Phaseolus coccineus
Red bean
Common names: Showy bean, Caterpillar bean, Turkish bean
Photo: Public Domain · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The red bean (Phaseolus coccineus) is prized for its bright red flowers that attract bumblebees and honeybees, making it both ornamental and productive. Its large, marbled seeds are a salad classic in Austria. It tolerates slightly cooler sites better than the common garden bean and can be grown as a perennial if the tuber is wintered frost‑free.
Care instructions
Set up a tall, sturdy trellis and plant the large seeds around mid‑May (week 20) about 4 cm deep at the base of the stakes. The red bean requires more water than other beans, water thoroughly during dry periods, otherwise the flowers will drop. Harvest the pods young as a vegetable bean or allow them to fully dry for marbled dry beans.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, moist, nutrient-rich
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar–Apr
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
- Division
Companion planting
Good neighbors
cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
particularly well establishedLeguminous plants collect nitrogen in the soil, from which Brassicaceae benefit as heavy feeders.
For example White cabbageKohlrabiRadishKalebroccolicauliflower and 34 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
carrot family (Apiaceae)
Peas and beans provide carrot and celery with nitrogen and grow as shallow-rooted plants without competition next to each other.
For example Carrotcelery rootDillParsleyCarrot fennelCoriander and 19 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)
Beans and peas enrich the soil with nitrogen, which cucurbits, as heavy feeders, can make good use of.
For example Pumpkinpickling cucumberButternutHokkaidoPatissonSpaghetti squash and 12 more species in the catalogue
Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)
Rather not
amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
particularly well establishedAllium species inhibit the nitrogen‑fixing rhizobia of legumes through their root exudates, which slows their growth.
For example ChivesDaffodilRocamboleElephant garlicRed Onionshallot and 9 more species in the catalogue
Source: basic crop‑rotation rule
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
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Varieties
3 varieties‘Preisgewinner’
Probably the best known runner bean in the German speaking world and a dependable classic for fences and pergolas.
‘Scarlet Emperor’
An English classic from the early 20th century that has long been at home in German gardens as well.
‘Weiße Riesen’
A white flowered runner bean that you can use young as a green pod as well as fully ripe as a plump white dry bean.
Notes from real gardens
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