Top tips for perfect pods

I have fond memories of my grandad always having several rows of runner beans in his garden; in fact it used to be a standing joke that he grew enough for the entire street during the height of the summer! Those memories and the fact that I love the taste mean I grow runner beans every year without fail.

Runner beans () are part of the legume family, which also includes broad beans and French beans. Originating in the highlands of Mexico in Central America, they are actually a perennial vining plant which is not frost hardy, hence why we grow them as a half-hardy annual in the UK. That said, the tuberous roots (which are a little like a weird radish) can be potted up and kept frost free during the winter and planted out in the