7 week old runner bean plants
Welcome to the runner bean section of the website
On this page you will find tips to help grow healthy beans. Growing runner beans can also be used to help teach many areas of the curriculum. Suggestions for how this can be achieved will be outlined here too!
So read on and see how much fun you can have with bean seeds...
Runner Bean Growing Tips
June
You can you use toilet roll tubes to plant your beans in. This will allow for the long root run, preventing any damage to the roots. You can then plant the tube and seed straight out.
Sow the runner bean seeds in pots to transplant outside when it is warm
enough (end of May/early June).
Before planting out hardened off seedlings add a little compost to the
soil to help hold water.
If it is dry, liberally water the soil 2 days before planting.
We would suggest you plant the seeds in pots first to avoid mice and
other pests eating the seed but you could sow the seeds directly into
the ground after the first week in May and cover with a cloche to provide
some protection from the cold.
This is also a good way of keeping the slugs away.
Each plant or seed should be 15cm apart and will need its own support.
You can use a stick or cane for this.
July
Some thoughts and ideas to help with growing your runner beans
If you haven’t already planted out your beans they should definitely be in the ground or large containers by now.
If they have been put in an exposed spot they will need to be protected from cold winds. This can be achieved by putting up a wind break made from willow or a similar material.
-
If the first shoots of your bean plants go floppy, wrap them clockwise around the support. (See our ideas on designing and making your own support.)
Water regularly and generously once flowers form, if the soil becomes dry; this will increase the size of the pod. You can tell if the soil is too dry by pushing a trowel or even your finger into the ground. If it is still dry after you have gone in 5 cms or so, you need to water.
When the runners reach the top of the support pinch out the growing tips. This will encourage side shoots.
Check every week for blackfly. If you find them, either squirt them off with water or use an organic spray to kill them.
Before the summer holidays make sure every flower has been picked off. This will encourage growth and make sure there are some beans for you when you come back.
-
Your crop may be ready to harvest before the end of term; if this is the case make sure every bean has been removed before you go.
Curriculum Links
Literacy
|
Jody’s Beans by Malachy Doyle Special Offer for members of the Garden Organic for Schools project 40% discount Only £2.99. Send orders to customer.services@walker.co.uk stating that you are a member of the Garden Organic for Schools project. Use this beautifully written and perfectly illustrated storybook to introduce children to the wonders of growing vegetables. Jody’s Granda comes to stay and brings her some runner bean seeds. They tend to and nurture the plants through the whole summer. Granda gives tips long distance by telephone. The harvesting of the runner beans heralds an exciting time for Jody; she becomes a big sister. This book takes children through the life cycle of the bean plant and how to look after them in an uncomplicated but intriguing way. |
 Cover illustration from Jody’s Beans written by Malachy Doyle and illustrated by Judith Allibone. Cover illustration © 1999 Judith Allibone. Reproduced by permission of Walkers Books Ltd, London SE11 5HJ |
The following is an activity suggested on the website earlier in the year.
Design & Technology
 Plant labels Once you have decided what you are going to plant in your garden, make some plant labels to help identify your seeds as they are growing. Have a look at some ready-made plant labels. You can get these from a local garden centre or from The Organic Gardening Catalogue. Your parents might have some in their garden that you can borrow. After you have decided which criteria you think will make the best plant label, have a go at designing and making your own. Try them out in your garden. Would you make the same next year? What would you change and why? Useful
things you can collect and use to make plant labels. Some ideas to get you started
|
|
More Design & Technology
 Different bean supports (Photos - Allison Barrett ©HDRA) Make your own bean support Look at the pictures of bean supports. They
show different ways in which you can support growing
runner bean plants. Why not have a look at these and evaluate which
one you think will work best? Instructions for making a bean support – Wigwam design
|
|
Science
Plants need light to grow
Take a blacked out box with a hole in the lid. Sow a bean that has been soaked in water over night in 2cm of soil. Make an obstacle course using pieces of cardboard. As the seed geminates and grows the plant will search around these and make it’s way to the light source.
Nutrients for growth
Treat the soil you are planting your runner beans into with different types of feed. Use compost from your compost bin, leaf mould and a liquid feed made from comfrey or nettles. Monitor the plants growth and draw conclusions. Which did you find most effective?
Weed control
Why do we remove weeds? Have a look at a part of your school garden that has lots of weeds in it. Why do you think some of the plants are small or not growing well?
-
Plants need roots and stems to grow
Place one or two beans runner bean seeds inside a glass jar or transparent container. Put a roll of paper or paper towel inside. Wet the paper and continue to keep moist. Allow seed to germinate and watch the roots and shoots appear. This could be an opportunity to identify and label the parts of a plant.
If the seed continued to grow what do you think would happen? Would you have a healthy plant?
The weeds can suffocate your new seedlings, so be sure you remove them regularly.
Try out different ways of controlling the weeds. Record your findings, draw a conclusion. Keep a record of this to help you next season.
Art
Use these charming seeds as
inspiration for an art project.
Runner bean seeds come in a range of vibrant and inspirational colours. A bowl full of them makes you want to pick them up and let them fall through your fingers. They feel smooth and appear shiny. A multitude of divinely descriptive words spring to mind when attempting to describe these fabulous seeds.
- Use a range of media and different types of paper to capture either the detail on an individual seed or the impact of a whole collection of seeds.
- Add pva glue to poster paint to give the shine that the seeds have. What else can you mix with paint to create a shine to your beans?
- Colour mix using watercolour paints to match the beans, invent a name for the colour you make.
- Use a digital camera and software package to photograph and reproduce the image to create a repeating pattern.
- Use sketch pencils to capture the detail in the patterns on the seeds.
- Use chalk and charcoal to explore the tones and shades of the seeds.
Have a look at some of these stunning examples from our Heritage Seed Library.
Not only are the seeds stunning but the shoots, plants and flowers are too.
