Scarlet Runner Bean is a climbing vine, a long-term addition to the landscape. It's hardy across USDA zones 7 through 11, shrugs off deer and grows just as well in a container as in the ground. Its summer flowers are a real draw for honeybees, native bees, and hummingbirds. A nitrogen-fixer, it draws nitrogen from the air and feeds it back to the soil — turn it under or leave the roots in place, and the next planting inherits a richer bed.
Scarlet Runner Bean — the short answer
Scarlet Runner Bean: grown in zones 7–11, full sun, pH 5.5–7.5.
- USDA zones
- 7–11
- Hardy to zone 7a — NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.5
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Sun
- Full Sun
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Frost-kill temp (growing season)
- 32°F
- We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — each tile names its own row's source, because per-field provenance varies.
Score Scarlet Runner Bean on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether scarlet runner bean actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score scarlet runner bean against your land's real conditions.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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See Scarlet Runner Bean
What Scarlet Runner Bean is
Scarlet Runner Bean grows as a perennial and reaches around twelve feet at maturity. It blooms red in summer. It's also deer-resistant and well suited to containers.
Life cycle, mature height, bloom period, flower colour, deer resistance and container suitability: We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
How to grow Scarlet Runner Bean
Scarlet Runner Bean grows in USDA zones 7 through 11. Scarlet Runner Bean does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. It needs around 900 growing degree days to mature, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
7-11
Rated hardy to zone 7a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.
Soil pH
5.5 - 7.5
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Sun
Full Sun
NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Drainage
well (dry spells)
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Frost Kill Temperature
32°F
Where cold starts killing growing tissue. Not a winter-survival floor — a dormant perennial takes far colder, which its hardiness zone answers.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
GDD Required
900+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Mature Height
12 ft
We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Start the season right
Plant scarlet runner bean in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Scarlet Runner Bean prefers pH 5.5 to 7.5. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band. It fixes its own nitrogen, so skip the high-nitrogen feed and instead dust the seed with a matching rhizobium inoculant at sowing.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Harvest at its peak
Cut scarlet runner bean blooms in the cool of the morning, just as they open, for the longest display.
Where Scarlet Runner Bean thrives
Scarlet Runner Bean is hardy across USDA zones 7 through 11. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
A USDA zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme winter minimum, so zones 7–11 spans average winter lows from 0°F to 50°F (USDA PHZM 2023). Across the 50 states and DC, that band covers 7 outright and splits 34 more down the middle — and which side of that line your land sits on changes the answer.
Zones 7–11·Where Scarlet Runner Bean growsOpen map →
This map is derived from the USDA ARS / PRISM Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) and is not the official USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
Where Scarlet Runner Bean stands, state by state
Scarlet Runner Bean is rated for zones 7–11 — a cold floor USDA puts at 0 to 10°F. Across the 50 states and DC, 7 sit fully inside that band, the line runs through 34 more, and 10 sit outside it — and inside every split state, the same line runs on at county grain.
Fully inside zones 7–11
7 states
- Alabama · zones 7b-9b
- Delaware · zones 7a-8a
- District of Columbia · zones 7b-8a
3 of 7 shown
The line runs through
34 states
3 of 34 shown
Scarlet Runner Bean’s band covers part of each of these states — which side of the line your county sits on changes the answer, and each state page draws it.
Outside zones 7–11
10 states
- Minnesota · zones 3a-5a
- Montana · zones 3a-6b
- New Hampshire · zones 3b-6b
3 of 10 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant often works in a container that comes under cover. Each link is that state’s own growing hub.
State zone extents: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so a state that splits the band contains the boundary — its own page draws the county line, and a parcel report resolves which side your land sits on.
What grows around Scarlet Runner Bean
Growing guides for scarlet runner bean
In rotation planning, scarlet runner bean counts as a Legume — beds recover best when legume crops don’t follow each other in the same spot year over year. (Growable Ground derivation — crop-rotation group from botanical family)
Good to know
Scarlet Runner Bean is a standout pollinator plant — high value to bees and other pollinators. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Before you harvest scarlet runner bean, know your soil
Anything you grow to eat takes up what's in the ground it grows in, so it's worth knowing what's documented near you before you plant scarlet runner bean for food. Our free screen reads 8 federal source types across roughly 950K indexed sites and shows which sit near your address and which way they drain. It's a screening estimate from public records and proximity — not a soil test — so a nearby record means a soil test is worth it, not that your soil is unsafe.
Your land is one point inside Scarlet Runner Bean's range
This page resolves to the species. Your state page draws the county line, and a report reads the parcel — the soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost dates on your exact ground, which no species average can see.
See if Scarlet Runner Bean will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether scarlet runner bean actually takes. We score it against the mapped and modelled conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources analyzed in seconds
How we know this about Scarlet Runner Bean
The figures above are cited per row, not per site: the pH band names this plant’s own source column, the three temperature figures each carry their own, and days-to-maturity cites the publication that actually lists it. All of it comes from the Growable Ground Plant Database — a compilation over FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources, published openly with per-field provenance.
Grounded inUSDA PLANTS Database
Frequently asked questions
Can I grow Scarlet Runner Bean in my zone?
Scarlet Runner Bean grows in USDA hardiness zones 7 through 11 (Rated hardy to zone 7a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: not verified.). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Scarlet Runner Bean?
Most growers plant scarlet runner bean after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Scarlet Runner Bean need?
Scarlet Runner Bean needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Scarlet Runner Bean need?
Scarlet Runner Bean prefers soil pH 5.5 to 7.5, on well-drained ground. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet. Your report scores your parcel's mapped soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Scarlet Runner Bean attract pollinators?
Yes — scarlet runner bean's flowers are a strong nectar and pollen source for honeybees, native bees, and hummingbirds. We haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
Keep exploring Scarlet Runner Bean
Scarlet Runner Bean state by state
Every state scarlet runner bean's zone reaches — 24 link straight to that state's scarlet runner bean growing page; the rest open the state's full growing guide.