6. Good Organic Gardening - November-December 2016 AvxHome.in

TIME TO PLANT | Scarlet runner bean
- in the -
vegie patch
Bean there
If you live in a cooler
area, the scarlet runner
could be the bean for you
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
When we moved into our coolclimate
Tasmanian garden
in winter, the ornamental
garden was dormant, but the
large vegetable garden was well stocked
with leftover summer crops. We were able
to harvest potatoes, Brussels sprouts
and silver beet, and collect eggs from the
chook shed. Enough for a meal in itself, but
there was one more ingredient the garden
provided: beans. Four tall bamboo tripods
were hung with dried bean pods filled with
handsome violet and black beans.
The summer’s crop of scarlet runner
beans had been left to dry and we were the
beneficiaries. We’ve enjoyed dried scarlet
runner beans each year since. The beans
grow up during summer, sprouting from
large tubers that remain in the ground,
and I replant seeds each year, sowing one
or two at the base o f each leg of the bean
tripod. Over time, the older beans are less
productive, which is why it’s a smart move to
re-sow some new ones each year.
The vines twine up their supports, soon
reaching the top. By mid-summer, they are
covered with clusters of decorative red
flowers, which form thick, green runner
beans. They could be harvested at this stage
and eaten as green beans, but I prefer to
leave them to swell and dry on the vine then
harvest the pods in autumn and winter.
The vines twine up
their supports, soon
reaching the top. By
mid-summer, they are
covered with clusters of
decorative red flowers,
which form thick,
green runner beans.
The scarlet runner bean is best suited to
areas with cool summers. In warmer climes,
they grow strongly and may flower but may
not form pods and won’t develop a thick,
starchy root. Late sowings may set beans in
autumn in temperate zones but not reliably.
The lush green leaves and scarlet
flowers make this productive vine very
attractive. It can be grown on an arch or
trellis where its flowers can be enjoyed. In
gardens in the United States, the scarlet
runner bean attracts hummingbirds.
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