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Runner Beans

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brownthumb2:
 This year as an experiment I've left my runner beans in, I've cut them down to ground level mulched  with leaves and home made compost, I read some where a gardener digs up his beans ( as they are tender perennial) and plants in pots in his greenhouse to over winter then they make better plants for the following year Have anyone done this and was it successful ?

laurieuk:
Yes I tried this some years ago , a complete waste of time. They did grow but did not really produce a crop.

galina:
Yes I do this.  Cut the roots leaving a few inches of stem, pack them into a plastic shopping bag, put soil around them so the roots are covered.  I water them in and tie the handles to keep moisture in.  I water very sparingly over winter.  They are stored under the bench in the conservatory where it is light and frost free, but not too sunny. 

In spring, they resprout from the roots.  Usually where a plant had one stem, the overwintered root produces several stems and this is why they often do much better in their second year.  However I have not managed to get every root through winter, there are always some losses.

I have had plants for a third year, but they are never that successful, I guess the root is getting tired and a bit old.  Two years is best.  I would say they are a shortlived perennial.  :wave:
 

cudsey:
I have always cut them down and left the roots in the ground because someone said that they add nitrogen to the soil but I always dig them up when I do the bed in spring perhaps I should cover them for the winter and see what happens 

ancellsfarmer:

--- Quote from: laurieuk on November 14, 2018, 15:52:58 ---Yes I tried this some years ago , a complete waste of time. They did grow but did not really produce a crop.

--- End quote ---
ME too !

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