kidney beans

[Ranter]

I picked up a couple of kidney bean plants for 25p each at a village fete on Sat. Trouble is, none of my veg. gardening books mention them.

Do I treat them like other beans or do they need any special treatment?

[MKG]

They're usually runner beans - and you've timed it nicely.

[Peggy Sue]

My runner beans aren't up yet. Every year I think they have rotted and failed, plant more and end up with double! I should maybe get plants like you!

[red]

do you plant then indoors or out?

[ina]

Never heard of anybody growing kidney beans in the UK - do you think we have the climate for it? I would love to grow beans for drying; kind of get more selfsufficient in the protein department.

[red]

you can grow borlotti beans here - for drying. i did last year. though I only got enough for two meals worth of home made baked beans.

I have never heard of kidney beans being grown here either. would be good if you could

[Peggy Sue]

My dad always calls runner beans kidney beans. I think if you let them mature enough they go red like red kidney beans. That was my understanding

[ina]

The colour depends on the variety - they don't all automatically turn red. We had some nice splodgy ones when I was little, and loved to use them for playing games.

[Ranter]

Okay then, might try growing one in the greenhouse & one outside - see which works best.

Actually not sure we've planted runners yet. Most of the beans bed is occupied with broad beans interplanted with peas. We've planted some fancy yellow & purple beans which have started to make an appearance.

I'm on watering duty today & tomorrow so I'll try & get some runnerbeans in while I'm there. We left space for a few wigwams at the end of the bed.

Thanks folks