Runner Beans are legumes that have a fibrous protein-rich pod. The pod is surrounded by an oval structure containing several seeds. It is usually edible and provides a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins and valuable mineral salts such as calcium, magnesium, sulphur and potassium. Best eaten raw or cooked, it is a popular addition to diets due to its nutritional value and rich mineral content. Here we take a look at some facts about this legume and look at how the nutrition, health benefits and taste compare with other legumes.
Runner Beans comes from a family of four species: Mungbeans, Equisetum, Purslane and the legume, Papaver paeoniflorum. Best grown in damp, cool, high-fertility, rich, perennial loam soil in full sunlight. Ideal for direct outdoor cultivation, planting starts at the base of the blossom, turning them over annually. Planting locations need to be hospitable to runners to prevent stress.
Flowers are large, round, lilac to purple and occur all over the plant, with the terminal flowers being larger than the rest. Flowers are self-renewing and reproduce by suckering off of the roots. The pods contain a single flower that blooms in April and May. The terminal flowers are covered with a powdery white powder. The pod contains two to three tablespoons of bean pulp with a single bean of edible size in the center.
Carpenter Ants are social insects that make runners their hosts in large numbers. They feed on runners during night time hours, laying eggs on stems and eating the whole plant. The eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the ants’ food and soon begin to burrow into the bark or wood of trees to supply themselves with food. As adults, they produce a foul odor from the inside of the trunk and emit poisonous toxins from the mouth. This is one of the reasons that Mexican bean beetles have been so successful at wiping out whole fields of bean crops.
To control the populations of Carpenter Ants, the best way to do so is to eradicate all populations of them. The most efficient way to do this is to physically eradicate each plant from your garden. If you must, you can take care to relocate all the affected seeds to a distant area and prevent their germination. This will lessen future populations of these pests. To control the spread of the seeds, there are some simple methods that can be employed.
If you are growing runner beans, it is important to note that they grow very slowly; about two to five millimeters a year. This can be a problem for gardeners who are trying to cover large areas in a short time. While you may be able to cover large areas in a snap, you may need to use a hand-operated sprinkler system to water the seedlings if they are in areas where soil moisture is limited. For more information and details on how to get rid of white flowers in growing runner beans, visit my website.