet Runner Beans

This species tolerates cooler climates than styles of the widespread bean (P. vulgaris), so in the event you reside at a excessive elevation and expertise cool nights within the summertime, this crop could be very completely happy in your location!

P. coccineus grows fortunately at temperatures between 60 to 90°F.

Nevertheless, fruit set can decelerate when temperatures rise above 90°F, so don’t count on a bumper crop in the event you reside in a location with a number of months of 100°F climate in the course of the summer time.

In the event you’re planning to develop your scarlet runner beans on a teepee fashion trellis, make sure that the opening of the teepee is dealing with north, in order that the majority of the vines are receiving southern publicity.

These legumes want full solar, organically-rich, well-draining soil with a pH vary of 6.0 to six.8, and a considerably moist rising medium – make sure that they obtain one to 1 and a half inches of water per week.

Need to develop this crop together with some companion vegetation? Learn up on the perfect companion vegetation for beans in our article.

Rising Suggestions

• Develop in full solar.
• Permit vines to climb a trellis or different assist.
• Preserve soil moist.

Upkeep

Whereas younger vegetation are getting established, it’s essential to remain on prime of weeding as a result of weeds can outcompete and smother small seedlings.

In the event you really feel such as you spend an excessive amount of time on that gardening chore, possibly it’s time to discover ways to weed extra effectively! Learn our article to be taught extra.

Mulching across the base of vegetation will help stop weed competitors, whereas additionally saving time and sources spent watering.

I favor utilizing flowering floor covers as residing mulches across the base of my runner beans, akin to candy alyssum and nasturtiums.

Study extra about mulching in our information.

To overwinter scarlet runner bean tubers within the floor, don’t dig them up when vegetation begin to die again. As a substitute, use a pair of pruners to clip the vine again a few inches above the soil.

In USDA Hardiness Zones 7 and eight, cowl the tubers with just a few inches of mulch to guard them from chilly winter climate.

Relying on the size of your rising season, these tubers might not develop very huge.

In the event you aren’t making an attempt to overwinter them, throw the tubers into your compost pile on the finish of the rising season together with your different backyard detritus!

Scarlet Runner Bean Cultivars to Choose

When selecting which kind of scarlet runner bean to develop, you’ll have your decide amongst a number of varieties:

Black Knight

‘Black Knight’ is an heirloom runner selection that produces pink blooms adopted by black pods.

Seeds are pink when recent however flip black and lavender as they dry.

Vines attain seven to 10 ft tall, with pods prepared to reap beginning in 65 days.

‘Black Knight’

You’ll discover packs of fifty ‘Black Knight’ seeds from the Park Seed Retailer through Amazon.

Girl Di

‘Girl Di’ has the traditional pink blooms we love these vegetation for, and produces stringless pods which might be tender at six to seven inches lengthy and comprise black seeds.

Vines attain 10 ft tall, and mature in 84 to 100 days.

Scarlet Emperor

‘Scarlet Emperor’ is the scarlet runner bean selection you might be more than likely to come back throughout, recognized for its sensible pink flowers on vines that attain 4 to seven ft tall.

Pods comprise seeds which might be black, mottled with purple, and are prepared to reap in 75 days.

‘Scarlet Emperor’

You’ll discover ‘Scarlet Emperor’ in a wide range of packet sizes obtainable at Eden Brothers.

Managing Pests and Illness

Like different backyard legumes, scarlet runner beans may be focused by pests and ailments, notably when vegetation are careworn.

You possibly can assist them resist these onslaughts by cultivating the vegetation in optimum circumstances.

Past offering this legume with the perfect solar, soil, and water circumstances, interplanting them with companion vegetation also can assist deter pests.

Study extra in regards to the scientifically confirmed advantages of companion vegetation in our information.

Listed here are the commonest pests and ailments to maintain a watch out for:

Herbivores

Relating to wildlife snacking in your runners, you’ll wish to be cautious of deer.

Deer fencing is the best technique of protecting these browsers out of your backyard – however there are different methods that may assist as properly.

Learn our article for recommendations on deer-proofing your backyard to be taught extra.

Rabbits can even gladly snack in your legume crop.

One of the simplest ways to maintain them out is by putting in fencing with small openings, akin to rooster wire, however there are just a few different techniques you could wish to attempt first, which you’ll be able to find out about in our information.

Bugs

Bugs can compromise a legume crop, making harvests inedible. Right here’s what to look out for:

Aphids

Aphids are tiny sapsucking bugs which might colonize the foliage, the place they suck vitamins, weakening vegetation and generally spreading ailments.

Chances are you’ll discover discolored or curling leaves earlier than you discover the aphids themselves, that are normally hiding on the undersides of foliage.

Typically all you have to do to do away with aphids is to spray a powerful jet of water out of your hose. Repeat this removing technique day by day for a couple of week, then control the foliage. If aphids don’t come again you’re within the clear!

Study extra about easy methods to management aphids right here.

Cutworms

You’ll have admired your scarlet runner bean seedlings sprouting from the soil, solely to return a day or two later and see that these seedlings now look fairly odd.

