Topic: Runner beans

[Digeroo]

But it has now become more complicated with the introduction of the runner/french crosses.  Moonlight and Stardust.

[Jeannine]

Yes, but they are sold as a runner bean and described as having some attributes of the French bean. I have these and growing them this year. I haven't investigated much but haven't read anything that actually states they are a cross, would be grateful of a link if you have one.

XX Jeannine

[Digeroo]

http://www.tozerseeds.com/read-news/120/

This is the best I can find.

I think it might be something of a secret as to how they have done it.

I am interested in Daughters of the Moonlight and whether saved seeds carry the same attributes.

I would really like to try crossing a runner with Mrs Lewis's purple podded my fave French climber.

[Jeannine]

Yes it is interesting something we all need to keep abreast with. I found it also interesting that they state  now self pollinating.. runners have always been self pollinating but the flowers need to be tripped.. ie the shake when an insect lands will do it although they don't actually need the insect to transfer pollen.I guess with the new ones maybe we don't need the movement to do that so they may grow better in polytunnels.

There are several companies selling them but most don't claim they are a cross so I am not sure what to make of it, wether areal cross or just a description of a bean that is similar to a common bean.

It will be fun to see which way they twist etc although as they are still sold as runner beans they should follow that way. I will find out this year and also about the freezing of these varieties. I view them as runners.

I am told that they freeze well but having never personally done so which brings me full circle to the question I asked a few posts ago when asnwering the poster who wanted to know which runners froze well.

In relation to runners my answer would have been the new Moonlight and Stardust are claimed to be good freezers. In regard to French beans there are many.

XX Jeannine

[antipodes]

ah beans were so confusing for the first couple of years! Here in France, people rarely grow what the English call Runner beans, which are called Mangetout here as you eat the whole bean. They mainly eat dwarf French green beans. I of course have different things to my plot neighbours as I grow dwarf and climbing French. CObra is my favourite. I am the only one to grow beans that need staking!
This year I am trying runners for the first time and I can't wait to see their faces! Hopefully they will be nice and I can give some to my neighbours as we will never eat them all.
In Australia I had never eaten runner beans, think it's too hot for them. My cousin in the UK showed me how to prepare on our last visit which is what decided me into growing a few this year.

[Melbourne12]

... I am told that they freeze well but having never personally done so which brings me full circle to the question I asked a few posts ago when asnwering the poster who wanted to know which runners froze well.

In relation to runners my answer would have been the new Moonlight and Stardust are claimed to be good freezers. ...

I've just ordered some of each.  We'll give them a try this year.

ah beans were so confusing for the first couple of years! Here in France, people rarely grow what the English call Runner beans, which are called Mangetout here as you eat the whole bean. They mainly eat dwarf French green beans. I of course have different things to my plot neighbours as I grow dwarf and climbing French. CObra is my favourite. I am the only one to grow beans that need staking!
This year I am trying runners for the first time and I can't wait to see their faces! Hopefully they will be nice and I can give some to my neighbours as we will never eat them all.
In Australia I had never eaten runner beans, think it's too hot for them. My cousin in the UK showed me how to prepare on our last visit which is what decided me into growing a few this year.

Many of our neighbours are of Indian heritage, and many are vegetarian.  Lottie produce usually goes down well!  We NEVER have a problem disposing of a glut of French beans, but none of them will touch runners.  Whether it's just a problem of unfamiliarity, or whether they taste odd in typical Gujarati recipes, I'm not sure. 

[gavinjconway]

gavinjconway..re runners etc.

The term climber and runner is not the same. A runner  bean can climb but some don't.

Runner beans are a completely different family to Blue lake .Runner beans can climb and grow tall but also come in dwarf types. Family is Phaseolus  Coccineus

Blue Lake are French beans.. Family is Phaseolus Vugaris  or common beans.

Some well know runners are Scarlet Emporer, Lady di,  and Enorma all tall growing runners, Pickwick is a dwarf runner
Some well know common beans are Dragon Tongue.which is   bush and Fortex, Kentucky Blue,Romano which all grow tall(pole)

Just to confuse things Blue Lake come in a tall growing (pole type) and a dwarf growing(bush type.)

Most French beans do in fact freeze better than Runners as they are a differnt texture but it doesn't always work.

When sown, common beans come out of the ground with cotyledons showing and if climbing ytpes they twine anticlockwise when viwed from the top, runners come out of the ground differently, the first leaves are true leaves , the cotyledons stay underground and if they are the climbing types they twine clockwise.. when viewed from the top Usefil info it you have seeds and are not sure which family.

Runners are also self pollinating.

For more info look up P. Vulgaris and P  Coccineus on the net


XX Jeannine

Ok - I'll just call them tall or dwarf from now on!!  ;D

[Jeannine]

One day I will explain half runners which are not runners at all..but not today my brain is fried.

Just keep watching for them twisting..

XX Jeannine

[rugbypost]

OK Jeannine  how about the good old baked bean ;D only joking are a lot of the new varieties white lady, moonlight, not a proper runner bean

[Borlotti]

Off topic, maybe. but I only grow runner beans, and they tasted watering and horrible.  Probably Scarlet Emporer or something cheap for 99p shop or Morrisons.

