Caring For Your Runner Beans The requirements of runner beans are simple - water and weeding, possibly some feeding. All three can be accomplished by a mulch of organic material spread round the plants - this will help retain moisture, keep the weeds down and gently feed the plants. If the soil has been prepared as described previously the only other attention is hand watering in very dry conditions, especially as the flower buds begin to develop. Finally, pinch out the growing tips when the plants reach the top of the supports.

Harvesting Runner Beans
Runner beans will be ready for harvesting in July , and this should continue for two months. Pick the beans when they are young - leaving them too long will result in a crop of stringy beans. Length of the beans does not let you know if they are ready, rely on the texture of the beans - they are past their best when the skin is coarse textured and the beans inside begin to show through like small marbles.

To maximise the crop and the cropping period, pick the beans frequently to encourage new beans to grow. Most beans are very suitable for freezing - check this in the seed catalogues.

Pests and Diseases of Runner Beans

Halo Blight
Brownish spots on the leaves are surrounded by a light coloured 'halo'. This disease comes from the seeds themselves. Possible causes are home-saved seed from the previous year not stored correctly; soaking runner bean seeds before planting; seeds bought from a bad source. It's a good idea to examine the seeds at planting time and reject any which are marked, wrinkled or unusually shaped. There is no cure, dig up and destroy the plants.

Slugs
Slugs find all parts of runner beans delicious - the roots, stems, leaves and of course the pods.  Click here for an in depth look at how to deal with slugs.

Blackfly
Planting Marigolds really does attract beneficial insects such as ladybirds and hoverflies  and these love to eat blackfly. Spraying the plants with water also works - it simply knocks the blackfly off the plant. Where neither of these methods work, it's down to the garden centre for a chemical spray - most work well. Click here for an in depth look at how to deal with Blackfly.