John Savage wrote in message
om...
"Fran" writes:
"Steve" wrote in message wrote

While we're on the subject of Scarlet Runner Beans...
(snip)
I'm writing because I read that these runner beans actually produce a
tuber and would be perennial where the ground doesn't freeze. I believe
I read that these tubers could be saved and replanted in the spring to
produce a faster growing plant next year compared to starting over from
seed.

They are also called Seven Year Beans. They are perennial but I don't
know
if from a tuber or not and I wouldn't dig one up as they are simply left
in
the same place and come up again the next year. As you say, this applies
to
where the ground doesn't freeze, but they are also a better cold climate
bean than the French Bush bean.

My parents have been growing scarlet runners for about 35 years. In Winter
the plants die down to ground level, and come up again each year. Well,
there does seem to be a bit of a loss, with 1 or 2 out of 10 failing to
re-emerge. These can be replaced by planting a few seeds where gaps become
apparent.

In a hot climate, they flower but fruit does not set until the worst of
the mid-summer heat abates. I found that watering them morning and evening
would encourage fruit set. It's amazing with the ground always wet that
there are not problems with root rot, but the soil there is very sandy and
drains well. I also put some water-retaining crystals near the roots in
an attempt to reduce the need for constant watering. As other posters
have pointed out, they really are are a cool-climate plant.

They are so-named because of the bright red flowers, but even hardier
and better bearing are the white-flowered variety. The beans are
indentical, just that their flowers are white. Scarlet runner beans don't
have the flavour of, for example, Blue Lake, but my Mum keeps growing the
scarlet runners because they bear just at a time when the dwarf beans are
finishing. Also, she gives a lot away to neighbours and some of them
actually prefer the flavour of the scarlet runners.

Here in U.K. I've found that our runner beans are more tender and have a
better flavour than, say, yellow wax beans, or ordinary bush beans, and with
no string if you pick them young. They taste especially nice if you use one
of those Krisk shredders that reduces them to thin strings.

When they get old, you can use the dried beans to plant for next year, but
I've tried using them in cooking the way you would, say, lima beans, however
they don't have a lot of flavour.

Our summers are probably cooler than in the U.S. or Canada, but it helps the
bean pods to set if you spray the flowers with water - or, even better, mist
them with sugar water, to attract bees to pollinate them.

They don't have a tuberous root, like a potato, just a root that gets rather
large and stumpy and may be mistaken for a tuber. Our beans never survive
our winters and have to be planted afresh every year.

s.