Perennial Runner Beans?

What I mean is planting runner beans directly into the ground (as usual) but at the end of the year, instead of pulling them up, leave them in and cover them with straw so they grow again the following year?

Sounds bizarre to me, but that's what my uncle has always done. We are trying it this year. We usually plant them in large growbags. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

I was just wondering if anyone here grows their beans year after year without replacing them?? :cnfs:

 

Theoretically you can, they are certainly capable of standing over Winter if protected from frost. The big problem would be whether they would grow to early in the Spring and get cut by the late frosts.

 

Apparently when runner beans first came over here they were grown for their flowers. The beans were removed to prolong flowering and the plants were lifted at the end of the season, protected over winter and replanted.

I'd be very interested to hear how they perform in subsequent years - do they produce lots of shoots and grow even higher??

 

Just been reading about perennial scarlet runners elsewhere and they are also known as '7 year beans' in warmer places. and are perennial but not in our climate . It must be worth a try to overwinter them as your uncle did especially if they are somewhere sheltered. The other site also advised lifting the roots in autum and storing like dahlias and replanting in the spring. I am definately going to give it a go as they should get off to an early start if already in the ground. and none of the faff of growing from seed. Good luck with it.!

 

thanks and good luck with yours

 

Make sure youv'e got well drained soil otherwise they'll rot over the winter, like mine did a few years ago

 

Well I never. I thought they were annuals and that was that. This place is a goldmine of information!

How do you you overwinter them, then? Cut them down to the ground in autumn and mulch with thick straw?

 

yes, that'll do. cut them down to about 2 inches and cover them with straw, fleece or anything similar. my uncle lives by the sea (we dont), dont know if that makes any difference. next year will tell, i suppose!

 

Beware what beans you start with. They may be a hybrid, thats been bred to be lomg and stringless (for example) and may genetically revert back to one of the parent types( so may be short or stringy!), you will have more luck if your originals are not hybrids....also, the old 'spent' bean plants can be dug back into the soil as green compost to prevent you having to resite your beans.

 

Hi Alison,
No, The roots will come the same, reversion only happens when you take seed and set them next year.

 

I experimented with overwintering runners, but I lifted them and stored them almost dry in the greenhouse a bit like dahlias as holly said.

As I remember each root grew half a dozen or more stems, with all that lot growing from one root I never got any earlier beans, they only cropped around about the same time as seed raised plants.
I dont think late frost would be a problem with plants overwintered in the ground as in spring the soil is too cold to get them moving early.
A bit like starting dahlias in the greenhouse and overwintering in the ground, its usually fairly late before outside overwinterd plants break the surface .