Runner beans are popular with gardeners because they are tasty, nutritious, and easy to grow and care for. The plants grow very quickly. You can grow them both in the garden and in containers on the balcony! As with any plant, certain care is required here. In this post you will learn how to grow runner beans and what kind of care the plants need. Read on and follow our tips.
How to prepare the place for cultivation?
First choose a spot in the garden with well-drained soil. For cultivation you need bamboo canes or similar supports and some string to tie them together. You need four or more sticks, which can be up to 3 m long. Stick the ends of each stick firmly into the soil in a circle and evenly spaced. You should then tie the tips of the sticks together. Then plant a pole bean at the base of each pole. The sticks support the plants as they grow. Tie the new shoots to the sticks.
Growing pole beans: proper growing conditions
You can sow the seeds in pots in April and transplant them outdoors at the end of May once the seedlings have developed well. The other option is to sow directly into the ground in May. Plant runner beans in a sunny spot and enrich the soil with well-rotted compost or manure. Keep the area where you grow the beans clean of weeds.
Sow the plants indoors
If you grow pole beans in pots, be sure to water them well. Mulch copiously to encourage moisture in the soil. If you want to grow your runner beans indoors, you should sow the seeds in April. How to proceed: Fill a pot with seed soil and dig a hole about 5 cm deep. Put a runner bean seed in before backfilling the hole with compost and watering. The seeds will germinate in about a week. Note that they grow amazingly fast.
Other things to remember: You need to harden off the plants for 7 to 10 days before planting them outdoors. Before planting out, make sure your bean plants are fully rooted in the pots. When all danger of frost has passed, you can plant your runner beans outside.
Care during the growth phase
Once the plants have reached the tops of the stakes, cut off the top of each bean. This will encourage bushy growth. Beans require a lot of water, so be sure to water them plentifully and regularly. Water throughout the growing season and especially when plants begin to flower. Moisture starvation should be avoided because if the plants don’t get enough water, the buds will not form pods. With a liquid fertilization administered every two weeks favors a rich harvest.
Growing Pole Beans: Pests and Diseases
Young runner bean plants are particularly susceptible to snails. How to protect your plants from snails? Use wildlife friendly slug pellets, place copper rings around stems from plants or use crushed egg shells or similar dry, granular material that may deter slugs. If you spot green shield bugs on your bean plants, don’t worry. These are harmless bugs that do not damage the plants.
When are the plants ready to harvest?
Runner beans take 12 to 16 weeks after sowing to become ready for harvest. When the bean pods are 5-20 cm long, they are best to harvest. Then they are tender and suitable for eating. Do not leave the beans on the plant for too long or they will become stringy. Pick the beans every day or two. Note that the more you pick, the more pods the plants will produce.
How do you store runner beans?
Pole beans can be successfully frozen. How do you proceed? Cut the top and bottom of the beans and remove all the threads. Then cut the pods into small pieces, blanch them in boiling water for two minutes. After that, drain them, cool them, put them in plastic bags and freeze them.