Runner beans

[DavidMS]

Hi I hope someone can help, can runner beans be grown in grow bags or do they need to be planted direct into the soil (never grown veg before)

[SarzWix]

Welcome to the Vine DavidMS

Runner beans can be grown in grow-bags or containers, however, they are a very greedy crop and you would need to be prepared to water them and feed them, a lot!! If you can plant them into the ground they would be a lot easier to care for and possibly have higher yields.

[DavidMS]

Thanks Sarah, I have to get out the spade and fork out of the shed after all then (only joking)

[Gwen11ian]

Runner beans are great in large pots.. I had a very good crop last year. I think a grow bag would dry out too quickly and wouldn't be deep enough for their liking.. if you want to go with containers the large plastic ones from a pound shop or garden center work fine. Obviously they'll take more watering than those grown in the ground.. all depends on if you have the space or not.

[selfraising]

You could also try runner bean Hestia which is a compact variety. I have grown this for the last 3 years and it is a good cropper.

[DavidMS]

Thanks

Thanks all for the replies I have a hundred foot back garden all set to lawn so I'll be digging some of it up to grow veggies

David

[BarleySugar]

Grass is sooo boring, I had to put up with it when the kids were small, but I hated cutting it, fruit, veg and flowers are much better . Runner beans are very attractive, and you can use them as a screen between your remaining lawn and the veg plot.

[spennysaint]

Hi
i grew runner beans in troughs last year but they needed lots of watering. I'm going for hestia this year so that i can plant them in my borders. I'm moving the hosta out and into the troughs in the shade to make room.

Claire

[DavidMS]

With a 30 foot front lawn and the one at the back all we seem to do is cut grass try composting that lot!!! I'm begining to hate grass.

[Growem]

I have a similar question, so I will ask it here rather than starting a new thread. I was thinking of putting some runner beans in a fairly big container to grow as well. It would be right up beside a laurel hedge. My question is, do you think the runner beans would climb up the hedge or do I still need put poles in?

[SarzWix]

I think you'd still need to put canes in - runners climb by twining the whole stem round the pole, rather than grabbing with tendrils like peas do.

[Eyren]

Poles would be a good idea against a hedge - laurel is an evergreen, I think, so it wouldn't be a suitable support by itself. I've used lengths of taut string when growing runner beans by a fence!

Thanks all for the replies I have a hundred foot back garden all set to lawn so I'll be digging some of it up to grow veggies

Good idea, David - we now only have a bit of lawn where I hang up my laundry, and the chickens help to keep that under control. I sold our lawn mower, and the battery-powered strimmer is only used on the allotment (our neighbour mows our front lawn for us whenever he does his own, as they are all very small and "open plan").