Scarlet Runner Beans

One of my favorite finds last year is the Scarlet Runner Bean--Phaseolus coccineus. They are an annual that produces scarlet red flowers with heart-shaped leaves that look beautiful to fill in a trellis. I grow them on our chain-link fence. They like to grow 12-20 feet tall, so I have to wind them around and all over my four-foot fence. These photos were taken a week ago, and the plants have filled in the fence considerably since then. In the late summer and fall, they grow long bean pods that are very tender and sweet to eat. If you let the pods dry, you can harvest the legume and use like any dry bean. I planted enough beans to freeze for the winter. My family loves them!

The seed packet warns against planting in the same spot as the previous year to avoid disease. Once established, they need to be watered when the top two-inches of soil are dry. I have buried a 1/4" soaker hose hooked to my automated drip irrigation system, and most of the plants have done fine. When I planted, I soaked the beans in water for about an hour before placing them in the ground, and I was able to transplant the 7"-tall seedlings to better space out the plants that had sprouted. (I don't like just thinning. I prefer spreading.)