Runner beans are one of the easiest crops to grow. They need very little in the way of care while they’re growing, all they need is a suitable cane tripod, trellis or fence to climb up, and if you pick the ripe beans often enough will keep on producing delicious beans right through the summer months.

Runner Beans - One of the easiest crops to grow!

The variety I’m growing this year are “Prize Winner Stringless” which I picked up in my local Wilkinsons store in March. You can sow them directly in the soil or in a large compost filled pot in late may when the frosts have past, or you can start them off in small pots to give them a bit of a head start, which is my preference.

Getting Ready To Sow!

All you need to get these going is a suitable plant pot or container. Something 3″ to 4″ diameter is about right. I’ve used old Baked Bean tins with holes punched in the bottom with a nail for drainage.

Put 2 Beans In Each Pot...

Fill your pot with about 2/3 seed compost. I’m using Wickes Multi-Purpose compost which cost about £4.50 for 70 litres. Place 2 beans in each pot. Runner Beans do have quite a high success rate when it comes to germination, so don’t plant the whole pack otherwise you’ll have more bean plants than you know what to do with.

Cover With More Compost & Water Well

Cover the beans with a further inch or so of compost. Water well, and leave in a warm place. I just left mine on the staging in the greenhouse to germinate. Germination should take around 7 to 10 days. I’ve sown about 12 seeds this year so it’ll be interesting to see how many plants we get.

Three Weeks Later

After just three weeks in a moderately warm place such as an unheated greenhouse or a windowsill, and we have this…

Runner Bean Plants After 3 Weeks

Another week or two depending on how warm it is and these will be ready to harden off and be planted in the veg plot.