Beans are known for their beautiful vines and ability to grow quickly. Scarlet runner beans are no different. These striking red-flowered purple beans are in the same genus as other beans, such as green beans and black beans.
If you want to beautify your garden while harvesting delicious beans, give scarlet runner beans a try. Let’s learn how to plant, grow, and care for these classic legumes.
Overview
This plant prefers moist, well-drained soil.
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What Are They?
Scarlet runner beans are beautiful edible and ornamental legumes with tall vines, red flowers, and purple-speckled beans. It is not common for an edible plant to be matched in both its culinary use as well as its ornamental value, but the scarlet runner bean does both. This bean can be used as a privacy screen, a container plant, or even as a teepee trellis for children’s fun.
Characteristics
These beans sprawl up to 20 feet in length or height in your garden.
These perennial leguminous vines are typically grown as annuals. These vines are quick-growing and produce stunning scarlet-colored flowers that resemble sweet peas. The blossoms turn to large seed pods that house the beans. These pods can reach up to 10 inches long.
This leguminous vine can grow up to 20 feet long or tall, depending on how you grow them. If you do not trellis these beans, they will creep and crawl through your garden.
Native Area
The popularity of runner beans stems from high calories and easy growth.
Runner beans are native to Mexico and Central America. These plants have been grown in these regions for thousands of years. They have gained popularity due to their high caloric properties and low-maintenance growth habit.
Planting
Legumes grow well in containers or in the ground. Choose the option that is best for you and your growing conditions.
Transplanting
Transplant seedlings when three inches tall into a spacious container.
Whether you purchase nursery starts from your local garden center, or start seeds indoors, transplanting the mature seedlings is a simple yet tricky task. Please be aware that beans can be sensitive to root disturbance and prone to transplant shock. If possible, start your seeds in their final growing place to avoid the stress of transplanting.
Alternatively, start the seeds in soil blocks or biodegradable paper pots that can be planted straight in the ground. Once seedlings are at least three inches tall, you can transplant your beans into their final growing container. These plants require a lot of space or a trellis to grow upward, so you can opt for a large pot or a moderately-sized space in your veggie garden.
Simply and gently, pop the seedlings out and plant them in the new container or bed. Avoid compressing the roots. If growing in a pot, ensure the new container has drainage holes.
Growing from Seed
Plant seeds along a trellis for easier training.
Growing scarlet runner beans from seed is a simple and satisfying task! Before you get started, gather your supplies.
You will need:
- Seeds
- Pots or a raised bed
- Seed starting mix
- Trellis or other support
- Twine or garden Velcro
Let’s get started! Plant your seeds indoors about four to six weeks before your last frost. If possible,
- Purchase your seeds!
- Decide what vessel you will use to start your seeds. A raised bed or large container is preferable, but you can start with smaller pots as well. Try planting in a Three Sisters garden for an amazing edible garden.
- Fill your container of choice with soil.
- Place your trellis in the container. You can use any trellis you have on hand. There are trellises specifically for beans on the market if you are looking to buy something new.
- Sow your seeds along the supports of the trellis. This will make it much easier to train the tendrils once the seedlings begin to grow.
- You should notice germination within one to two weeks.
- As they grow, use twine or garden velcro to help train the plants up the trellis. You will not regret this step later in the season.
How to Grow
Now that we know a bit more about these plants, let’s learn how to guide them through the growing season with grace.
Light
Plant vining legumes in full sun.
Bean plants require full sun. Full sun means a location with six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. If your veggie garden doesn’t get that much sun, try planting your vines in a container with a trellis.
Water
Consistent soil moisture is crucial for growth.
The amount of water needed will depend on the soil and weather conditions. These beans require consistently moist soil but will fail in overly soggy soil. Check your soil regularly and water as needed.
Soil
Ensure soil retains moisture without excessive water runoff.
When growing legumes, you do not need to worry so much about the soil type. What you should focus on is how much water the soil retains. These plants need moist soil that is well-draining.
Well-draining soil will retain some water, but when squeezed in your hand, no water should pour out. Compost-rich loam is ideal, but sandier soils also work.
Temperature and Humidity
High temps above 90°F (32°C) pose challenges to your plant.
Beans are not cold hardy, and will die off upon the first frost. Similarly, these plants may struggle in areas with temperatures regularly over 90°F (32°C).
These beans are not too picky about humidity levels. If you live in an area with high humidity, you may struggle with fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. Consider increasing the spacing between plants to encourage airflow.
Fertilizing
Improve poor soil with compost for better drainage and nutrition.
Adding compost to your soil is a great way to give your beans the nutrition they need. As the season progresses you can add more compost around the base of your plant to help your beans perform well through the rest of the growing season.
Take care not to over-fertilize. Beans have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, so they will not need too much help from you. Adding compost is best if your soil quality is poor and you want to improve drainage as well as fertility.
Maintenance
You can pinch the vines to promote bushier growth and better bean production.
These beans are very low maintenance! When the beans grow to the top of the trellis begin pinching the vines. Pinching means removing the top cluster of leaves. This will make the vines more bushy and help promote flower and bean production.
Propagation
The best, and really only, way to propagate these leguminous annuals is by saving seeds to plant next season.
Seeds
Preserve seeds for future planting by drying and storing properly.
Harvesting your own seeds and saving them to grow new plants is an old practice that is so satisfying. Let’s take a look at how to best accomplish this!
- Leave some seed pots on the plant rather than harvesting them to eat.
- Let the pods dry out until they become brittle.
