runner beans advice

[matt987106]

right

i planted 75 runner beans 9 days ago, they were put up high on conservatry window cill ( its a ajoining wall and 5 ft high with a cill and a 2ft window on the top )

i didnt expect them to come so quickly

yesterday they were 12 - 18 " high and starting to fall over

they are planted in little seed cell trays

i guess my only option is to get them in the ground now ( i dont want to as the forcast for tomorrow is MINUS 1 at night )

[matt987106]

[blackcountrysteve]

I'm not expert, but i would guess you've started them off a bit too early
with my runner's and french beans i start them off in pots in the greenhouse the start of may
and plant them out early June after all danger of frost has gone by


the old timer's on here ....i mean experienced allotmenteer's ! will give you the correct advice

[grotbag]

if it was me i would put em out in  a coldframe

[Bugloss2009]

I'd start again. I haven't even sown mine yet,and won't until the cold snap is over

PS NOBODY needs 75 Rubber Bean plants. We do 20-24 to feed 3 people, and even with that we get a bit tired of them

[jennym]

Think I'd start again too. You may find that despite a lot of effort, they won't do very well because it really is too cold to plant them out at the moment. You could probably grow them inside a heated glasshouse, but to be honest that would be mollycoddling something that really will do well outside if sown and then planted out at the right time.
Mine get started off in pots or rootrainers, outside in a sheltered spot, some time in late April/early May and are planted out end May early June. A lot depends on where you are and when the last frost is in your area.
If you do decide to re-sow a bit later on, you may want to grow some climbing french beans as well as runners - I treat those the same as I treat runners. Normally grow a variety called Cobra, or Blue lake, and tend to grow more of them that the runners as we like them better, and they freeze really well.

[Robert_Brenchley]

They should be OK as long as you keep them growing, but you won't need anything like that many. Stick them in a cold frame or on a windowsill in an unheated room and see how they do.

[saddad]

I'd start again in late April... ie in a couple of weeks...  :-X

[Bugloss2009]

when I said rubber bean plants, I meant Runner bean plants  ;D

[sawfish]

they'll be fine, keep them inside as long as possible then shove them in. Mine recovered perfectly well from frost damage and grew on great.

[matt987106]

thanks folks

i will try and keep them inside for aslong as i can ( might be ok till next week )

i know i grew too many, i thought upto a 1/3 wouldnt germinate, thus i put in a few extra, but as it happened less than 5 didnt

we have a raost style dinner 3 times a week, so eat a fair few and have a few family members who have them off us, so they do not get wasted ;)

[landimad]

I do a row for the family and the rest go to the old folks homes round here as they do not get nice food like this as it is to expensive to buy in.

Mine too are still in the packet and will not be in the ground until after all frosts are gone.

[Tee Gee]

I agree with the others about being too early!

You say;

they are planted in little seed cell trays

If you plan on keeping them they will want potting on into bigger pots.

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Runner%20bean/Runner%20Beans/runner%20beans.html