Some questions for runner bean growers 27 September 2012 at 12:59PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Greenfingered MoneySaving 7 replies 816 views

pineapple

I've been picking mine since late July (wigwam of 6 canes/plants in a huge planter). They are still going - albeit a bit slower and with one or two strange curly ones :eek:
Does anyone know what the average harvest period is? Also - since apparently they are perennial (?) - has anyone kept plants going over the winter till the next season?
Cheers

wellused

Till the frosts come.

Mojisola

You can experiment with over-wintering the roots but it's much easier to sow from seed each year.

See this https://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7622

pineapple

Mojisola wrote: »

You can experiment with over-wintering the roots but it's much easier to sow from seed each year.

See this www.kitchengarden.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7622

So has anyone here successfully grown from their own seed?

Mojisola

pineapple wrote: »

So has anyone here successfully grown from their own seed?

Yes. Pick at the right time and store well.

djohn2002uk

pineapple wrote: »

So has anyone here successfully grown from their own seed?

MBE will testify to growing from saved Runner Bean seed. I've been growing from my saved seed for about 8 or 9 yrs but am going to sow new seed next year because I think I may have some disease in them now. I may be wrong and what I'm looking at could be due to the weather we had this year, but I do have some seed left from 2yrs ago which I might use next year, they will last up to 5yrs, along with some Duchy ones from Prince Charles' garden at Highgrove. The picture looks good so I'll give them a chance.
Anyway, all you do is leave some beans that look to be good specimens to mature on the plant untill the pod goes really dry and papery, then you can pick them and leave to dry a bit longer indoors or the g/house then take the beans out and keep them in a brown paper bag in a cool dark place untill April/May next year and plant them up. I plant in small pots in the greenhouse last week of April / 1st week of May and plant out when they are about a foot high with some bubble wrap around them for a few weeks.

yorkieorchid

Do Runner beans cross pollinate? Just wondered because i would like to save seed for next year but have grown a few different varieties and wondered if they will grow true to type?

djohn2002uk

They will cross polinate especially if there are other types growing in the near vicinity, But. the source where I got my old heritage variety from grew his on allotments for years and they still seemed good.