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

Scarlet runner bean | TIME TO PLANT
CanStockPhoto
Although we have small nectar-eating birds
in the garden here, such as yellow-cheeked
honeyeaters, I’ve not yet seen them feeding
on bean flowers.
Varieties
Scarlet runners are native to elevated parts of
southern Mexico and Central America. There
are several varieties of the bean, which is very
popular in the UK and Europe. ‘Painted Lady’
has red and white bicolour flowers, while
‘Sunset’ has orange flowers. There are also
forms with white pods and beans.
Care and
maintenance
Sow the large beans around 1–2cm deep in
moist soil, placing each seed at the base of
a climbing support. The beans are quick to
germinate in warm soil.
Other than twining wayward beans onto
Scarlet runner
beans label
Common name: Scarlet runner bean,
seven-year bean
Botanical name: Phaseolus coccineus
Family: Fabaceae (pea family)
Requires: Full sun
Dislikes: Heat, humidity
Suitable for: Cool climates
Habit: Perennial vine, 2–3m high
Needs: Climbing support
Propagation: Seed
Difficulty: Easy
their support, they need little extra care.
Give the plants regular water and add more
fertiliser in the form of well-rotted manure,
pelletised chicken manure, blood and bone or
a slow-release organic fertiliser.
Green vegetable bugs can attack the
leaves and pods, but little else appears to
harm these robust vegetables. To control
the bugs, simply squash the black speckled
ladybird-sized juveniles or the larger green
adults, which hide among the leaves.
They have an acrid smell when squashed.
Alternatively, knock them into a tin or bucket
filled with soapy water.
Keep the pods off the ground by training
the stems onto a support. Pods lying on the
ground may rot.
Harvest, storage and
preparation
If the beans are to be eaten green, harvest the
pods while they are small and tender. Large
pods quickly become fibrous. Alternatively,
leave the beans to dry on the vine and pick
the brown pods in autumn. The vines and
pods withstand early frost.
After harvesting the dry beans, remove the
remaining dry growth, which can be cut up
and added to the compost heap.
The pods are easy to shell and each
produces five or six large, shiny, colourful
beans, which store well. Discard any beans
that are soft or mouldy.
The dry beans are best soaked and boiled
before use in a bean casserole or other dish
that uses dry beans. They are delicious
teamed with garlic, tomatoes or pork.
The dried pods are easy to shell
Just as good dried as fresh
Good Organic Gardening | 45