Topic: Wigwams for runner beans

[petefj]

I came across this guys site whilst browsing the Mac users newsgroup.  His description of growing runner beans using a wigwam was ordinary enough, I'm sure we've all grown them this way.  But the number of beans plants to each support fascinated me, and I wondered if anyone else here has ever tried to grow them this way?

I might try it next year and see if the quality of the crop is improved.

Peter

[petefj]

I came across this guys site whilst browsing the Mac users newsgroup.  His description of growing runner beans using a wigwam was ordinary enough, I'm sure we've all grown them this way.  But the number of beans plants to each support fascinated me, and I wondered if anyone else here has ever tried to grow them this way?

I might try it next year and see if the quality of the crop is improved.

Peter

Forgive me, a senior moment, I forgot the link which is:
http://rog.pynguins.com/content/item/beans

Peter

[Steve.]

Thanks for this Peter, interesting read and I'll have to try this next year. If my beans had not got batttered by wib=nd weeks ago, they would probably be producing again now.

Steve...:)

[Kleftiwallah]

The big problem with wigwams is you get all that growth at the top.  This year I've constructed the wigwams but on top I've attached a star formed from canes horizontally so if the beans get to the top, they can grow along the star arms.  .  . 8)  .  .  You never know - lateral thinking again.   ::)   Cheers,    Tony.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I may try something like that next year. I only had a few Black Magic seeds this time, and not all of them germinated. If I do, the wigwam will need a broader base than I normally use - that one seems to be quite wide - as this year's toppled into the next one in the row during a gale last month, while the lighter French beans were OK.

[pigeonseed]

Very interesting. Thanks, Peter!

It gets very windy here and beans do end up scarred and snarled up, and they plants never get as lush as that photo. so I will try multiple planting next year as well.  :)

Apart from the quality of the beans, I do love to see a garden with tall wigwams or frames covered in lush growth. But in a windy environment, plants huddle close to the ground.

[tomatoada]

I would like to try this next year.

I may try something like that next year. I only had a few Black Magic seeds this time, and not all of them germinated. If I do, the wigwam will need a broader base than I normally use - that one seems to be quite wide - as this year's toppled into the next one in the row during a gale last month, while the lighter French beans were OK.

Any suggestions for the diameter with 8ft canes?

[strawberry1]

how do you get your arm inside to pick the inside ones? I thought that the beans would stop producing as beans mature and start producing pods

[pigeonseed]

how do you get your arm inside to pick the inside ones?

Good point! If professional growers do it, they must have a system (apart from cheap labour ahem)

[artichoke]

My allotment nighbour built himself an amazing bean frame that looks like a child's drawing of a house with no walls and a pitched roof. He planted runners densely on three sides, leaving one of the ends open (facing north). The beans seem to love it, swarming up and over the "roof" much faster than anyone else's. I was invited to help myself as he had more beans than he knew what to do with.

I think he benefited from the same effect as http://rog.pynguins.com/content/item/beans

It was easy to pick both inside and outside this tunnel - whatever the wind and weather outside, the inside was green, warm, humid and protected. Tall enough to stand up comfortably.

I have built two "munty" frames which are reasonably effective, but I am going to try this house shape next year.

[Morris]

This is interesting.

Artichoke: I've grown them over an arch very successfully, which I suppose is a similar effect to the 'house' you describe. Ornamental, too.

You could try, with a wigwam, the method used by Harry Dobson in the Victorian Kitchen gardener. From memory, he had a 5' diameter wigwam, with a gap left in the canes, so that the garden boy (!) could get inside and pick the beans.

I'm not sure about the close spacing, though. I think they would be too competitive and wouldn't crop for so long, unless I suppose you fed and watered loads.

[claybasket]

I will give this method a try next year ,I also wondered if you can grow courgettes this way they take so much ground space!

[Nigel B]

I built myself a 'Muntys Bean Frame' after following the instructions on this site...

Ah! I even managed to find the link:

http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=50801.0

Brilliant!

[sticks]

I usually grow two plants per cane on my A-frame. This year I thought my first sowing (mid May) hadn't germinated so I did a second sowing (late June). They all ended up germinating so I ended up with four plants per cane. I've had an amazing crop of runner beans this year and I was still picking them this weekend just gone - I'm not sure if this was down to luck or whether having more plants per cane did actually make a difference.

[sticks]

The 'Munty Bean Frame' looks great - I might give that a go next year.

Excuse the daft question but...Does it need to face in a particular direction for best results?

[brown thumb]

 i always grow 3 plants up a wig wam  equally spaced a round  i think once the ground is nicely manured they do fine

[Nigel B]

The 'Munty Bean Frame' looks great - I might give that a go next year.

Excuse the daft question but...Does it need to face in a particular direction for best results?

MIne is facing (open side) South, which is the same direction most of my plants seem to want to grow...  :) It's very stable too, even in the high winds we are experiencing in North Wales right now..........

[Digeroo]

Bit surprised by this.  I normally put my very close and this year spaced my plants out much more, thought they had done better.