Gardening

Runner beans can safely be sown outdoors now. By the time they emerge, frosts will be unlikely. Select a sunny spot, and make sure your ground has been well prepared.

The soil should be crumbly, moist and fertile. runners are thirsty, so on dry soils, dig compost or lawn mowings into the ground to boost organic matter and improve moisture retention.

In a mixed vegetable garden, sow your beans where they won’t shade other crops. rows are less likely to do that if they run north- south, rather than east-west.

You can also train beans up cane wigwams and could blend them with sweet peas or other annual climbers for a beautiful show as well as edible beans. The runners’ scarlet or white flowers are almost as pretty, anyway.

If you sow a second lot of seed in June, they will produce beans until well into autumn. Keep the plants watered regularly. reduce moisture loss by using lawn mowings as a mulch laid over the roots of the plants.

POLLEN COUNT

Pollinating insects such as butterflies and bumblebees are in decline. So if you buy any plants or seeds, choose pollen-rich varieties such as lavenders, marigolds, annual poppies, sweet peas and many more. For lists of the best pollinator plants, visit rhs.org.uk.