- Carefully remove the seed pods from the plant.
- Bring a paper bag with you to collect pods. Hold the bag underneath the plant to catch any falling seeds.
- Break open each seed pod into a bag to release all of the seeds while also catching them in one space.
- Allow the seeds to completely dry. Keep your seeds in a dark and well-ventilated area.
- Once the seeds are dried, store them in an airtight container such as a mason jar until next season when you are ready to plant!
Harvesting and Storage
Store fresh beans in the fridge for two to three days in an airtight container.
Your beans are ready to harvest when they are about six to eight inches long and snap easily. They will resemble extra large, semi-flattened green beans. When you look inside the pod, the beans should still be small and light in color. Continue to harvest every few days, as needed. Every time you pluck a pod you will encourage more flowering and a higher yield!
Store your beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but use within two to three days. You may also dry your beans by laying them in a single layer until they have completely dried. Then, store the dried beans in an airtight container.
Use scarlet runners as you would any other bean. Add them to salads, cook them with tomatoes, or add to salsa for tacos. Dry beans must be boiled before eating.
Common Problems
There are not usually many issues with these plants. Let’s take a look at what you should keep your eyes open for!
Pests
Let’s discuss some of the common pests you may find on scarlet runner beans.
Aphids
Use a hose to spray aphids off your plants.
Aphids are an issue with almost every garden plant! Sadly, these pests are not too picky about where they hang out and munch on pretty much every vegetable in your garden, including beans. These small pear-shaped insects will suck the life out of your plant. They reproduce quickly and in high numbers, making them extra problematic.
Try spraying aphids off of your plants with a strong stream of water from a hose before using chemical control. If the strong blast of water doesn’t work, employ the help of horticultural oil or insecticidal soap.
Beetles
Try neem oil if manual removal doesn’t work.
Beetles of all shapes and sizes can munch on beans. Whatever beetles are common in your garden will be the most likely suspects. You will notice chunks missing from leaves. Leaving them looking lacy. The most common beetles that prey on beans are Mexican bean beetles.
Knock beetles off of your beans into a bucket of soapy water. Try using neem oil if that does not seem to work for you.
Leafhoppers
Use preventive measures like insecticidal soap and neem oil on plants.
Leafhoppers can do some major damage to your plants. Similar to aphids, they suck the life out of the leaves. What makes these insects worse is that they can move from plant to plant with ease, potentially spreading viruses, like mosaic virus, to your beans.
These insects are tough to get rid of. It is best to treat your plants preventatively with insecticidal soap as well as neem oil. This can help get rid of leafhoppers while they are still in the egg or larval stages. These natural pesticides also kill the adult stage.
However, avoid spraying during the hottest parts of the day, and while pollinators are active. Avoid spraying flowers as well. Use only a light misting, and spray close to dawn.
Slugs and Snails
Gardeners must monitor plant health to deter slimy pests effectively.
Slugs and snails are common in moist and humid areas— especially over-watered spots. These insects will create irregular holes in leaves.
The best thing you can do to prevent slugs and snails is to manage the growing condition of your plants. Do not over-water. Make sure there is proper airflow in between your plants, and ensure they get enough sun. If you end up with some slimy friends, head to a garden center and grab some slug control or diatomaceous earth powder. A beer trap will catch and kill both slugs and snails.
Diseases
Diseases are often symptoms of the plant’s growing environment, but on occasion, diseases are out of your control. Let’s take a peek at the most common diseases you may need to deal with.
Anthracnose
Spray neem for anthracnose treatment.
Anthracnose is a fungal disease that can be identified by spots on the leaves of your scarlet runners. These spots could be yellow, brown, or black. The color of the spots will change as the spots age.
Neem is a great treatment for anthracnose. It controls a wide array of other garden issues, and you can use it with peace of mind. Avoid spraying the flowers if possible.
Mosaic Virus
Preventing virus spread in gardens is vital.
There are many types of the mosaic virus, but they all have similarities. You will notice splotchy leaves rather than being lush and green. Eventually, these sick leaves will fall from the plant. This virus can also affect the production of beans.
Sadly, there is no cure for this virus. It is all about prevention. Control leaf hoppers. Buy healthy-looking plants, keep your tools clean, and get rid of any infected plants in your garden as soon as possible.
Powdery Mildew
Prevent powdery mildew with proper watering and airflow.
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that is most common in wet, warm seasons. This disease will not harm the plant long-term, but it is easily preventable. Do not over-water your plants and avoid watering from above. Use drip irrigation, soaker hoses, or an olla to water at the base. Provide ample airflow and spacing between plants.
If powdery mildew sneaks up on you, remove the damaged plant tissue. Monitor for further infection. Most of the time a case of powdery mildew won’t destroy a crop, but it will persist in an area for some time. Avoid planting susceptible plants in that same spot after the season is done.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can plant scarlet runners with almost any vegetable companion. However, do not plant them near anything in the onion family, sunflowers, tomatoes, broccoli, or cabbage.
Your pets can technically eat cooked beans. However, according to PLOS scarlet runner beans contain lectin that can cause GI distress when it is uncooked. Keep the plants away from your hungry pets!
Growing beans indoors can be tricky. These beans need a lot of sun to grow properly, and that can be difficult to achieve indoors. For the best results, grow your beans in a pot that you can easily move in and outdoors.
Final Thoughts
Scarlet runner beans are a triple win: Beautiful green vines, striking scarlet flowers, and delicious beans. If you have never grown beans before, give this classic variety a try. They are easy to grow and will beautify your space instantly!
