Scarlet Runner Bean

This pole bean will climb high so support them well! Scarlet flowers attract hummingbirds and many insects and create an oasis in your garden. You can also use this crop to provide shade for cool loving greens like lettuce and spinach. Eat fresh when young and tender before the seeds develop inside or allow to dry down for dry beans. Plant after last frost or by mid June for late summer/fall crop. Much more productive and hardier than bush beans in Fall weather. Cooler nights even seems to bring out the sugars:) Direct seed 5cm deep, 10cm apart against 6 foot trellis. 8-16 days to germination, 65-75 days to maturity.

Certified organic in British Columbia. IOPA # 1606, 1105, 1920.

How to Save Bean Seed

For a detailed look at saving bean seed as well as more comprehensive information about seed saving, check out our Seed Saving 101 blog post here 

Fast Facts

Latin: Phaseolus vulgaris, Phaseolus coccineus (runner beans), Vigna unguiculata spp. (Chinese red noodle bean)

Cross Pollination: WIll cross with beans of the same species

Isolation Distance: 10 feet

Minimum Population Size (variety maintenance): 5-10 plants

Minimum Population Size (genetic preservation): 20 plants

Planting Beans

Plant beans as you would for fresh eating, approximately 6-12” apart. Trellis climbing beans. Set aside some seed plants that will be left unpicked. 

Seed Maturity

Allow bean pods to dry completely, then harvest either individual pods or cut entire plants and lay to dry on a tarp. 

Seed Cleaning

Thresh the seeds by laying the entire dry seed stalks on a tarp and stomping and shuffling on the plants to crack open the pods and detach the seeds. It’s important that seeds are very dry at this stage to prevent them being crushed by the threshing process. Shake the threshed material through a screen, allowing the seeds to pass through and the larger debris to remain on the top. Then, winnow using wind or a fan, pouring seeds from one container to another while allowing the lighter chaff to blow away. 

Get more bean growing tips and seed saving info at Seed Savers Exchange.