Runner beans at Sizergh Castle kitchen garden
Runner beans are easy to grow, don't need much space and give a good crop
Before planting Runner Beans in the ground wait until the soil has warmed; start them off in a greenhouse then plant them outside if you want to have an earlier crop. We have chosen 'St George' which is a heavy cropper and has been given the Award of Garden Merit. You will get a really good crop out of a small space, 60 x 60cm (2' x 2'), so they are well worth growing as they tend to be quite expensive in the supermarket. Pick them when they are quite young as they soon go tough and stringy; when they get like that even my goats won't eat them! Continuous picking will encourage them to produce more beans.
You will need:
- 7’ canes
- garden twine
- scissors
- beans
Push the canes into the ground to form a framework about 45cm (18”) across. If you do not have a great deal of space arrange the canes in a circle about 60cm (24”) in diameter and tie the tops of them together to form a wigwam.
Incorporate some Growmore into the soil, or dig a trench and put well-rotted manure in the bottom. Beans are greedy feeders and need a lot of water so grow them in a good humus rich, moisture retentive soil.
Push 2 beans into the soil at the base of each cane, about 5cm (2”) deep.
Water after planting and keep watering throughout summer otherwise the beans will be tough.
Label.
