Runner beans, French beans, mangetout and asparagus pea may all be sown in the open ground now, in a sunny position. The latter is a low, bushy and sprawling plant with small, deep brick-red flowers, a member of the vetch family, rather than a true pea. The curious, angular pods must be picked when they are tiny (no more than 3 centimetres in length) and are good in stir-fries, or lightly blanched and added to bean salads. Until they are established, All peas and beans must be protected from slug damage.
If you have no room for a vegetable plot, runner beans look very ornamental when grown up wigwams or obelisks, or when trained across arches. Harvest peas and beans as soon as they begin to mature, as this . This encourages the plants to continue to bear flowers and make more pods. At the end of the season, when the plants have finished producing, cut away all the growth above ground, but leave the roots intact. They contain nitrogen-fixing nodules which are good for the soil.