June in Sonoma County

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Sundays with Sue

By SCMG Sue Lovelace
June 13, 2021

Well Hello, Scarlet. We’ve been waiting for your arrival. You are a bit late this year. Were you miffed that I had decided to grow peas first in your spot?  This was not a good decision as the competition was so strong and the finishing peas made it hard for you to grab on to the arch support. Once you did, the high winds gave you a ride but you held tight to reach to the top of the arch. We are excited to see your red blossoms as are the hummingbirds who sip their sweet nectar and the bumblebees who buzz lose their pollen. Your charm and beauty grace our garden and your arrival is celebrated. Summer must be close! 

As you may have guessed Scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) are my favorite plants in the food garden. Every year the plants grow up at the bases of an arch that extends between raised planting beds in the back yard food garden. Scarlet runner beans are perennials in mild winter areas. When we moved here fourteen years ago the plant would die off over the winter and I would have to replant the seeds the following spring. Now, with warmer winters the roots lay dormant and reliably begin their ascent in late spring. In colder regions they are grown as annuals. Scarlet receives water from a 1/4” drip line on each side of the arch. Like the rest of the veggies in the food garden the amount of water is low but consistent (8 minutes per day).

Scarlet’s blossoms are a beautiful red.  In fact, their species name coccineus is Latin for the scarlet coloring. Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, has records of the plant in its gardens as early as 1812.  However, the bean has been grown in England and early America since the 1700’s. There is also a variety called ‘Painted Lady’ that according to Seed Savers Exchange dates back to 1827 in Rio de Janeiro. ‘Painted Lady’ is a reddish coral and white in color and in years past I’ve grown the two types together on the arch. 

Scarlet runner beans are multitaskers in our garden. As the plants grow up and bush out they lend a bit of shade to the other vegetables in the planting beds. As I mentioned earlier the unique blossoms are hummingbird favorites and other insects including bees love them too. The draw of pollinators to the food garden is unmistakable throughout the summer.

Besides being beautiful shade and pollinator providing plants, Scarlet runner beans are also edible. Many people use their blossoms for salads and soup toppings. The young beans can be cooked much like you would a typical green bean, Phaseolis vulgaris (Its species name is Latin for “common”. Love those Botanical Latin names!). Older runner beans while still green can be removed from the pod to cook like a Lima bean.  Fully matured beans are best dried on the vine then the exquisite purple seeds can be saved or cooked in a favorite dried bean recipe.

I was first attracted to Scarlet runner beans after seeing their appearance in my multiple visits to the Monticello historical garden site online. Thomas Jefferson was an avid gardener and in his travels throughout the world he brought back seeds of plants from the places he visited. His record keeping was impeccable as were his descriptions of the resulting plants that were seeded. The gardens at Monticello attempt to represent the gardens of the early 1800’s and the seeds and plants saved from these gardens are sold to the public. Besides Scarlet, I’ve grown many of the plants featured in the Monticello gardens including the ‘Long Improved Green’ cucumber that Jefferson records as bringing back from the Orient in 1794. The cucumber is one of our favorites.

It’s hard to mention the history of the Monticello gardens and what was grown there without mentioning the slaves who were no doubt the backbone of the intense, vast acreage of plantings. It’s taken a long time but the history of the plantation and the home of Monticello recognizes the slaves and their descendants that contributed greatly to its success and grandeur. Jefferson was no doubt the collector, architect, and innovator, but the slaves were the cultivators and the “heart” of the gardens. The undeniable reality of this time in our country’s history is truly a part of what goes into the heritage of its plants and seeds.

Enjoy your week with time outside or in the garden and perhaps in the midst of heirloom plantings. Here in Sonoma County plant history is rich with the efforts of horticulturist, Luther Burbank. The preserved home and gardens as well as the fruit orchards (Gold Ridge Farm) are open to the public. Our local Seed Savers Exchange in Sebastopol has grown, packaged and shared over 7000 seed packs this season!  However, due to COVID the seed library is closed at this time. S

 “The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”  Wendell Berry, author, poet, heritage farmer