Runner Bean Painted Lady

What Runner Bean Painted Lady is

Runner Bean Painted Lady (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an annual vegetable of the Legume family (Fabaceae). The scarlet runner bean is a tender climbing plant native to the mountains of Mexico and Central America, growing at higher altitudes than the common bean. Until 1600 g it was grown in English and early American gardens as a food plant, but is now more often grown as an ornamental for its showy sprays of flowers.

Unlike the common green bean, this is a perennial species, although it is usually treated as an annual. In a mild climate it is a short-lived perennial vine forming tuberous roots from which new shoots sprout every year in frost areas where it is not evergreen.

In Mesoamerica the thick, starchy roots are used as food.

French beans are easy, quick and very productive — about 55–65 days pass from sowing to first harvest. Dwarf varieties need no support, while climbing ones cover fences and crop for longer.

Key features

• Measured germination rate of the batch: 90%
• Seeds per packet: 6–9 pcs (10 g)
• Seed origin: China
• Sowing: April and May; direct
• Harvest: July and August
• Position: sunny spot

When to sow Runner Bean Painted Lady

Runner Bean Painted Lady seeds are sown in April and May. The crop is harvested in July and August. The months are a guide for a temperate climate — in warmer areas sow 1–2 weeks earlier, in cooler or upland areas, later.

How to sow and grow Runner Bean Painted Lady

• Sowing method: direct
• Depth: 3–4 cm
• Spacing: 8–10 cm in the row, 40–50 cm between rows (dwarf); 20–25 cm with support (climbing)
• Germination: 6–10 days at 18–25 °C
• Position: sunny spot

Sow in place, setting the seeds 5 to 10 cm deep and spacing them 10 to 20 cm apart. Unlike the common bean, when the plants germinate the cotyledons remain in the ground (called hypogeal germination). Germination takes 7 – 14 days. You can start indoors a few weeks before the average last frost and transplant into the garden after hardening off the young plants. Put supports such as poles, strings or netting near the plants at sowing or transplanting. Protect young plants from rabbits and slugs. Provide plenty of water during flowering and pod development; mulching around the plants will save water. Do not feed heavily, as this will encourage lush foliage instead of flowers and beans. To save seed, leave the pods on the vines as long as possible, preferably until they are completely dry and the seeds rattle inside (but if frost threatens, pick the mature pods and bring them indoors to dry fully). Although this plant is usually grown as a warm-season annual, the tuberous roots can be dug up and stored in cool, damp sand for replanting in spring. The resulting plants should flower much earlier than plants started from seed.

Sow directly when the soil is above 12 °C — in cold soil the seeds rot. Do not feed with nitrogen: beans supply their own. Water during flowering and pod set.

Harvest and use

Pick the pods young and crisp, every 2–3 days — this encourages the plant to set new ones.

Frequently asked questions

When should Runner Bean Painted Lady be sown?

The recommended sowing months are April and May. Sowing method: direct.

How many seeds are in the packet?

The packet contains 6–9 seeds, pack size 10 g.

What is the germination rate of the seeds?

The measured germination rate of this batch is 90%. The test was carried out under controlled laboratory conditions; in the field, emergence depends on soil, temperature and moisture.

When are beans sown?

Directly outdoors from late April to July, once the soil has warmed up. For a long harvest, sow in 2–3 batches every 3 weeks.

Do beans need to be soaked before sowing?

Not necessarily; a short soak (2–4 hours) speeds up germination, but a longer one can crack the seeds.