Must be a new thing. I ordered Tenderstar from Parks to try this next spring. Ck it out.
http://parkseed.com/tenderstar-bean-seeds/p/52538-PK-P1/

I haven't grown this one myself but it's reported to be self setting and to produce continual crops of up to 10" long beans even in poor weather. Developed in the UK it is said to combine the characteristics of French beans with those of runner beans, resulting in a smooth,, stringless, fleshy pod with a great runner bean taste. Looks like a winner in my books.

Annette

"...it's reported to be self setting and to produce continual crops of up to 10" long beans even in poor weather."

If it is self setting, then it could be grown in isolation (bagged or caged) for pure seed. That is a valuable attribute, since it is hard to keep runner beans pure... most cultivars require pollination by insects, which makes caging counter-productive (except for alternate day caging). Sounds like "Moonlight" might be worth trying.

I wonder what qualifies as "poor weather"? Cool? Hot? I could test the heat tolerance, the only runner which has set well in the summer here has been Jim's "Insuk's Wang Kong".

I'm assuming poor weather refers to cooler, possibly wetter growing seasons, apparently it also sets in higher temperatures as well. Sounds like a win win situation doesn't it.
What caught my attention was the claim it has smooth, stringless, fleshy pods with great runner bean taste, I wish I had more room here, as it is I'm growing some of my beans in some of the oddest spots. You got to do what you got to do LOL.

Hopefully someone here will trial Moon Beam in the coming growing season and report back in the fall with their observations. Maybe Flora will see this thread and chime in with her thoughts on this one.

I grew up eating runner beans fresh picked from the garden, frenched before cooking, yummy. In fact runners were the only fresh beans we had, all the others came out of a can.
This forum has introduced me to so many different types of beans, eaten in so many different ways, I had never heard of shellies or full beans until I joined this forum looking for the identity of the Italian pole bean I have been growing since 1965. That has now been solved but in doing so I find I have fallen down that slippery slope into Bean Addiction :).

Sigh, "So many beans, so little time" has definitely become my motto too.

Annette

Here is a link that might be useful: Moon Beam

Hello - yes, poor weather for us in the summer would be grey, cool and wet, not a drought or heat wave. Just in case anyone was wondering this is definitely a runner bean i.e. P coccineus, not some sort of hybrid between coccineus and vulgaris.

I haven't grown it myself.

Arrgghhh, Moonlight not Moon Beam, as you all well must know by now my fingers and the grey stuff upstairs aren't on the same page at times LOL.
Thanks for chiming in Flora, I look through T&M's UK catalogue every once in awhile to see what's new, unfortunately quite a few things aren't available over here yet. I did manage to get my hands on some 'Shiraz' peas and 'Selma Zebra' beans though, both are great varieties.

Annette