How far apart should I plant runner bean?

20 cm apart in the row, with rows 60 cm apart. In a square foot garden, that's 4 per square.

What grows well with runner bean?

Sweetcorn, Squash, Nasturtium. Keep it away from garlic, onion, shallot, leek.

Runner bean

Phaseolus coccineus

In a typical UK garden, sow indoors late March to late April, sow outside early May to late June, plant out early May to early June, and harvest early July to late October.

When to sow, plant and harvest

Frost dates

Last frost around 20 April, first frost around 31 October.

Sow indoors: late March to late April
Sow outdoors: early May to late June
Plant out: early May to early June
Harvest: early July to late October

Spacing: 20 cm apart, rows 60 cm apart
Square foot: 4 per square (30 cm squares)
Sowing depth: 5 cm
Ready in: 70 to 90 days from sowing
Grows to: 2.5 m
Hardiness: Tender: killed by any frost
Sun: Full sun
Crops for: About 10 weeks

Growing tip

Pick pods young and often; once the beans swell inside, the plant stops flowering.

Neighbours

Grows well with

Keep apart from

Legumes are one crop rotation group. Try not to grow them where any of the family grew in the last two or three years. How crop rotation works

Guides

When to plant

Runner beans: wait for May, then put the canes up first

Sow runner beans indoors in pots from late March to late April and plant them out from early May to early June, once the risk of frost has passed. Or sow straight into the ground from early May to late June. Pods are ready from early July.

More legumes

Where these figures come from

Every crop in VegLog was checked against published growing advice. Dates are worked out from average frost dates, so they shift with your garden. For runner bean, we used:

Grow runner bean with VegLog

Add runner bean to a bed and VegLog reminds you when to sow, plant out and pick, timed to your own town's frost dates.