[chriscross1966]

YOu shouldn't have a problem growing runners with a climbing shelling bean like Borlotti, with a French bean instead of the runners it gets a bit complicated. Both french adn borlotti are Phaseolus vulgaris so they could cross.... however as they self fertilize before the flower actually opens it's not common.... most beans on a plant will be selfed, a few won't.... if you grew them then next year they wouldn't come true... A couple of years ago I was growing half a dozen varieties of shelling french bean on the smae frames and not having a problem with the self-saved seed.... I have got a few colour inverts (that's a mutation not an outcross) and I've got some black seeds that came from Egytian Pea Beans.... I'll try growing them up and seeing if they're stable.... if they are it's a mutation and I'll call it Numbian Pea Bean, if it isn't then it's an outcross, the obvious culprit would be Cherokee Trail of Tears....t he only black-seeded variety I grow apart form CObra... and the Cobras were miles away....

It's posible there might be a problem with Gigandas and runner beans.... Giganda is obviously not a P. vulgaris and shares runner beans germination habit, vulgaris are epigeous rather than the  hypogeous Gigandas and runners, but Giganda doesn't look more than superficially like a P.lunatus (the true butterbeans and lima beans)....

[sunshineband]

Interesting combination there Chris. Wonder how your black seeded beans will com out this year?

and broad beans are of course Phaesolius fava (for Matt  )

[Flump]

I grew Borlotti, runner beans and sweet peas up the same wigwam last year..looked very pretty 

[devonbarmygardener]

I have loads of spare sweetpeas to plant with my beans this year!