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Post by veggardener on Sept 15, 2006 20:21:53 GMT
Given this generally accepted poor season for growing runner beans, I've just made up my mind about what variety I will be growing next year - it's to be the white flowered variety 'White Lady'.
Although I've never grown this variety before, I have had it in mind for a little while now; I was finally persuaded by the result of the trials during tonights GW.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2006 20:37:59 GMT
I'm going to stick with my Wisley Magic from this year. I didn't give them a fair start in life, by planting them in between the sweetpeas. The poor runners never stood a chance. I think I got three beans from 8 plants cos they were just so over crowded and over run with SPs.
Next year i'll give them room to breath and start them earlier.
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Post by oldmoleskins on Sept 15, 2006 20:53:01 GMT
Yep, 'white lady' for me too as an experiment - it featured in a BBC thread a while back - had the additional bonus of the blossom being less attractive to birds...
Remind me - why is this year said to be so poor?
At the risk of sounding smug, my 2 dozen plants are still heavily cropping and, allowed to grow without pinching out the tops, are still in bloom and showing every sign of producing for some time to come.
Is it a regional thing?
OM
ps try some french climbers 'blue lake' for a change, or as well. I know we've covered this before elsewhere, but the sample I was given was totally stingless, tasty, and I'm told, a heavy cropper. Must be worth a punt!!
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 15, 2006 20:59:22 GMT
Yes, my beans are still doing really well too. They were very slow to start and they've been battered by strong winds and parched by extreme heat and here we are in mid September and we still have enough every day for a meal for 3 people plus I've been giving them away to all visitors. And the climbing French beans have started again too! Seems like a fantastic crop to me.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2006 21:06:03 GMT
i planted my Blue Lake late, and they are just starting to fruit now, but we've still only had less than 10 beans, there's plenty of tiny ones but i'm not sure how much good weather we've got left or will need.
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Post by veggardener on Sept 15, 2006 21:09:43 GMT
OM,
The reason was given as the unprecedented hot weather.
My scarlet emperor are starting (rather belatedly) to crop quite well now.
The birds did do quite a lot of damage to mine by pecking-off the flowers earlier.
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Post by oldmoleskins on Sept 15, 2006 21:16:05 GMT
Maybe those of us who are largely unaffected planted late and somehow 'meshed' with good growing circs... I certainly did, though I wouldn't claim any premonition, it was just other things conspired to delay me.
Just hopping back one, mrskp, and for next year's planning, what have you got your 'blue lakes' growing up?
OM
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2006 21:19:32 GMT
Maybe those of us who are largely unaffected planted late and somehow 'meshed' with good growing circs... I certainly did, though I wouldn't claim any premonition, it was just other things conspired to delay me. Just hopping back one, mrskp, and for next year's planning, what have you got your 'blue lakes' growing up? OM 4 x 5' bamboo poles in a wigwam. in clay/improved/composted soil. but next year i would go higher. |
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Post by veggardener on Sept 15, 2006 21:27:15 GMT
This is when I had high hopes in June!  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2006 16:17:39 GMT
I have to say I've grown White Lady for the past 2 years and this year they have been better than last. I'd reccomend them.
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Post by Dutchy on Sept 17, 2006 16:49:32 GMT
I have no space for these in my garden but reading your posts wondered if they could be grown in containers. I had simple sweetpeas this year as a first at bean things. They did not grow too high ( by nature not neglect  ) so I gave them a shot but by the end of june they were well past it. Any suggestions on the runner beans please. Dutchy |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2006 17:04:16 GMT
I'd be interested in the container idea too. I've nowhere for my runners next year unless they go in containers. I wasn't sure how successful they'd be in such a confined space.
Just found this on the Beeb site
"Using containers
Beans can be grown successfully in containers and, as they are so decorative, they can be used to great effect in a small garden, a backyard, patio or even a sheltered balcony. They won't crop as well as beans grown in open ground as it is harder to keep them well watered and to provide them with a good enough root run.
Use a pot that is at least 45cm (18in) in diameter, and make sure it is well supplied with drainage holes before you add a layer of broken crocks. Use a mixture of equal parts loam-based compost with loam-free compost. This will retain moisture well without becoming too wet and it provides good texture and stability."
