Topic: runner beans,peas etc

[watkin girl]

Is it possible to grow runer beans and peas or french beans growing up the same bean pole next to each other or is that not advisable? im short on space.

[cambourne7]

Hi

I was going to make a wigwam and have a different plant grow up each pole.

Not read anything that says you cant?

Cambourne7

[raisedbedted]

It is certainly possible.  It might be best to grow peas and beans as peas tend to be earlier.

However in my opinion if youre short on space then forget peas, they take up a lot of space/effort for not that much crop/benefit.

A.

[saddad]

Perfectly possible... you'll need tall heritage peas so the beans don't swamp them, or something like oregon Sugar pod which grows vigerously...
 ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

You could possibly time things so that the peas crop before the beans get too big. Otherwise plant a tall variety like Alderman.

[saddad]

Alderman is about the only tall pea still in mainstream... you can get Telegraph and some others though from smaller co.s like real seeds.
 ;D

[Mrs Ava]

Oooo I would rather give up french beans than my peas.  Fresh peas are devine, like freshly picked asparagus or corn on the cobs.  I grow Alderman and they easily reach over 5 foot so growing them with french beans would be fine.  Don't forget you could always grow dwarf french beans with regular peas that only reach a couple of foot...and I believe you can get dwarf runners.

[manicscousers]

what about mange tout, fantastic return, same amount of plants as peas, which we grow as well, by the way
we grow carouby de moussane, lovely purple flowers, lovely pea tasty pods  :)

[supersprout]

No reason why not. We sow 4 beans at the foot of each pole. I wouldn't mix fresh- and dry- harvested beans though, for ease of harvesting and no other reason ::)

To grow dwarf runner beans ... pick off the growing shoots at 2 ft, and keep doing it. Won't crop as well as tall ones, but I did this my first year when I had no beanpoles and it works! :D

[saddad]

There are a couple of Dwarf Varieties... Heista(?) sounds vaguely familiar  but I only ever grow tall ones..
 ;D