I haven't so far planted any runner beans. They have performed so poorly the last few years I've lost heart. The runner beans I normally plant are McCaslin's. They are a flatened bean with great taste and the best crop I have ever had of them was one year at the first of may when the beans were up maybe 2 inches high and it snowed a few inches on them.
For trellis I have 2 4x4 posts 10 feet tall and 4 feet in the ground. I have telephone cable tied and stretched at the top and near the bottom of each post spanning 100 feet. At 33 and 66 feet I have 2 inch angle iron driven into the ground leaving a couple inches exposed and to that I have old bed rails clamped the cable is wired to the top and bottom of these rails.
The hard part of all this is retying the bailing twine every year. 1 every foot tied at the top and bottom. I planted half runner beans along it this go round. Once they are up and running, ( no pun intended ) I may go back and plant runners with them.
BTW, I didn't do so this evening because of an incoming storm, But most of the time I soak my bean seed in water with a small drop of dish soap ( Okra too ) for at least 4 hours and sometimes overnight but I have to be careful because I use a planter and if the seed sprouts, seems like the planter will ruin most of them.
Has anyone tried Scarlet runners ? I'm looking for input on them please. Thanks and good luck on your gardens !
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