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

(Best months for growing Beans - climbing in Australia - sub-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

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09 Apr 17, Stephanie (Australia - arid climate)
Read your message thanks .... I have an allotment in Perth & want to grow scarlet runner beans.... have you tried them? Are the blue lake variety flat beans Interested to hear about the kaolin Nice to here from someone on this side of Australia
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08 Jan 17, Jo Holden (Australia - temperate climate)
Sowed the Blue Lake climbing beans and had success for number of years, it last 2 summers have problems with brown and sparse leaves. Small crop so far..bed was prepared, and have fed them also water from the top..any ideas or just too hot..have planted a second lot and they look alright?
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09 Jan 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Climbing beans do not set well in hot weather. You can have a row of pods form on the flower spike then a few hot days and none will form, then a few cooler days and more beans will form. I can't say much about the brown leaves except it could be the heat. Trust this helps.
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20 Aug 16, Pamela Cox Pamela Margaret Cox (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Hobart is cool of course but sunny i summer, last year the hot spell did help loss of many beans during thode few days
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14 Oct 16, Dave (Australia - temperate climate)
suggest you use potash to promote flowering and water the climbers from the top down. Water in the evening once the heat is less. Scarlet Runners do not like hot weather.
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22 Apr 16, Robyn (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
Can I grow snake beans in blue Mts?
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17 Mar 16, Trevor Watson (Australia - arid climate)
Have a trellis 6ft high and the runners are growing above . do I pinch off or let them come back on trellis and grow downwards. or wind breaks off.. Trevor Watson..
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25 Jan 16, Vanessa (Australia - tropical climate)
I am growing the English variety of green runner beans, apparently the easiest to grow.........but something is eating them, they flower beautifully, little beans appear and then I look the next day and there is only a little green stem where they were. Perhaps I am watering them too much? Are they lacking in nutrients? Can I net them all day? They originally had the tiny black fly but sprayed them and they went. Grasshoppers are vicious here but I never see them. Please, any advice would be a great help to me. Thanks
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25 Oct 16, Ted (Australia - temperate climate)
Like Tomatoes they may need a feed, try Tomato fertiliser to help the flowers setI find it helps. Also shade from afternoon Sun.
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06 Feb 16, Bert (Australia - temperate climate)
Grew a great crop of dwarf beans and then planted the same bean as you. Nothing!!! Beautiful big bushes Jack would have been proud of. Thinking of pulling them out as the flowers drop, or are bitten off. Then this morning for some reason I see lots of little beans growing. No tip here for you, but perhaps food? for thought.
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Hi Peter. How frustrating for you. I, too, love my garden, especially growing food crops and harvesting the produce. It is hard to know your circumstances without more information about your site. The roots of neighbours trees can be problematic, sucking out much of the moisture and nutrients, especially during the hot weather. I keep my veg beds 1-2 metres away from the boundary fences, and thoroughly dig over the beds closest to the fences and neighbouring trees prior to planting, to break up the invading tree roots, which helps for a while, but come late summer, I have to abandon at least one bed as the plants become water-stressed. It is not uncommon to have one particular crop fail in any particular year because of the vagaries of the season, but you should be able to still harvest others. Are you able to grow leafy greens? and what about winter crops? Lorraine

- lorraine

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