The scarlet runner bean really suprised me!

Mon Jul 09, 2012 3:51 am

This past week I read a several page article about the scarlet runner bean that I planted as a climbing flowerlast year. I had two or three plants that I planted behind my greenhouse in some red dog soil. It grew and grew and I had about 50 beans when the frost came . I figured I would save the seeds for this year! I did send some of the seeds to members here and hope to here how they grew.!
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After I read the article in a garden issue this month on this editable bean I realized that it was the perfect thing for me to grow up and around my greenhouse for beauty and eatting! This will be one of my main crops from now on. I can't wait to tast them in the three different ways to eat them. Even the flowers are good in salads! Here is a little info from a seed company. If anyone has more pictures and info lets see it?

http://www.humeseeds.com/beansr.htm

Fri Aug 03, 2012 5:19 pm

I thought I would add another picture of the runner bean! What a great product for beauity and eatting! I want to plant some inside my greenhouse also! I am trying to get several different colors and plant them outside this week!

http://www.humeseeds.com/tgscrnr.htm

Fri Aug 03, 2012 8:33 pm

The first time I planted scarlet runner bean was about 30 years ago. They are amazing the red flowers are great.

I did not know they can be eaten.

Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:58 am

Gary350 wrote:The first time I planted scarlet runner bean was about 30 years ago. They are amazing the red flowers are great.

I did not know they can be eaten.

By the ton. :lol:

Scarlet Emperor are prolific.

Eric

Sat Aug 04, 2012 8:14 am

That is a beautiful bean! How does it taste? I think I would grow that just for it's flowers even if it weren't edible. Do you have to string them? How do they taste? Can they be frozen or canned? I am always looking for beautiful things for my garden. For me beauty is as important as taste. I don't have either right now, but I'm working on it. Some things start out beautiful (in theory) but end up looking like a junk heap. The bean towers that blew down, The cold frame that wouldn't fit together, (not really my fault. Two by fours aren't really two by four. That was a nasty trick on someone's part) All the stakes I cut to the same size so they would look nice and even, (I even lined them up with a piece of string. There are so many rocks, I am lucky to get them in at all) The muddy glads that fell over just when it was time to cut them. My soil is hard, the drainage is not good, my wildlife is hungry, and for some reason vining crops won't grow. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Sat Aug 04, 2012 3:49 pm

Saw these at some public gardens this summer. Finally an answer to the empty trellis by the garden that has rejected everything I've tried there.
Thanks for the info and photos; now I'm already looking forward to next years garden!

Sun Aug 05, 2012 7:52 pm

I have many times grown the scarlet runner. I let the beans go for dry. They are good any way you prepare dry beans.

Sun Aug 05, 2012 11:35 pm

Has it been mentioned that hummingbirds love them?

HUMMINGBIRDS LOVE THEM

I grow some every year. The kids love the beans. I have yet to grow enough in my limited space to really enjoy the dry beans because we end up eating most of the beans in green snap stage (my kids' verdict is that they taste the best after the beans fill out a bit, but the pods stay tender) that I generally only save enough to grow to mature beans for next years' seed. :roll:

In addition to the Scarlet Runner which is blooming away now from late May sowing and which I expect to keep on blooming until frost, I sowed fast maturing Sunset Runner a couple of weeks ago which hopefully will make it for fall harvest. I'll have to try Scarlet Emperor -- haven't tried that particular variety.

The original Scarlet Runner variety I have always takes this long (late July/August) to start blooming. So I'm definitely sowing the Sunset again next year, too. ...I think I need more trellis space! :shock:

Mon Aug 06, 2012 12:46 pm

The dry weather I thought would kill the scarlet runer eans. I put them around my new Aframe 8 by 12 greenhouse. i put the chicken wire on the outside of the wood frame and watched the runner bean climb up! I was suprised when the thin stem carried nourshment to all the flowers and leaves that are making the whole area red and green! The beans are forming now.
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Last year i had to plants behing my greenhouse in a ashy soil I was really suprised that I had at least 40 gian beans on the two plants. The beans are blackand purple! Next year I will plant the other two typs of runner beans also! Idid watch a humming bird on the flowers and it actually landed and perched for a minute!