{"id":8008,"date":"2021-05-03T14:49:10","date_gmt":"2021-05-03T14:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grasstrimmerreviews.co.uk\/?p=8008"},"modified":"2024-02-08T16:15:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T16:15:48","slug":"how-to-grow-runner-beans-for-beginners-in-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grasstrimmerreviews.co.uk\/how-to-grow-runner-beans-for-beginners-in-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Grow Runner Beans for Beginners in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thanks for taking the time to read our article on how to grow Runner beans for beginners in the UK. These are by quite a distance, the most popular bean grown in the United Kingdom. One of the main reasons for that is the massive yields that you can get from these plants.<\/p>\n

There is however something to keep an eye on. We have read in so many places that these are very easy to grow. They do grow easily as long as you do a really good job at preparing the soil. We will cover that later in this article, but just keep in mind, with runner beans, success is all about preparing the soil.<\/p>\n

These are mainly grown in vegetable gardens and allotments, but they can also be grown in containers. If you are using a container, you can plant them closer together. The reason for that is they will need regular watering and feeding in a container, and as such they get more nutrients for growth. You also don’t have to worry about soil pests.<\/p>\n

So the good news is that you have a few options when it comes to growing runner beans. These beans are typically planted in rows that are 18″ apart, and the space between each plant should be 9″. Most of them will have a red flower and a few varieties have white and pink flowers.<\/p>\n

You should be aware of stringless runner beans as they are now the main choice that UK gardeners want to grow. Standard variety of runner beans tend to have stringy pods. Many people don’t like eating these, and so the newer variety stringless beans are now very popular.<\/p>\n

Varieties that grow in the UK<\/h2>\n

Almost every runner bean will grow to around 8-10 feet high. The pods will be about 10-20″ long, so these are big plants. They break down into three main varieties which are Stick runner beans, Ground runner beans and Dwarf runner beans. The dwarf varieties are a good choice for containers or for small gardens. By quite a distance, the stick runner beans remain the most popular.<\/p>\n

Stick Varieties<\/h3>\n
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  1. Scarlet Emperor <\/strong>– this is our favourite as it simply a very good all round performer. It gives long straight beans and high yields.<\/li>\n
  2. Kelvedon Marvel <\/strong>– These are a very good early cropping bean<\/strong> with shorter pods but they are usually able to be harvested 14 days or so earlier than other standard varieties<\/li>\n
  3. Sunset <\/strong>– This bean is also an early cropper<\/strong>. It has very pretty pink flowers and self-fertilising. It is also a good bean for freezing.<\/li>\n
  4. Streamline <\/strong>– This is a reliable old favourite and a hugely popular choice for lots of UK gardeners. This delivers a huge yield.<\/li>\n
  5. Painted Lady<\/strong> – These are very easy to identify with white flowers that have bright red lips. The pods are short, and in reality most gardeners grow this as it makes a very pretty screening flower<\/li>\n
  6. Red Knight<\/strong> – This runner bean produces a red flower and is a stringless bean with very good flavour and a really good choice for freezing<\/li>\n
  7. Mergoles or Desiree <\/strong>– Another very popular choice with many UK gardeners. This bean produces white flowers and stringless pods. They crop over a long period and are excellent for freezing.<\/li>\n
  8. Achievement<\/strong>– These have long straight pods and are used by many gardeners in exhibitions. They are also good for freezing.<\/li>\n
  9. Enorma<\/strong>– Used mainly for gardening exhibitions and they also have excellent flavour.<\/li>\n
  10. Crusader <\/strong>– This is the one that many gardeners will grow just for the exhibitions. The main reason for that is the very long length of its pods.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Plant Facts<\/h2>\n

    The French bean is grown from seed. Never plant any seeds in cold or wet soil as they simply will not grow.<\/p>\n\n<\/thead>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    \n

    Germination time of seeds<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

    		\n

    7 – 14 days<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

    \n

    Life expectancy of seed<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

    		\n

    2 years<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

    \n

    Seed needed to grow a 10 feet row<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

    		\n

    15 (1\/2 ounce)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

    \n

    Expected yield from a 10 feet row<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

    		\n

    30 lbs<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

    \n

    Ease of Growing<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

    		\n

    Not easy – soil preparation and constant picking are required<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n