Plant encyclopedia›bean (runner) 'Red Rum'

bean (runner) 'Red Rum'

Also known as: Information to be completed

A runner bean with red flowers followed by tasty, straight, smooth, fleshy pods, on average about 22cm long and 1.5cm wide when picked, and stringless when young, and if seeds are allowed to develop they are pink mottled with black; its flowers will set even at fairly high temperatures, it crops early, and gives a high yield. Runner beans, Phaseolus coccineus, are nitrogen-fixing herbaceous perennials, usually grown as annuals, which climb by twining stems up to 4m high, with leaves divided into three ovate to heart-shaped green leaflets up to 15cm long, and racemes of many white, pink, red, or two-tone flowers, up to 3cm long, from midsummer, which are pollinated by bees and followed by edible seedpods from late summer until the first frosts.

Scientific classification

Species: bean (runner) 'Red Rum' (Phaseolus coccineus 'Red Rum')
Genus: Phaseolus
Family: Fabaceae

Raw pods/beans harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
Toxicity: Herbaceous Perennial · Annual Biennial
Plant type: 2.5-4 metres
Height: 0.1-0.5 metres
Spread: Deciduous
Foliage: Climbing
Habit: Summer · Autumn
Season of interest: Full sun
Sunlight: Information to be completed
Ideal temperature

bean (runner) 'Red Rum' pictures

Distribution of bean (runner) 'Red Rum'

Distribution map

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Culture

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Toxicity

Raw pods/beans harmful if eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling

Quick identification of bean (runner) 'Red Rum'

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bean (runner) 'Red Rum' care guide

Keep soil consistently moist for steady leafy growth without drought stress
Watering: Full sun
Sunlight: Information to be completed
Ideal temperature

Watering

Keep soil consistently moist for steady leafy growth without drought stress

Fertilizing

Nitrogen-rich vegetable feed every two to three weeks in active growth

Pruning

No pruning required

Propagation

Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds

Growing

Sow seed 5cm deep, either directly outside in early summer, or under glass in early spring then plant out in early summer, after all danger of frost has passed, in full sun and in well-drained but humus-rich, moisture-retentive, preferably near-neutral soil, provide support such as hazel poles or bamboo canes, keep well-watered, and pick pods regularly, before the seeds swell, to ensure a continuous crop; for more advice, see runner-bean cultivation

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Common pests and diseases

Diseases

May be susceptible to runner bean and French bean rust, halo blight and occasionally bean anthracnose, foot and root rots, grey mould, Sclerotinia, virus diseases, and wilts but generally disease-free