This reliable favourite produces huge early yields of enormous, smooth, slender pods of up to 50cm (20) in length, from July to October. Awarded an RHS Award of Garden Merit, this delicious runner bean is popular for its excellent flavour, as well as its exhibition quality beans that are perfect for entering in the local horticultural show! Runner bean 'Enorma' is also suitable for freezing. Height: 3m (10'). Spread: 30cm (12).
Dating back to the late 19th century, this heirloom variety is justly popular for its flavour and its heavy crops of round, stringless pods. With consistently good results over a long cropping season, this prolific climbing French bean produces clusters of fleshy pods that have a superior texture and taste and are rich in vitamins and fibre. As well as being easy to grow, 'Blue Lake' makes an attractive feature whether grown in the veg garden or nestled amongst herbaceous plants in your beds and borders. They look particularly good when grown up a trellis or 'wigwam' of canes, not least for their pretty white flowers. Plant them with sweet peas for a pleasing contrast of colours. 'Blue Lake' is generally grown as a green bean for cooking. In fact, they should not be eaten raw as they contain toxins that are destroyed in the cooking process. The pods are best picked young to increase yields, and steamed or boiled rapidly to make the best of their flavour and texture, as well as to retain the most nutrients. Inside the rich green pods are white seeds or beans, which can be harvested from pods that are left to mature for longer on the plant. They can then be dried and stored to be used as haricot beans in soups and stews. This climbing bean will thrive in neutral, humus-rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil in a sunny position. Sow the seeds indoors from April to May to plant out May to June; or sow outdoors from May to July, directly where they are to crop. Harvest from July to October. Supplied as a pack of 100 (approx.) seeds ready to sow indoors into individual pots or outdoors directly into their cropping position. Grows to 180cm height x 45cm spread.
A British bred bean, well deserving of its RHS AGM. This bicoloured red and white flowered variety produces particularly heavy yields of pale green, 30cm (12) long pods. Crops from Runner Bean 'St George' are earlier and of superior quality when compared to Runner Bean 'Painted Lady'. Harvest the smooth, fleshy beans regularly for a continuous crop throughout the summer. Height: 3m (10'). Spread: 30cm (12)
A major breakthrough in British runner bean breeding, offering predominantly self setting plants for a guaranteed crop. This profusely white-flowering variety combines the valuable characteristics of French beans with those of runner beans, resulting in extra smooth, very fleshy, stringless pods up to 25cm (10) long, with a great texture and true runner bean taste.
A top quality, red flowered British-bred variety producing pods of over 40cm (16) in length. Abundant crops of pods hang in clusters and are fleshy, but slender, smooth and straight. For exhibition, thin to one pod per flower stem to increase the length of each bean. Runner beans are a good source of Vitamin C, folate and iron, and have a high fibre content. Runner Bean 'Benchmaster' is also suitable for freezing. Height: 3m (10'). Spread: 30cm (12).
A very heavy cropping runner bean that crops well even in dry conditions. Runner Bean 'Desiree' produces long, broad pods up to 30cm (12) in length that are completely stringless. The beans of this white flowered variety produce few seeds, making them particularly flashy and flavoursome. Height: 3m (10'). Spread: 30cm (12)
Enjoy delicious bunches of stringless, purple, fleshy pods picked straight from your garden. The colourful pods of Climbing French Bean 'Blauhilde' reach up to 27cm (11) and can be picked continuously over a long period from July to October. This attractive and tasty variety also has good resistance to Bean Mosaic Virus so you can be sure of an excellent yield. Height: 180cm (70). Spread: 30cm (12)
This RHS AGM variety is particularly high yielding, producing an abundance of tender beans with an excellent flavour. The pods of Runner Bean 'Celebration' are fleshy, straight, smooth, and almost stringless when young. With its pretty peach-pink flowers this attractive runner bean will look equally at home in your vegetable plot or your flower borders. Height: 3m (10'). Spread: 30cm (12)
A superb variety that is ideal for small gardens and large containers, reaching only 45cm (18) tall. Dwarf Runner Bean 'Hestia' produces good yields of long, straight, stringless pods with a good flavour. This attractive, bicoloured variety begins cropping early in the season, carrying the pods above the soil to avoid disease. Height: 45cm (18). Spread: 30cm (12)
Firestorm' is the first scarlet-flowered runner bean that is completely self fertile. Producing a good crop of stringless beans which are slightly thicker, slightly sweeter and more tender than other varieties. And the flowers are an attractive bonus
An exceptional variety that is early to crop and has a long picking season, 'Polestar' produces high yields of smooth runner bean pods that have a sweet flavour and crisp, fleshy texture. If not left too long on the vine, these beans are stringless, so for best taste and texture, pick when they reach 15-20cm (6-8in) in length. A reliable and long-standing favourite of vegetable growers, this heavy cropping variety will produce plenty of delicious fresh beans for your plate and plenty more for the freezer. Versatile and nutritious, they are a classic cooked veg, but the young beans also taste great raw - try shredding or slicing them into a salad or using as a baton for dips. For best results, sow the seeds indoors in pots from April to May for transplanting outside in May to June; or sow from April to May outdoors, directly into their cropping position. To get the growing season off to an earlier start, sow them in containers in your greenhouse. The plants produce pretty red flowers, which are very attractive to bees and other beneficial insects. Grow alongside sweet peas as these will draw in more insects that will help pollinate the runner beans and produce an even bigger crop. As well as 'Polestar' being a rewarding bean to grow, the beans are highly nutritious as they are rich in vitamin C and a good source of fibre. Trim and blanch surplus crops to store in an airtight container or bag in the freezer. They will freeze well, retaining good flavour and texture when cooked from frozen. Supplied as a packet of 50 (approx.) seeds ready to plant indoors in individual pots or outdoors in their growing position. Being deep-rooted, runner beans will thrive in well-dug, fertile, moisture-retentive but well-draining soil, in a sunny and sheltered position. Successive sowings every 2-3 weeks will achieve an extended cropping. Beans will be ready to harvest from July to October, 12-16 weeks after sowing.
A top-quality variety that matures quickly, 'Ferrari' gives reliably high yields of slender, straight and stringless round pods that have superb taste and texture - far superior to any shop-bought bean. This worthy recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit is easy to grow, with good resistance to disease such as Bean Common Mosaic Virus (BCMV), Halo Blight and Anthracnose, so is a great choice for gardeners of any experience. Being a dwarf type bean, it is ideal for growing in containers, as well as in beds and borders, producing compact, bushy plants that don't need staking. The succulent beans have a rich green colour and an excellent flavour and are a great source of fibre and vitamins A and C. If not left too long on the vine, the beans are stringless, so for best flavour and texture, pick them when they reach 15cm (6in) in length. They are best harvested in one picking, as soon as they are ready; if you have more than you can eat, they will keep well and are also good for freezing. For early harvests, sow from April, indoors or outdoors under cloches, or outdoors from May to July directly into their cropping position. The plants are fast-growing, and produce attractive white flowers followed by the pods. The pods will be ready for picking 12 weeks after sowing, with plentiful crops over a short period (about 2 weeks). Regular sowings every couple of weeks or so will extend the cropping season through to autumn. For best results, grow in a sunny, sheltered position. These beans will thrive in fertile, moist but well-draining soil, so dig in some well-rotted manure before sowing in a bed or use good-quality compost in a container. Supplied as a pack of 100 (approx.) seeds ready to sow indoors into individual pots or outdoors into their cropping position. Grows up to 60cm (24in). Successional sowing will produce harvests from June to October.