[Jeannine]

White Lady is an excellent runner bean, white flowered it is said that the bees don't try to eat through the blossoms as they do on the red ones, therefore cross pollination is avoided, but am only reprting this as have never seen a bee eat a blossom personally. It has been around a while now and is a proper runner bean for sure.


The new ones which Digerooo first mentioned I know very little about, there are some claims it is a runner bean/french bean cross and is reputed to freeze better but again I have no personal experinece with them.

Now baked beans I certainly know, I grow my own beans for baked beans and cook them myself so I have variety info and recipes for those  if you need it!!! They are good beans too, although I do remember a teacher from my boys school asking me to reserve them for weekends as three boys on one team for sports made it a bit sniffy in the changing rooms.

Shirt Lifters..don't you just luv 'em.

XX Jeannine

[rugbypost]

Hi Jeannine for years I have grown white lady no lie I can feed the street prolific croppers, before that it was always beans that i had dried myself. Have try ed all ways to freeze beans , they just go chewy no taste , grow a lot of french beans as well know (cobra) lovely fresh bean the children love them in stir Fry's and salads But baked beans know nothing about them but you can not go on holiday and not eat the good old full English ;) ;D

[Digeroo]

We have a sort of small furry bumble bee that bores a little hole in the back of the runner bean flowers, then all the bees go in through the back door and they do not pollinate the flower and they fall off and do not produce beans.  We have been having problems with them for many many years.  Pollination with a paint brush or feather can work.  I have watched them at it many many times.   We  luckily have fewer at the moment at the lotties but my garden is full of them.

I have not tried freezing Moonlight, I do not like frozen beans.  I froze some Mrs Lewis purple podded (French)the year before last and they did ok but in the end I threw them out.  But when you eat Moonlight you would not know it was not a proper runner bean.  It is very prolific on the bean production front.  I have grown it for two years now and been pleased with it. 

As for Baked Beans I have been impressed by the lack of windy problems if you use Major Cook.   They are very easy if you have a pressure cooker.

If you have bee problems I can also recommend St George which are bicolours.

It might be too hot for you to get good runners Antipodes.  The beans can be dry and stringy if they do not get enough water, and they can be very shy to produce beans in hot dry weather.  Though having said that I saw some lovely ones growing 5 metres high in Italy but it was in a mountainous area.

I have some purple podded runner from HSL so I am looking forward to growing them this year, but I have no way of keeping them isolated. 

[haja]

Ref :Melbourne 12 about Gujaratis not touching the runner beans
It is very interesting to note this as runner beans are grown in many parts of India.Here in East London I grew the variety called Armstrong.As advertised by the seed sellers it was really a tasty one.My wife made excellent curry with them which became popular and was enjoyed very much by my children,my nehews and nieces(most of them well known carnivores!)

[laurieuk]

I grew enorma this year and have had a huge crop. We have put surplus one outside for people to help them selves. I picked this morning and it looks as if another couple of weeks depending on the weather. I sow seeds at 2- 3 week intervals.

[chriscross1966]

It's been a bit weird with beans this year, some fairly reliable ones not doing so well (I grow BLue Lake as a canellini and it isn't anything like as prolific as usual, but then the Mennonite Stripe have done really well... the only "runner" bean I grow is Giganda... and to avoid it outcrossing I can't really grow any normal runner beans in the same place.... might try growing some runners at home adn Gigandas on the plot next year.... or vice versa probaly... there'll be loads of runner beans on the other plots around me.....

[betula]

For the first time ever I have just noticed a huge infestation on my runner beans of black fly.Normally only see it on Broadies.

Time to say bye bye to them I think

[Digeroo]

After a very slow start I have had loads of runners.  I am currently cropping my 1st July sowing, Wisley Magic which I have always found reliable for late sowings as they seem to be slug resistant.  My mid July sowing has only produced a few beans but at the moment is covered in flowers so is keeping the bees happy but I doubt I will get many more beans.  Though the dwarf french that I sowed at the same time are cropping brilliantly.

Beginning of June sowing did ok but all the earlier ones just became slug food.  My mid June sowing did best - Daughters of the Moonlight great.  Daughters of St George very poor - slugs had a field day, but a couple of plants which did make it had a 100% flower to bean ratio so I am saving the seeds of those.  St George did very well in last years dry, so I suppose it may not like loads of rain.

I boil my runners with a thingy of butter, making sure the water is boiling before the runners go in.  Then I drain - a bit more butter and some pepper.  Lovely.  Eat them by the plate load.  I think Wisley Magic taste better than Moonlight. 

Favourite climbing french is Mrs Lewis (HSL).  They have been brilliant as usual.  Seem to tolerate all weather conditions wet or dry.

[Froglegs]

My runners have are now full of black fly as well betula, tip of the iceberg in the worst year ever for runners on my plot. White lady and Aintree did not do the business for me this year, slow to get going, yellowing of the leaves and small beanie pods,but as they say there's always next year.    

[Robert_Brenchley]

My runner beans spent so long doing nothing I left them entirely for seed. Yesterday I finally found one mature pod, along with a few small ones. District Nurse is almost as bad with two pods, but the other climbing Frenchies are better. Dwarf beans disappeared without trace.