If there’s solely a stem remaining the place there was once leaves, or the leaves of the seedling have all of the sudden vanished, go forward and blame the cutworms.

These larval caterpillars hand around in the soil, and look forward to the solar to go down earlier than popping out from their lairs to chew by the tender stems and leaves of younger seedlings.

Fortunately, it’s not too exhausting to cease them, particularly since these legume seedlings are pretty giant in measurement.

A collar made out of an empty rest room paper roll may be inserted into the soil round every seedling to forestall cutworms from reaching the stems.

Study extra about making cutworm collars in addition to different choices for controlling these pests.

Mexican Bean Beetles

Mexican bean beetles are a sort of ladybug that may munch on plant leaves, leaving foliage skeletonized when infestations are extreme.

Not like the intense pink ladybugs which might be helpful bugs, these beetles have a yellowish orange to copper brown coloration.

You possibly can stop issues with these pests by encouraging the presence of pure predators akin to inexperienced lacewings and helpful ladybugs.

Study extra about natural management strategies for beetles on bean vegetation in our information.

Illness

Right here’s what to observe for in the case of ailments:

Anthracnose

In the event you discover brown or black lesions on vines, foliage, or pods, you could be coping with anthracnose.

A fungal illness attributable to Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, anthracnose may be unfold by contaminated seed or plant particles, particularly in heat, damp circumstances.

In the event you discover this illness amongst your crops, take away the affected vegetation, and don’t develop any kinds of beans in that very same location for an additional two years.

Even higher although – stop this illness from concentrating on your legume crops. You are able to do so by selecting to irrigate on the base of vegetation as a substitute of with sprinklers, selecting disease-free seed, and rotating crops.

Damping Off

Damping off can kill off younger seedlings shortly after they’ve emerged from the soil. Seedlings sprout, however then begin to weaken, look sickly, and wilt, by no means to get well.

This plant illness is attributable to fungal organisms within the soil, so prevention is crucial – take care to not overwater as a result of soggy soil can encourage the expansion of those undesirable fungi!

If you’re rising your scarlet runner beans in containers, make sure that to make use of clear pots. If they’ve been used beforehand, sterilize them earlier than reuse.

Study extra about damping off in our information.

Powdery Mildew

You’ll acknowledge powdery mildew, one other fungal illness, by the presence of powdery white spores on the floor of the foliage – particularly within the elements of the plant shaded by different crops, or on the bases of the vegetation the place daylight doesn’t penetrate as properly.

One of the simplest ways to regulate this illness is thru prevention. Make certain to plant these legumes in full solar and house vegetation correctly to permit loads of air circulation.

Learn our article to be taught extra about easy methods to deal with powdery mildew organically.

Harvesting

If you wish to take pleasure in consuming the pods of your scarlet runner beans, normally, you’ll wish to decide them when they’re round 4 inches lengthy, earlier than they attain full size.

Discover step-by-step particulars for choosing younger pods in our information to harvesting snap beans.

The pods of those legume vegetation are typically harder than these of widespread beans – and over 4 inches lengthy they are typically too powerful to chew.

You possibly can permit them (deliberately or not!) to measurement up and decide them to make use of as shellies as a substitute of pods– simply take away the attractive pinkish purple seeds from the pods, which you’ll be able to relegate to the compost.

You may as well permit pods to completely mature, drying on the vines, and save the seeds as dry pulses.

On this plant the younger pods, leaves, flowers, and seeds are all edible!

If you wish to have a go at consuming the leaves, make sure that to choose them when small – simply you should definitely solely harvest fewer than 1 / 4 of the entire variety of leaves on every vine at a time in any other case you’ll be sacrificing your pod harvest.

Be at liberty to pluck just a few of the attractive pink flowers from the vines so as to add to salads in case you are feeling experimental. Simply do not forget that with each flower you decide, that’s one much less pod in your dinner plate.

Preserving

Identical to with common inexperienced beans, you’ve just a few choices in the case of preserving the bounties of your harvest.

Younger pods may be handled like inexperienced beans – they are often canned, dehydrated, frozen, or lacto-fermented.

Thinking about utilizing fermentation to protect your harvest? Try the recipe for lacto-fermented pickles on our sister website Foodal – simply substitute younger runner pods for cucumbers.

As for storing the mature seeds, make sure that they’re fully dry earlier than packing them away.

Lay out the harvested, mature seeds on a drying rack in a cool darkish place in a single layer.

Test them for dryness by utilizing a fingernail to attempt to dent a seed. In the event you handle to make a dent, they want extra time drying.

As soon as dry, retailer in a jar in a cool, darkish location. This methodology is identical whether or not you’re saving these pulses as a meals staple, or as seeds to develop future crops.

Recipes and Cooking Concepts

Younger snaps can be utilized identical to inexperienced beans. Want a prep thought?

Try this recipe for garlic lemon roasted inexperienced beans on our sister website, Foodal!

In the event you’re searching for cooking concepts for the shelled or dry seeds, it’s exhausting to beat the all-time traditional: beans and rice.

This nourishing and easy combo may be dressed up in infinite methods – consider it because the little black gown of the culinary world.

Try this recipe for the perfect beans and rice, additionally on Foodal.