Description

Runner Bean ‘Jackpot Mix’

Phaseolus coccineus

For the smaller garden, you will fall in love with our new patio variety ‘Jackpot’. It blew me away in trials, needing no staking, it flowered and produced beans quickly. These portable beans are so good that you’ll want to grow them as ornamentals.

Runner Beans were the first vegetables I ever grew. Technically a tender perennial, they have been cultivated for generations and as a result of the work done by plant breeders, the varieties we see today are some of the easiest, most beautiful and productive plants you can grow. There is not a year that they don’t feature in my garden.

The flowers are edible with a mild, sweet flavour.

How to grow:

Runner Bean plants are frost tender and they grow very quickly so don’t start them too early.

Start seeds undercover from April in 9cm pots. Seeds benefit from a bit of warmth for germination, a steady temperature of 20-22°C is ideal.

Plant spaced 25cm apart leaning towards strong uprights. These vines have a twining habit so it might be helpful to tie them in initially.

For more detailed growing instructions join our ‘Grow-A-Long’  and for busy gardeners you can now plan ahead with our Spring Grow-A-Long Handbook.

Details:
Variety: Phaseolus coccineus
Type: Tender perennial grown as an annual
Position: Full sun,  25cm apart, preferring alkaline soil
Sow: Spring – Summer
Height: 50cm
Seeds per packet: 10

Harvest: Grown for the pods rather than the actual beans. Pick while they are still young and tender, they should ‘snap’. If left to mature pronounced bumps will appear along the length as beans develop. Pods will lose flavour, become stringy and fibrous as the water moves to the bean. Regular picking encourages new young beans to develop and helps to ensure a continuous crop through to late summer. Flowers are edible.