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
      S S S S          
      T T T T T        
      P P P P          

(Best months for growing Beans - climbing in Australia - tropical regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • 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 16°C and 30°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 10 - 20 cm 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

Post a comment or question Display Newest first | Oldest first, Show comments for Australia | for all countries
09 Apr 13, derek howes (Australia - temperate climate)
where can ibuy runner bean seed , as grown in uk ?
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09 Mar 13, Carol Groves (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
M y climbing beans are climbing beautifully , but no flowers yet.they are about 6 foot high.Carol.
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27 Mar 13, Jade (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
try again with a different batch. I would think you should see flowers even at 2 or 3 foot. I have 'searles' climbing blue.
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02 Nov 12, Marcus Rees (Australia - temperate climate)
My French runner beans appear to be doing quite well. They have flowered and are now fruiting, however they are all yet to put out runners and none are taller then 40-50cm. Any ideas?
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08 Oct 12, Stehen King (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Climbing beans - basal leaves are developing dark red/brown spots surrounded by yellow haloes. Leaves then become pale yellow and die.Had this in bean crops in a different bed last year. Help pls. Thanks for any ideas.
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01 Oct 12, amy (Australia - temperate climate)
im growing climbing purple beans and i realy need help about how much sun they need thx HELP
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15 Mar 12, martin (Australia - temperate climate)
Scarlet runner beans like lots of water and do not seem to set beans untill the days grow shorter in autumn. In Sydney try planting them in well limed soil in mid January so they begin to flower around mid March.
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02 Mar 12, David Mapstone (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My climbimg beans are growing well and I can see that they need plenty of space otherwise they get quite tangled if confined. I am worried however that most are developing brown blotches on the beans. They seem health enough, but few remain plain green as I prefer them. Need I worry about them?
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17 Jan 12, frank kroeger (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
why didnt my scarlet runner bean get any beans.had plenty of flowers and after that nothing.thank you frank
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01 Oct 12, Noodle (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Runner beans will only set pods with cool nights. Perhaps the nights were too warm where you grew them? Where I live they do not set pods until late autumn, then we have a few weeks before frost kills them.
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Showing 141 - 150 of 183 comments
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It depends how cold your winters are; if you've had frost and temps are dropping below 15 degrees at night, it's currently too cold to be growing green beans with great success. I've only grown broad beans in the past and they were quite tolerant of temps into the low 30s, so provided your Spring doesn't heat up too quickly you're probably best waiting until late August or even September. Again, really depends on the nightly lows. Also beware that Seasol is merely a tonic, not a fertiliser (it doesn't have the nutrients in appreciable quantities to make a difference). The same company makes a comprehensive liquid fertiliser called 'Powerfeed' which, combined with Seasol, has worked wonders for my container chillies in the past (the standard version isn't certified organic but there is a certified organic version available now, albeit much diluted compared to the standard version). Depending on how many nutrients are left over from the manure, the lack of regular fertiliser may also be the problem - so I'd try something like Powerfeed or Searles 5-in-1 liquid fertiliser in addition to the Seasol (every week or two). Best of luck

- Prometheus

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