Phaseolus coccineus
30 seeds
Maturity: 80 days
Introduced to gardeners by botanist John Tradescant in 1630, Scarlet Runner is native to the Americas. Often grown for its beautiful flaming red flowers, blossoms will attract beneficial insects and hummingbirds alike. Harvest long fuzzy green pods when young or allow seeds to form for dry beans. Fresh pods are delicious eaten raw but if beans inside have formed, they must be cooked or they can be toxic. 5-12" pods, 6-14'; vines.
FROM THE FARMERS
We found out Scarlet Runner was one of our favorites the year we had to go to a wedding at the end of September. When we returned, everything else had frosted and molded but Scarlet Runner was laden with pods and still producing well into October. Vigorous vines require good staking and beans can be eat at all stages. We harvest them young but fully mature pods have been well over 12" long. They hold well in the freezer, canned for pickles, or eaten as a dry bean throughout the winter.
Legumes need to be inoculated to fix nitrogen and have viable yields. If you haven't inoculated your seeds before and/or haven't grown legumes in the soil you'll be growing them in this year, we recommend you use this product.Â