Scarlet runner bean

[Bill Brodie]

I am growing these indoors and they're getting off to a great start.
But I was wondering ... since there aren't any bees indoors ...
will I have to pollinate the flowers in order to produce bean pods?
What about hyacinth bean?

[ScarletSage]

Yes, you would have to hand pollinate them to produce beans from the
flowers. However, I think you are facing greater difficulties than
pollination. Unless you have a large greenhouse with plenty of room, they
will not grow well enough to flower. As the "runner" in the name suggests,
they grow tall and need some sort of support (fence, bean poles) to reach
flowering size. They also need a considerable amount of sunlight, like most
vegetable crops.

You don't say where you live.....here in zone 6, it will be several months
until I'm ready to plant beans outdoors. Unlike peppers or tomatoes or
eggplants, they grow very quickly (one of the advantages of such a large
seed) so they are not something I start indoors. If it will be a while
until you can move your seedlings outdoors, they might not be worth the
trouble of trying to keep them going, except as a challenge or experiment.

I sound so stern, and I don't mean to.... I've grown lots of things at
inappropriate times in inadequate conditions, sometimes for fun, sometimes
because I didn't know any better. It's part of what makes gardening such an
interesting hobby. So good luck with your beans, whatever you choose to do.
They are good looking plants, and the beans, IMO, are quite tasty.

Sue
Scarl...@att.net
Zone 6, south-central PA

"Bill Brodie" <wbr...@panix.com> wrote in message
news:a5368e$t6e$1...@reader1.panix.com...

[Bill Brodie]

Well, I have supports for them and *tons* of light. They're growing
amazingly fast. I'm planning to grow them to maturity on an indoor
trellis. (I'm in New York City -- zone 6? -- that's why I'm outdoor space
impaired.) You're right, though -- it is a bit of an experiment.

Is there anyone who has done hand pollinating and can explain an easy
and fool-proof way to do it?

[ScarletSage]

I've never pollinated by hand, so I can't advise you, but hopefully someone
can. Anyone who is dedicated enough to grow scarlet runners indoors in NYC
has my respect and admiration. I hope it works out for you; keep us
posted!!

Sue
Scarl...@att.net
Zone 6, south-central PA

"Bill Brodie" <wbr...@panix.com> wrote

[paghat]

In article <bnfd8.18101$BR3.1...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
"ScarletSage" <Scarl...@att.net> wrote:

> I've never pollinated by hand

I've never pollinated my hand.
If my fingers went to seed,
how could type on UseNet???

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Flowers are commonly badly designed, inartistic in
color, & ill-smelling." -Ambrose Bierce
Visit the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl:
http://www.angelfire.com/grrl/paghat/gardenhome.html#top

[Pam]

Bill Brodie wrote:

> Well, I have supports for them and *tons* of light. They're growing
> amazingly fast. I'm planning to grow them to maturity on an indoor
> trellis. (I'm in New York City -- zone 6? -- that's why I'm outdoor space
> impaired.) You're right, though -- it is a bit of an experiment.
>
> Is there anyone who has done hand pollinating and can explain an easy
> and fool-proof way to do it?

Get a small paintbrush (like a soft watercolor brush) and when flowers are in
full bloom, gently dab the paintbrush into the center of a flower and move on to
the next. With something like bean flowers, it is a time consuming process, but
still relatively simple.

pam - gardengal

[Bill Brodie]

Thanks, Sue and Pam (and of course paghat). Well, I can become a human
bee. Do I have to distinguish male from female flowers? Can the flowers
be from the same plant, or do I need to alternate?