'Peanut' is a pole bean (NOT a bush or half-runner)

17 years ago

Whenever I check on my Peanut beans (Sandhill seeds), I get a bit irritated that this bean was described in the catalog as being a bush/half runnr bean. It is NOT even close to being either. It's a true pole bean!

All my Peanut bean plants are sending out long vines looking for something to climb, and those that don't find a vertical support lay on and close to the ground and are not productive (but if they were, the pods would likewise touch the ground and get destroyed by slugs and whatnot). One vine that found its way up a tomato string is now over seven feet heigh and setting flowers all the way.

Had thePeanut beans been planted as a pole bean, it could have been impressively productive. Its other attributes are: early, good-tasting, the 2 strings pull easily in one pull, pretty red pods at maturity.

Another thought on the Peanut bean's growing habits: Initially, it develops as a bush bean and produces pods on the bush. During the first flush of pods, it sends up vines. If the vines find support, as already mentioned, pods develop on both the vine(s) and the bush. (This is from memory, but I think pretty accurate.) Here it's grown in full sun. The season has been very rainy w/cool'ish nights, but lately pretty dry, warm (88F), humid, and gorgeous. 10 days or so ago, I fertilized with Neptune's kelp/fish liquid at 1/2 strength.

I hope this is helpful to others who'd want to grow this excellent bean to its full potential.

PS I'd have installed a fence for the Peanut beans to climb, had they not been growing in front of some Brandywine toms, that I don't want shaded.

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Comments (7)

P POD
Original Author
17 years ago
Correction: its name is Red Peanut.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Peanut: erroneously cataloged as a bush; it's a pole bean
plantslayer
15 years ago
Hello,

I realize this is an old thread, but I have seen this bean listed as a half-runner, which means it has short 3-ft long runners and thus not a bush nor a full pole bean. Can anyone confirm that Red Peanut is in fact the same thing as "pink half-runner" "Old Joe Clark" etc? If they turn out to be full blown pole beans it could really mess up my plot! :)
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remy_gw
15 years ago
Hi,I've always assumed they were one in the same. Here's a description from Bill Best of the Sustainable Mountain Agriculture Center. He wrote "Old Joe Clark Bean: This bean is sometimes known as the Pink Half-Runner and the Peanut Bean. It is an early bean with short runners and is more productive if supported in some fashion. Some people grow it as a bush bean, but it is less productive that way."
I've not grow it yet. Another half-runner that I've grown went up my rabbit fence and across the top of it so I'm guessing about 4'. At 4' you definitely need support, but I wouldn't call it a pole. Poles for me are way bigger than that.
Remy
drloyd
15 years ago
Ppod, it may depend on climate. Zeedman lists both Cornfield, Striped and Uzic Speckled Wax as half runners but they are both true pole beans here in the PNW with the crop evenly spaced on the trellis rather than mostly at the bottom. - Dick
Macmex
15 years ago
I grew Red Peanut, here in OK, two seasons ago. It made a compact bush with twining, 3' runners. Upon seeing how they twined I gave them some support, but they did not climb. Perhaps they would have if provided support earlier.

I once received seed of a family heirloom bean, from the very family who had raised it for about 40 years. They always grew it as a half runner. But when I gave it support it easily reached 10-12 feet. I greatly prefer to grow it as a pole bean, myself.

Penny Rile cowpea is noted for being of less vigorous, vining growth than many other varieties. When I give it support it tops 10'. I grow it both ways.

George
Tahlequah, OK
Gena Webb
9 years ago
when i was very young, about 7 yrs old, i thought i remembered digging up peanut bushes and the peanuts were growing on the roots. Does that make any sense to anyone?
farmerdill
9 years ago
Actually

Peanut is a whole different plant.Arachis hypogaea Actually while the pods grow underground, they extend down from the flower. The plant must sprawl so that the pegs can enter the ground.