How to grow runner beans - sowing runner beans

How to grow and plant out runner beans

Get your best ever harvest of runner beans with these easy planting steps and growing tips.

A table displaying which months are best to sow, plant and harvest.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
At its best
At its best

Plant is not at its best in January

Plant is not at its best in February

Plant is not at its best in March

Plant is not at its best in April

Plant is not at its best in May

Plant is not at its best in June

Plant is at its best in July

Plant is at its best in August

Plant is not at its best in September

Plant is not at its best in October

Plant is not at its best in November

Plant is not at its best in December

To do
To do

Do not To do in January

Do not To do in February

Do not To do in March

Do not To do in April

Do To do in May

Do To do in June

Do not To do in July

Do not To do in August

Do not To do in September

Do not To do in October

Do not To do in November

Do not To do in December

Plant runner beans from late spring and these vegetables will thrive in the warm, moist soil and quickly twine up their supports.

At this time of year you can still sow seeds, which will produce a good harvest of succulent pods, or you can buy young plants. Either way, you’ll get a delicious crop that tastes much better that the out-of-season beans from supermarkets.

To get the best runner bean harvest, make sure you plant them in a sunny spot with moist, well-drained soil. Runner beans are hungry plants, so grow them in a rich soil, incorporated with plenty of well-rotted compost or farmyard manure.

Related content:

Follow our step-by-step guide to growing runner beans, below.

Advertisement

You Will Need

  • Runner bean seeds or young plants
  • Trowel
  • Seed tray or small pots
  • Multi-purpose, peat-free compost

Step 1

Sowing bean seeds in pots
Sowing bean seeds in pots

If you’re growing runner beans from seed, sow a few extra as a back up in case some plants die. Either sow these directly in the soil or into modular seed trays or pots of peat-free, multi-purpose compost to germinate indoors.

Step 2

Runner bean plants with roots exposed
Runner bean plants with roots exposed

Water the young plants regularly as they grow. They will be ready to plant out when the roots of the plants are well developed, but not pot-bound in the container. Before planting out, wait for all risk of frost to pass, and acclimatise them to outdoor temperatures for a week, by taking them out during the day and bringing them in again at night.

Step 3

Planting out runner beans
Planting out runner beans

Water the plants thoroughly before planting out. Erect a wigwam of bamboo canes or sticks over well-prepared soil. Using a trowel, dig a hole at the base of each cane and set plants with the top of the root ball level with the surrounding soil. Fill around the roots with soil and firm the plant in, using your fingers. Water the plants well before applying a 5cm-deep mulch of damp compost around the base of the plants to help conserve soil moisture.

Advertisement

Watering effectively

Make a shallow dent in the soil near the plants, fill it with water and it will soak down to their roots, rather than running off the soil surface.

Watering can