Hestia Dwarf Runner Bean, Grow for Flowers and Food

While standard runner beans are known for their vigorous, sky-high climbing, Hestia is a genetic marvel of the cottage garden world.

• The Miniature Wonder: Developed for gardeners with limited space, Hestia captures the "Victorian Cottage" aesthetic without the need for tall poles or heavy trellising. It is a true bush-type runner bean, maintaining a neat, self-supporting mound of foliage and flowers.
• A Hummingbird Sanctuary: Despite its small stature, Hestia is just as attractive to pollinators as its larger cousins. Its bright scarlet and white blossoms are highly sought after by hummingbirds, who will treat these compact plants as their own personal nectar stations.

Hestia is as much an ornamental flower as it is a vegetable, adding high-impact color to front-border plantings or patio containers.

• The Blooms: The flowers are show-stopping—bi-colored masterpieces of brilliant scarlet-red and soft, creamy white. They appear in large, cheerful clusters that stand out beautifully against the dark, lush green foliage.
• The Habit: Unlike traditional sprawling runner beans, Hestia remains compact and bushy at 12–14 inches tall. It doesn't require a trellis, making it an excellent candidate for front-of-border planting, window boxes, or decorative porch pots.
• The Beans: Don't let the size fool you! Hestia is a highly productive bean. It yields a generous harvest of tender, fleshy pods that can be snapped early for fresh eating or left to mature for protein-rich, mottled shelling beans.

Hestia is a robust and resilient variety. Because it doesn't need to put energy into growing 10 feet of vine, it pours all its vigor into blooming and bean production.

Garden Bed Coverage: One packet from Firefly Farm & Mercantile is designed to perfectly seed a 20 square foot bed (roughly an 8' to 10' long by 2.5' wide garden bed) or to plant 3–5 large patio containers.

"Hestia is the 'space-saver' of our dreams. We love it because it brings all the beauty of the Victorian Painted Lady to a container-friendly size. You get that same stunning scarlet-and-white hummingbird show, but in a plant that never gets away from you. It’s productive, it’s beautiful, and it’s arguably the easiest bean to harvest in the entire garden."

• Sowing: Direct-sow in late spring once the soil is warm. Space these bushier plants about 8–10 inches apart to ensure good airflow.
• Container Gardening: Hestia is exceptional in pots. Plant 3–4 seeds in a large 12-inch diameter container for a vibrant, self-supporting "flower pot" that produces a delicious bean snack.
• Harvesting: Harvest pods when they are young and tender for the best "snap" quality. If you want to shell them, wait until the pods feel plump and firm, but harvest before they turn completely leathery.