Topic: Ruuner Beans

[Les_Woof]

We are going to use wigwams for our first year.  

A neighbouring lottie holder was clearing out his lottie ( he has 2 permanent bean structures) and he gave me 6 poles which are about 9' tall and about 5" diameter and 3 lengths of ali angle with holes drilled into to them to attach twine etc for beans to grow up which are for me to build a bean frame with.  

Just not got around to do it yet. Next year definatley.

[OP]

Ozzy - interesting point there - nature is left handed.  Most coiling runners will curl anti clockwise.

On a similar note the sugars produced by plants are all the 'left handed' ones (also known as cis-trans isomerism).  For those who don't know what I'm talking about, carbon ring structures in sugars, complex acids and so on can be in one of two shapes - a 'left handed' and a 'right handed' version.  Nature almost always produces the left handed version.  Interestingly industrially we tend to find it much easier to produce the right handed version.  For example, the right handed version of the fructose sugar is the same stuff they use in artificial sweetners.

[campanula]

hello,
i cut willow once a year in spring and use the branches for almost everything. I leave it to harden for a year so i am always a year behind. i edge beds and make bean arches. will try to borrow sons digi camera for pics but basically, i arch long lengths (often bound together) over the width of my raised bed and then weave more branches willy-nilly about the basic arch structure. I grow nasturtiums or morning glories with my beans cos they look lovely. willow is terrific stuff (and free) and easily rooted for living willow structures (although it robs a fair bit of moisture from the soil. I have voted for an A-frame as i find wigwams a pain when the beans reach the top - mine just turn into a huge tangle.
cheers, suzy