Growing Beans in the Same Place

[Robert_Brenchley]

Runners are like a lot of 'foreign' veg; they left their diseases behind when they were brought here. So you can get away with growing them year after year in the same spot when you can't do it with other crops. It was the same with potatoes once; they arrived in the 16th Century, while blight was imported with some Mexican potatoes in the 1830's.

[Robert_Brenchley]

[thifasmom]

where do runnerbeans originate then?

and another cut at the base of the stem for all my legume crops here :).

[Robert_Brenchley]

Central America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner_bean

[Borlotti]

I dug my beans up, thought I was tidying up.  :( :(  Will just cut them next year and they are staying in the same place as I am not moving the wooden frame, so there.

[aggie]

tonybloke you really are a mind full of knowledge I never knew half of that or even a quarter,  I didn't know you cut them off at the base of the plant, I have always left the plant to die down before digging the plot (well raised bed) it will certainly make my beds a lot less messy. Its only when I read all your posts i realize how little i know  :-[  I certainly have a lot to learn, but cannot think of a better place than A4A to do so.

[thifasmom]

Central America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner_bean

interesting as it likes the uk climate and seems to struggle if the summers are too dry/ hot, i'm surprised it originated there, may be the tropical  type rainfalls balance this out according to the time of the year they are traditionally grown there.

[Chrispy]

Central America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner_bean

interesting as it likes the uk climate and seems to struggle if the summers are too dry/ hot, i'm surprised it originated there, may be the tropical  type rainfalls balance this out according to the time of the year they are traditionally grown there.

I did read somewhere that they are from rain forests, and that they climb up the trees.

No, I remembered wrong, `they grow high in the mountins protected by trees that act as a climbing frame` quote from Grow your own veg by Carol Klein

[1066]

the collective knowledge on this forum is fab  ;D

[thifasmom]

Central America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner_bean

interesting as it likes the uk climate and seems to struggle if the summers are too dry/ hot, i'm surprised it originated there, may be the tropical  type rainfalls balance this out according to the time of the year they are traditionally grown there.

I did read somewhere that they are from rain forests, and that they climb up the trees.

how cool that would be to see, i'm off to google a picture :).

[Kea]

And you can actually see those nodules in the roots, crunchy little things if you squeeze one.

and if you do squeeze a nodule you may see that it is red inside and that is leghaemoglobin which is an oxygen carrying protein similar to blood in animals.

[thifasmom]

Central America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner_bean

interesting as it likes the uk climate and seems to struggle if the summers are too dry/ hot, I'm surprised it originated there, may be the tropical type rainfalls balance this out according to the time of the year they are traditionally grown there.

I did read somewhere that they are from rain forests, and that they climb up the trees.

how cool that would be to see, I'm off to google a picture :).

no luck yet but lots of reference to them growing in rainforests out there. but it got me thinking maybe the toxicity is related to their origin and trying to keep themselves as uneaten as possible by the many fruit and leaf eaters of the rainforest community.

[Flighty]

Another interesting, and informative, thread! I'm probably going to grow my runners in the same place next year as I did this.

1066 a plot neighbour grows several types of beans, and sweet peas,  all together on his cane double rows and wigwams. So unless anyone says different I say go ahead and  give it a try!

[Digeroo]

Amazing started this thread this morning and then went off for the day and it seems to have taken off.

[Borlotti]

That is what I did this year, grew sweet peas at both ends of the wooden frame, with the runner beans in the middle.  The sweet peas did well, runner beans OK this year but needed a lot of watering and not as plentiful as last year, but still gots loads in the freezer and gave some away, but could have done with some more as many friends and neighbours like my beans as I pick them young and tender.

[hippydave]

i always grow mine in the same place i use 8' bamboo canes in an x shape that is wider at the top so that the beans hang down the outside that makes picking them much easier, i leave this years beans in the ground until feb when i dig them in and add as much compost as i can into a trench. plant the beans straight in the ground and 6 weeks later plant 2 more at the bottom of the others to extend the harvest.

[Flighty]

Digeroo I think that everyone is happy, and relieved, to get back to normal!  :)

Borlotti I do the same as you, and I think that they also look good when they're grown together like that.

[cornykev]

Not everyone goes with the idea of digging a trench, but year one and two I had to water like mad, the last two years I have hardly watered them with the trench being water retentive.   ;D ;D ;D

[Borlotti]

I have put leaves and Council compost where I am growing my beans next year.  I will dig it in.  How deep do I have to dig a trench or can I just turn the soil over.

[Dadnlad]

We've changed to growing beans in the same place - having seen how the old boys grow theirs
It saves having to work out where in the rotation they need to be :P

Now the frost has got them, we've chopped down the row and piled them up - at the weekend we'll dig a new trench and chuck 'em all back in ;D

[reddyreddy]

i always grow mine in the same place i use 8' bamboo canes in an x shape that is wider at the top so that the beans hang down the outside that makes picking them much easier, i leave this years beans in the ground until feb when i dig them in and add as much compost as i can into a trench. plant the beans straight in the ground and 6 weeks later plant 2 more at the bottom of the others to extend the harvest.

what a good idea, definately doing an X next year!