Trends come and go, but the runner bean remains one of our favourite T home-grown veggies. These high-rise stars are popular for their flavour when picked young and tender, but also for the colour they bring to the patch.
Flowers are produced in white and red and everything in between and are much loved by pollinators which will also go on to visit other flowering crops.
WHERE TO GROW
Growing good runners needs a certain amount of commitment; as climbers they need strong supports and space, preferably in the sunniest spot you can find. Since many of us are lacking space, this often means in practice that climbing beans are planted in the same spot each year. This rather flies in the face of the usual advice to rotate crops to avoid soil-borne diseases - good advice of course, but lots of gardeners grow their crops in the same place for many years without problems.
UTILISING SHADE
When deciding where your beans are to go, consider surrounding plantings. You may want to ensure that the tall beans don't shade out other crops, but on the other hand you can use this to your advantage, using the shade to keep the heat of summer from things like salads crops which may bolt in the full glare of the sun.
Beans are hungry, moisture-loving plants needing a soil rich in organic matter. Having decided where they are to go it is a good idea to follow the tradition of digging a trench where the crop is to be planted, before lining with plenty of newspaper and filling with kitchen waste. Cover each new batch of waste with a layer of soil to deter vermin.
Don't fancy that? Then simply fill with well-rotted garden compost or manure or enrich the soil from above with a thick no-dig layer of mulch.
SUPPORTS
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Denne historien er fra July 2022-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years
RESTORING THE BALANCE
The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality
Celebrating Organic September!
In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive
SEEING RED
Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try
A NEW kitchen garden
Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!
