Apart from being very tasty they are also very nutritious. Runner beans are a regular sight in vegetable patches and allotments with the distinctive totem pole climbing frames can grow up to 6ft to 8ft. They were brought to Britain in the 17th century primarily for the decorative flowers. The most popular colour flower is red but it is possible to get white, pink and dual colour varieties as well. If the pods become old and stringy then the seeds can be eaten separately like Pinto Beans or even dried and planted for next year.


Many gardeners swear by preparing a bean trench in the winter and filling it with the rotted contents of the compost bin. Once covered with soil in late spring, the seeds can then be sown on top of the trench.


If you are growing beans in containers, choose pots at least 45cm (18in) in diameter and make sure there are plenty of drainage holes. Fill with a mixture of equal parts loam-based compost and loam-free compost.


Runner beans – easy and fun to grow, and a regular site in vegetable patches and allotments


Before planting, create a support for climbing French and runner beans. Either make a wigwam with 2.4m (8ft) canes, lashed together with string at the top, or create a parallel row of canes, which have their tops tightly secured to a horizontal cane. Each row should be 60cm (23in) apart and canes spaced 15cm (6in) apart in the row.


Country Gardener’s pick of the varieties Runner Beans


Several new runner beans have become available after a trial at RHS Wisley in 2006. ‘St George’ is a red and white bean bred by Tozer Seeds and there is also a pink-flowered runner, ‘Celebration’.


More traditional red-flowered varieties include ‘Red Rum’, ‘Lady Di’ and ‘Wisley Magic’. White-flowered award winners include ‘White Lady’. It’s worth growing both red and white varieties because, if the weather’s hot, red-flowered types tend not to set.


Aintree gives large yields of slender, smooth, straight pods of good colour. This variety sets well, even in higher temperatures, and has an excellent flavour, making it very popular. Pod length is 25 - 28cms, but can be longer if grown with high inputs.


Pickwick Runner is a BeanDwarf self supporting variety - the easiest to grow. They support themselves well without canes. Why go to all the trouble of tall growing runner beans when you can have a huge tasty crop from these?


Desiree - growers have introduced and developed vegetables that have achieved real steps forward in yield, flavour, space saving, disease tolerance; etc. This bean fits into this category and is outstanding. Almost foolproof, it attains huge crops from a small area. Long, broad, completely stringless, very fleshy 25-30cm (10-12in) pods. Very heavy cropping, often averages 40 pods per plant.


Pickwick Runner Blueberrries


Earliblue - a vigorous, early ripening variety. It has medium to large, light blue berries, excellent sweet flavour and impressive autumn colour.


Patriot - a high-yielding, vigorous, hardy variety with medium to large blue berries and excellent flavour.


Herbert -


probably the tastiest variety of blueberry. It produces large berries and has moderate vigour.


Ivanhoe - mid-season, erect variety with large, delicious, dark blue berries. A vigorous plant with good autumn colour.


Coville - very late, vigorous variety with large fruit that can be left on the bush for a long time before dropping.


Enorma Country Gardener Ivanhoe 27 Patriot Earliblue


Enorma is an appropriate name for a runner bean with enormously long 50cm (20in), smooth slender pods. Early, very high yields with plenty of vigour.


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