Black Coat Runner Bean, 1600's Heirloom

The Seed Savers Exchange - Edible? Check! Ornamental? Check! Heirloom? Check! This unique runner bean produces sturdy 6-7’ vines that bear both vivid scarlet blooms and flavorful beans that are edible at the immature pod stage (like a green bean) and at the mature stage (like a kidney bean). Pretty, plump bean seeds change first from pink to purple, and finally to a glossy, ebony black. Dating back to the mid-1600s, this variety was first recorded by German botanist Michael Titius in his Catalogues Plantarum. 75 days.

Characteristics: 

• Scarlet blossoms
• Beans mature to black and speckled mauve
• Used for ornamental purposes or as small snap pods or green shell beans
• Pole bean
• 75 days
• 25 seeds per packet 

Instructions - Sow seeds outdoors after the danger of frost has passed and soil and air temperatures have warmed. Runner beans prefer full sun, although they tolerate part shade very well. Young pods can be eaten whole, or the beans can be eaten fresh or dried. Even the flowers are edible.

Direct Seed 2" apart

Seed Depth: 1"

Rows Apart: 24-36"

Support: Trellis, tepee, or netting

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