How to Grow Scarlet Runner Bean Seeds

Scarlet runner beans, known botanically as Phaseolus coccineus, is a vine featuring brilliant red flowers and colorful seeds. The highly ornamental appearance of scarlet runner beans endears them to both ornamental and crop gardeners alike, since the flowers later develop into large, bean-filed pods that are edible when young and light green. Few plants grow as readily from seed as scarlet runner beans, and they grow equally well when started indoors before the last frost or outdoors once the soil has warmed up in spring.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 3-inch peat pots
• Soil cultivator or hoe

Growing Seeds Indoors

1. Gather seeds from a mature scarlet runner bean in later summer once the pods dry, or acquire seeds from a seed dealer. Store the seeds in a cool, dark place with low humidity until six weeks before the last frost in spring.

2. Prepare a pot for each scarlet runner bean plant. Fill 3-inch peat pots with soil taken from the garden, preferably from the bed where the scarlet runner beans will be grown.

3. Sow one scarlet runner bean seed in each peat pot to a depth of 2 inches. Pour 1/8 cup of water over each seed.

4. Set the pots under very bright artificial or natural light for at least 10 hours a day. Maintain a soil temperature of approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit in each pot. Watch for germination in 10 to 14 days.

5. Plant the scarlet runner bean seedlings out once temperatures stay reliably above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant the peat pots in full sun near the base of a fence or other support structure.

Growing Seeds Outdoors

1. Choose and prepare a bed for the scarlet runner beans after the final frost in spring once soil temperatures stay reliably above 55 degrees Fahrenheit at all times.

2. Select a bedding site with full sun exposure and a support structure for the plants to climb on. Loosen and break apart the soil to a depth of 6 inches using a soil cultivator or hoe.

3. Sow the scarlet runner beans 6 to 8 inches apart and 2 inches deep. Water the seeds to a depth of 4 inches immediately after sowing. Decrease water to 2 inches every three days, or whenever the soil feels dry 2 inches below the surface.

4. Watch for germination in 10 to 14 days. Train the scarlet runner bean seedlings to grow on the support structure once they grow taller and begin to bend over.

References

• "American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques"; Alan Toogood; 1999
• Plant Resources of Tropical Africa: Protabase: Cereals and Pulses; Phaseolus Coccineus; M. Brink; 2006
• Floridata; Phaseolus Coccineus; Steve Christman; Feb. 2005