I like runner beans, both pod and seed. Unfortunately, they don’t do well in my climate as summers are often hot and the atmosphere is almost always quite dry. I also like the perenniality of runners.
My aim is to have strongly perennialising plants that produce well in my climate. The plan this season is to grow as many different runner cultivars as I can find to evaluate how well they perennialise. If some crossing occurs, all the better. The ones that come back strongly the following season will find themselves sharing their pollen with others!
Productivity may be improved by crossing with common beans but one step at a time.