Topic: How are your beans doing ?

[lewic]

Most of mine rotted in the pots, so it took some time to get seedlings going. Then when I came to put the canes in, it was too dry and I had to water for hours. Got them all in, only to find out they are dwarf beans and dont need canes.. doh!

[aj]

I've just sown [tonight] the last of my beans for 2010. I was supposed to be growing out 78 different varieties but due to finding out I had Aninopyralid I've had to remove and rake out all the manure we had put down, and move the spuds into clean soil [from the onion bed] and put onions and brassicas into the mildly dug in manure bed. So, my space for beans is at least halved. I'm not a happy bunny as I'd dug manure into the bed that I was going to grow the beans in.

I'm just going to go hell bent for the dwarf ones in the space I have at home, and ditto for the climbers at the lottie.

I suspect I'll be growing beans in every tiny corner this year.

Flippin farmers.  >:(

[goodlife]

I forgot that I ordered some rice beans... ::)...those just arrived...and for sowing again... ::)

[kt.]

Never bothered with beans before but was looking to start next year. From reading comments on the thread maybe the failure rate is too high to bother. ::) ::)  Are things usually this bad for beans.....

[chriscross1966]

Got back from a few days away and beans looking OK. Didn't manage to repot before I went so I'll be shuttling them up to the lottie as from today, climbers first I guess. Gigandas have mostly found their growing strings and are starting to climb, the crimson broadies went into the ground from modules and rootrainers before I left and seem healthy, the Sutton dwarf broadies are covered in flowers but I noticed ants starting to farm blackfly on there last night so looks like I'll be needing to do something about that... soft-soap spray at night (so as not to get the bees) and an antnest hunt I guess...

FWIW I started all my beans off in 24 or 15-drop modules, the Gigandas and some of the crimson-flowered broadies had the luxury of the rootrainers. I watered each seed-tray with 1 pint of normal strength Cheshunt compound, then the trays were kept in the kithen under cloche-tops and rotated through the propagators. Once a tray was showing well it shifted to the windowsill with the cover off for a few days, then started a daily migration to the outside coming back in at night.  Looks like it worked for me, though I think I'll try to be a couple of weeks earlier next year and insert a potting up stge between the modules and going into the ground.

chrisc 

[Mortality]

My Broad Beans are fine with many small pods forming.
The French Beans (Blue Lake) struggled, they were indoor grown transplanted plants and the middle leaves went yellowy, I fertilised and watered and they seem to have perked up abit.

[earlypea]

Never bothered with beans before but was looking to start next year. From reading comments on the thread maybe the failure rate is too high to bother. ::) ::)  Are things usually this bad for beans.....

No, they grow themselves - really one of the easiest, most productive crops you can possibly grow.  By mid to late summer we'll all be drowning in flavoursome, colourful, succulent beans - nothing like the cardboard supermarket ones.

It's just getting them started can be a little tricky with the finicky climate.  If you sow from now you'll have no bother at all.

[1066]

They look cut with a knife, very cleanly.

That's awful! Do you need replacemet seeds? If so I'm sure I could rustle some up
1066

[betula]

I now have three tripods of beans growing away.Some I started in pots and some in the ground.

Although I only have a small patch of ground now the blessed relief is I no longer have to battle against the rabbits.Last year I was posting pictures of beans that had the tops bitten clean off  >:(

Was even able to give my mum some spare plants this year  :)

I am growing Mr Fothergill's Enorma and I must say they have all germinated very well and been easy to grow  SO FAR  ;D

[BAK]

... badly.

Seed sown directly into the ground - only about 30% surviving. Many have been bitten off just after germination and quite a few simply left lying there.

Plants from indoor sowings - most small plants have either been bitten at around ground level or pulled out completely. Three neighbouring plot holders are suffering similarly.

And the culprits ... we are fairly certain that it is magpies ... or possibly just one ill-educated magpie?!

Secondary sowings underway.

[Tatty]

Being my first year I did not know that runners were not frost hardy - therefore I sowed them late feb/early march and then they have been planted out since middle/end of march. They are in a 'bean bag' that I brought from eBay with 6ft canes - they are up to top of the canes and starting to flower!

I have had frosts although not as bad as other parts of the country as I am in Kent. They have just carried on growing so I have left them too it. They seem O.K - they are in a sheltered spot.

I am assuming if they are flowering then they are going alright?

[goodlife]

Gosh..you are doing well...already flowers!! ;D..I haven't even planted mine..yet..soon though..

[Le-y]

must transfer mine out, they're big, everythings ready just need a child free moment!

[sunloving]

Well yipee, I sowed lots of beans lidls yellow wax, dwarf and tall french beans direct a few weeks ago and i was getting worried that the drought had go them. Then this morning after all that rain yesterday every one of them was up. What a fab sight!

ps mpdjulie, love the red carpet you must be a allotmenting vip!
and 1066 i tried for two years to grow soya (ustie the T&M hardy)
Turns out that the seeds are very deliccate and the growing point? gets damaged int he pack leading to low germination rates.
I got the best results from starting them on kitchen roll but still pnly around 20% germinated. Lovely yellowy hairy looking plants though once they get going!

x sunloving

[landimad]

I must be very late in the season,
My peas are only about 6" tall, Broads are about 3" tall and the runners have yet to get going with only 15 out of 96 sown showing their heads.
Hope they get going soon as I am getting peckish.

[Tatty]

Got a couple of pods growing on my broad beans!

[katynewbie]

 :-\

French dwarf beans just getting next leaves having sulked a bit. Runners not even shown their faces yet. Broad beans have flowers all over so am hoping for a beanalicious summer!

[powerspade]

I have had 100% success with all the runners I grew in rootrainers they are nearly 1ft up the sticks helped along by warm sunshine and a couple of days rain. All my Dwarf Beans are up (Canadian Wonder & Masterpiece) also Buynyard Exhibition Broad Beans are in flower with little pods forming
Runner Beans Scarlet Emperor and Enorma 2 rows x 35ft
Dwarf Beans Canadian Wonder 2 rows x 35ft
Dwarf Beans Masterpiece 1 row x 35ft
Broad Beans Bunyards Exh. 6 rows x 35ft

[chriscross1966]

Tatty FTW ("for teh win!" as we say in IT with deliberate mispelling)....  once runners are properly hardenend they will stand some cold, though a hard frost would have them.... Sounds like you got it right.... one thing with that technique is if you have the time/spare seeds for it then it'#s always worth a try cos you can always resow if a frost does get them....

chrisc

Being my first year I did not know that runners were not frost hardy - therefore I sowed them late feb/early march and then they have been planted out since middle/end of march. They are in a 'bean bag' that I brought from eBay with 6ft canes - they are up to top of the canes and starting to flower!

I have had frosts although not as bad as other parts of the country as I am in Kent. They have just carried on growing so I have left them too it. They seem O.K - they are in a sheltered spot.

I am assuming if they are flowering then they are going alright?

[GodfreyRob]

French and runners germinate ok if its warm enough - I always start mine off inside in a propagator - they are only in it for a few days before they pop-up.

This year I have climbing french beans (Limka) and they are already 2-3 feet up the canes!
Runners are outside and ok so far.
Broad beans are flowering and the 2nd sowing has just gone in (again started off in pots).

French beans seem to require less moisture than the others - maybe if you are having trouble germinating you could try keeping them on the drier side?