Hi.I'm 39 and making a comeback here after my recent lul
Hi.I'm 39 and making a comeback here after my recent lul
Member since:22.08.2000
Reviews:179
Members who trust:53
Runner Beans are a great crop to grow in the garden . They are a cheap and easy way of feeding the family with a fresh and nutritional veg. The plants are easy to grow in a garden , in tubs or on an allotment - and no special skills or tools are needed .
They are not hardy and the biggest enemies are slugs and frosty weather . Runner beans will tolerate neither very well . They are legumes . That is to say they manufacture their own nitrogen and as such will leave the soil in better condition than they found it !
The plants grow to around eight feet in height ( unless you select a dwarf variety such as Pickwick ) and make a splendid sight in any garden , when in full flower.
Indeed I think they blend in well in flower gardens . Especially that is if you grow the old variety called " Painted Lady " The flowers on this are cream and red and the beans are of a good quality too .
Another good variety to grow which has all red flowers is "streamline " I find this reliable and the beans are not stringy .
I grow my runner beans on the allotment where they thrive every year . Runner beans are in fact perennials ( not a lot of people know this ) . Indeed in warmer climes they don't wither and die like in Britain . It's the cold weather and frost that get's to them over here.
Really it is best to treat them as annuals therefore and start the seed off in small pots in early April . I sow three beans to a 3 and a half inch pot , sowing the seed quite deeply . Germination should occur within ten days and eventually true leaves will start to form . Then it is a case of keeping the young plants frost free , and in a well lit postion to stop them becoming leggy .
Don't even consider planting the beans outside in their final resting place until all danger of frost has passed in your area ( usually the end of May ). Transplant them into a sunny yet moist location. The two requirements for runner beans that are absolute musts are ; water and sunshine . The plants cannot be over-watered during dry weather . Indeed if you wish to have a large crop , then the plants must have constant moisture at the roots .This also helps with flower setting too .
Consider digging a trench in winter for them to be planted in the following year . You can fill this trench with compost and waste products ( such as shredded newspaper ) which help keep moisture in the soil. You can feed with a weekly plant food if you feel the need . Personally I don't as the soil should contain enough to get the plants through the summer.
You will need to supply some canes or a frame for them to clamber over . Most gardeners make a wigwam out of canes . I just stick them in the ground in a row and provided you are not in a very windy location you will be fine. The first beans should be ready to pick in July from an April sowing . The beans are best picked young and tender ( or they tend to become stringy ) They can be picked right into October in warmer summers ( though you will notice them dying off quicker in cold ones ).
Finally ( yawn) runner beans freeze very well - for use over the darker winter months . I blanch them for two minutes , having "topped and tailed" them first ! Freeze loose , then tie in food bags and label .
This is one thing I can grow and had a bumper crop this year (my tomatoes sadly died of some sort of lurgy!). However, I don't think they freeze very well - they tend to go a bit tasteless after freezing....or am I doing something wrong??!!! Good op!
Bigbaz 23.09.2001 19:55
I love these beans. Given that I am short of space I also use the wigwam approach but I use a bike wheel a center post with a nail in the top and garden twine, it works a treat and I can put them anywhere there is a gap, the flowers are beautiful..baz
Sep 22nd, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
