Runner bean pits

[landimad]

Has anyone had a go at this?

8 x 4 x 1 foot pit with the base full of rubble.
Got to the bottom of it in just under three hours, with a few tools.
Pick axe, shovel, spade, long handled pointed shovel too.

I will have to try to do another to see if the rubble is all over the place and not just where I chose to put it.

Does anyone have any ideas of how big or deep they should be?

Can I put all the garden waste into it except the perennial roots?

And could I put shredded paper and cardboard into the pit to hold the moisture?

Any other info would be a great help.

Let me know and I will show you all the results next year :D

[landimad]

[Squash64]

Every Autumn I dig a trench where my runner beans will be growing and fill it with things like comfrey leaves and other leaves but not roots of weeds. I do add some shredded paper if I remember, and some of the horse manure/sawdust/straw that we have an endless supply of. 

Can't give you any measurements though, the depth all depends on how much energy I have at the time.  ;)

[Fork]

My bean trenches get filled with anything to available.Today I filled one with sweetcorn haulms and cabbage stalks and leaves.When they settle down I will infill again.

[ceres]

I did it once - almost killed me digging it 2 feet deep, 3 feet wide, 15 feet long.  I didn't actually notice any difference in the crop so now I now do it much smaller.  Only thing I'd say not to put in it apart from perennial weed roots is old potatoes.  They are still coming through from 2 feet down 3 years after!

[small]

I once put in armsful of comfrey leaves and stems from a 'wild' patch. Must have gathered some scraps of root because I've had persistent comfrey there ever since! Not a good crop that year, either.

[landimad]

Well,
After two ton of soil and rubble, I can say that I am kna**ered.
All I have to do now is move the compost from the bins into the first pit and then dig the second for the garden cuttings and lawn trimmings. Then allow the winter to break them down a bit before the soil gets thrown back over and the worms and bugs get going on the remainder.
Comfrey leaves will be added to both pits and so will a good portion of paper and cardboard for moisture retension.
Only trouble is finding a good source of bean canes or some other structure to support them next year.
Any ideas from you folks would help?

[calendula]

not sure it needs to be that deep and runners are nearly always prolific anyway but any richness added will benefit - but I do dig in all vegetable waste from the kitchen and allotment in small trenches all over my allotment especially next years brassicas - it rots down so quickly it is amazing and saves space in all the compost bins which are now nearly full

With all that work gone into it you could consider using a permanent structure for the beans and not move them around just feed every year - I know plenty of growers who do that with great success

I'd have a rest now if I were you  ;D

[sarah]

do you just add waste and then leave it uncovered until the trench is full enough or do you cover it up each time you add something to it?

[calendula]

I make the trench about a spade's depth across a 4-6ft bed and spread a bucketful of peelings etc along it then dig another which automatically means the first gets covered - so the covering is only a few inches deep. It is my version of green manure. I avoid spud and jerusalem artichoke peelings as they root at the drop of a hat but otherwise everything rots down really quickly for me except for avocado skins which go so much like leather you could wear them  ;D

[grannyjanny]

Landimad re canes. We get ours from Wilkies, £1.29 for 6 x 8 footers & they are really strong ones. Our local GC has 10 footers but OH refuses to put them in the car. OH made a frame with 2 x 7 supports & put a bridge support across the top & tied the canes in.

[landimad]

Calendula,

I have done this as a trial from what my dad used to get me to do as a kid.
The reason for it being so deep is the fact 0f all the rubble below. It also helps to raise the ground by adding the organic matter to a some what lame soil.
I have been thinking of a permanent structure but as with all things that has to wait until I have more pennies to spend.

Sarah,

I add waste until it is level with the ground then cover it over.
This way I can leave it to break down over the winter and it keeps the good stuff inside.
I will be doing another one next to this for the rest of the trimmings I shall be cutting off when the frosts come along.

Jan,

I have seen a bunch of canes on E Bay which I thought good value.
125 eight foot canes for £30 approx.
Perhaps there is a good deal for these after all, They come from a place that actually sells the plants too. So it looks as if they are chopping the plants back to get a harvest from them too.

[landimad]

And another one to be filled over winter.
Yet again this one has had to be pick axed over the bottom.
There was breeze blocks and stone to remove too.
With the assistance of the canine Winnie, I had this one done in a hour or so.
If I gain anything from this, it is that I am getting fitter with every trench.
I just hope that this one is the last for now, when I get my compost bins made over the coming weeks I can use them instead of digging these bl**dy trenches. :P
I am all dug out with not cup of tea yet as the power is off. >:(
One day there will be a present for me that will have everything done and I dont have to do a thing. :-X