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 17, 2006 17:48:32 GMT
I don't see any reason why Runners can't be grown in pots but I think 24" would be the minimum. The Victorians grew them in pots as ornamentals didn't they?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2006 17:53:31 GMT
I think this would fit into my plans just nicely ! The honeysuckle would have to move, but as I'm having to prune it considerably, that won't be too much of a problem.  |
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 17, 2006 18:11:37 GMT
Aha! I tend to shift my runners about and this year they grew in a raised bed very close to the goats (b****y heavy goat s**T!) on a vertical frame and they've done well but are a bit tricky to find so quite a gfew have got old and stringy before I've picked them. Last year I bought a couple of those cheap metal rose arches and shoved then between two beds in the veggie garden proper, and it was brilliant. They looked really attractive and the beans hung likes grapes (well, obviously not like grapes but you know what I mean). Much much easier!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2006 18:12:59 GMT
Aha! I tend to shift my runners about and this year they grew in a raised bed very close to the goats (b****y heavy goat s**T!) on a vertical frame and they've done well but are a bit tricky to find so quite a gfew have got old and stringy before I've picked them. Last year I bought a couple of those cheap metal rose arches and shoved then between two beds in the veggie garden proper, and it was brilliant. They looked really attractive and the beans hung likes grapes (well, obviously not like grapes but you know what I mean). Much much easier! more like .... beans   |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2006 18:14:16 GMT
on a serious note , we they in the ground or pots ? |
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 17, 2006 18:45:22 GMT
They were in the ground but it's very sandy and free draining my soil so that's why I load them up with goat much every year.
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Post by Dr Bill on Sept 17, 2006 19:50:41 GMT
I have no space for these in my garden but reading your posts wondered if they could be grown in containers. I had simple sweetpeas this year as a first at bean things. They did not grow too high ( by nature not neglect ) so I gave them a shot but by the end of june they were well past it. Any suggestions on the runner beans please. Dutchy I have succesfully grown french and runner beans in containers this year. They need a large container with good moisture retentive compost. And plenty of watering |
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Post by Dutchy on Sept 18, 2006 17:03:31 GMT
Just been reading through the above. I planted the sweet peas in a square pot 35 cm by 65 cm 40 cm deep. I was greedy and planted all my slug survivors in there ( 9 tiny miserable plants).
Oops is putting it mildly, though all 9 did survive and grew to full size and produced pretty well. The container had to be tied down to prevent toppling ;D
How many runner beans would this container take? Two?
I'm thinking of getting me one of those cement troughs a 60 liter one. Drill some holes in the side. I will have to find a solution for the support though. Bamboo canes get blown out when all overgrown with plants.
Any ideas?
Dutchy
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Post by 4pygmies on Sept 18, 2006 18:42:45 GMT
Evening Dutchy, I wouldn't put more than a couple of runners in your square pot as they are quite greedy feeders - better to have to two with a nice amount of beans than several all struggling. Re your concrete trough - I know what you mean about canes getting blown about. Mine have all been lurching about and I've ended up tying them to old trollies, and the greenhouse with an assortment of strings - very scenic! Can you put it near a wall so you can attach something to really solid? I think that's always a problem with growing climbers in pots.
I have a grapevine in a pot which I have trained up a wrought iron support which seems to work pretty well.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2006 21:01:00 GMT
i had tent guy ropes holding my trellis in place, which was fine til the weight of the sweet peas snapped one of the bamboo canes !  |
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Post by Dutchy on Sept 20, 2006 13:39:34 GMT
I like the tent bit. It is how I keep my tripod with climbing rose up. But the beans have to be on the decking next to the ditch.
Stringing it would make life interesting but not in a nice way.
I'll continue my search for a stronger construction that does not take up too much space.
Dutchy
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2006 22:10:10 GMT
May I just add a suggestion for variety? I have grown "Lady Di" successfully for some years in an old dustbin. As I now have an allotment I have grown them in the ground for the first time and the crop has been amazing - although it may have been something to do with the chicken manure!! They have had a lovely flavour, too. I also tried Wisley magic but didn't think the flavour was quite as good.
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Post by lottielady on Sept 26, 2006 13:00:14 GMT
Did anyone on here have some curly runner beans? There is a thread on the beeb about this and quite a few people (including me) have had some. I grew Painted Lady this year in a pot at home and on the lottie, both were quite good but during the heatwave we had quite a few were short, hard and 'beany'  LL x |
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Post by sweetleaf on Oct 2, 2006 8:58:08 GMT
When I planted my runners in may, I put in a seed with each developed plant these germinated after a few weeks and my plants are still cropping, I really recommend this "insurance planting" as the original plants were given a hard time by the weather this year, but I have not been short of beans at all.
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) so I gave them a shot but by the end of june they were well past it. 
