I buy my seed every year from t&m and pay £3-29p for white lady i personaly think they are great with no waste and a truely wonderfull taste well anyway Alan Roman.com is selling them for 90p a packet for 40 seeds and postage is only 99p for your whole seed order this may be of use to all you with allotments hope it helps Rugbypost
Hi Rugbypost,
Another good site is www.moreveg.co.uk. I have just been doing some window shopping for squash and pumpkins (mostly 50p for 3 seeds) and quickly checked out the peas and beans varieties which are 50p for 50 seeds. Worth a look.
After reading a recent post I always feel like a spammer when promoting a website, kind of like the feeling I get when I am in a nice shop in my old clothes and a security guard glances my way.
Just remember it is only the rich who can afford to look shabby.
Thanks for the tip about seeds. I think T&M are a bit expensive.
I am thinking of trying Moonlight runner beans next year because they are self pollinating. Has anyone tried them?
I think Digeroo tried Moonlight & I don't think they did very well but put it down to the poor weather.
Premierseeddsdirect are an excellent site. No White Lady but lots of other beans, squash 99p for 30 seeds in some cases, P&P 59p per order.
Don't you save your own seeds RP, I've saved mine for the last four years and my next plot neighbour Sid has saved his for the last 25+ years. ??? ;D ;D ;D
Do you take any precautions to prevent crossing?
If someone next door has a 25 year old self-saved strain I'd be asking him for som eseeds.... whatever they are they must suit the soil etc by now....
True, but it could be wrecked pretty quickly by crossing with another variety.
I've still plenty left from last year I bought them from a local nursery all loose in a big bin and bought them by the weight cheapest way apart from saving your own seed which is not for me, :)
I always use my own saved beans. I have three different varieties and have never had a crossed one.
I tried Moonlight last year and I wasn't too impressed by the yield so I won't be bothering with them this year.
Quote from: tomatoada on December 30, 2010, 08:14:22
Just remember it is only the rich who can afford to look shabby.
Thanks for the tip about seeds. I think T&M are a bit expensive.
I am thinking of trying Moonlight runner beans next year because they are self pollinating. Has anyone tried them?
Quote from: Paulines7 on December 30, 2010, 13:53:00
I always use my own saved beans. I have three different varieties and have never had a crossed one.
same here!!
Over the years i have saved seeds but they were types where the beans were stringy i have used white lady for 3 years i would really like a few to try them they hold good do not need a lot of water in hot spell if we have one . The taste is terriffic string less right up to your last picking but dont buy them from Thomson& morgans they are to dear a lot of great sites have been mentioned by members in this forum you wont be sorry have a go Rugbypost
Thanks for the posts on Moonlight. I will stick to Lady Di. These have done well for me for the last 3 years.
I don't really like runner beans, but I'm trying Black Magic as a drying bean. I doubt whether it'll cross with anything as the hedges act as a barrier.
As well as White Lady, our favourite variety is Red Rum.
We also tried Moonlight last year. Being self fertile we thought we would get an early crop in the greenhouse.
WRONG. With the early hot spring weather, the conditions were too hot for them. Whilst they did set seed, it was not a great success.
Shall be giving them another 'go' this year.
Conditions were not perfect for them last year, so give them the benefit of the doubt, and another try. ;D ;D
valmarg
Bit worried about the Moonlight.Previous comments could possibly be the reason why T@M are selling them very cheaply at a £1 per pack.
Should I invest in another type.
Any suggestions welcome
Did the people who tried Moonlight grow it in a greenhouse or somewhere it wouldn't be pollinated? It may well be self-pollinating; it may also be rather bad at it. Some apples, for instance, are self-pollinating, but produce a better crop with a pollinator. This could be similar.
It was Digeroo & I doubt she will have grown them under cover but she's on her jollies ATM. I think she logs in but if not I will ask her.
I can't remember if it was a posting or a PM.
Quote from: valmarg on January 12, 2011, 23:18:04
As well as White Lady, our favourite variety is Red Rum.
We also tried Moonlight last year. Being self fertile we thought we would get an early crop in the greenhouse.
WRONG. With the early hot spring weather, the conditions were too hot for them. Whilst they did set seed, it was not a great success.
Shall be giving them another 'go' this year.
Conditions were not perfect for them last year, so give them the benefit of the doubt, and another try. ;D ;D
valmarg
for great pollination, spray the blooms with a 'mister' in the morning ;)
Quote from: tonybloke on January 13, 2011, 19:03:39
Quote from: valmarg on January 12, 2011, 23:18:04
for great pollination, spray the blooms with a 'mister' in the morning ;)
I don't know if that would have helped. We had a very large pot (difficult to move in full growth). Where we put it was in full sun during the Spring warm spell, and the beans just didn't like it. :-[
We've been doing this with climbing french beans with great success for several years, so thought it worth a try. Shall try again this year, but will put the pot in a much cooler, more shaded spot. ;D
valmarg
Frenchies are naturally self-pollinating, and efficient at it. We don't know how efficient this runner bean is.
I always plant a long double row of Scarlet Emps from saved seed since I had my plot (2005). A plant each side of the pole in a good trench fill with kitchen waste and a bit of garden compost then back filled with the clay soil. I've never misted any of them since the bees have done all the pollination for me (thank you bees :)). Grown both east to west and north to south and it didn't make a tad of difference to the crops over the years.
Going back to the original post, haven't bought a seed since my first Scarlet crop, rugbypost. Tried others but like Painted Lady, but didn't get the taste or the prolific crop so not for me.
My tu'penny worth ;)
Ninny
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on January 14, 2011, 21:16:51
Frenchies are naturally self-pollinating, and efficient at it. We don't know how efficient this runner bean is.
True, but until you've tried you won't know. Anyway, giving it another whirl this year. ;D
valmarg
Always save my own seed as well. No need to encourage a high yield - always have too many and cut them up for chicken feed.
Growing Crusader this year, anyone tried them ? Also I found " Blue Lake " CLIMBING French Beans did really, really well and I vowed to grow more of them this coming season .
Quote from: RW on January 14, 2011, 21:56:48
Always save my own seed as well. No need to encourage a high yield - always have too many and cut them up for chicken feed.
is that cooked??
Anne x
Oh dear, rather than save seed, which I can't be bothered to do much prefer F1 hybrids, such as Red Rum, White Lady.
valmarg
Both Red Rum and Aintree are my favourite runner beans. I found that Red Rum was not as early as Aintree and it did not crop as heavily.
We had too many beans in any case.
This year I will be planting
Runner Bean Aintree Seeds from Marshalls - I could not find them anywhere else.
Someone has given me: Runner Bean Streamline and Runner Bean White Apollo so I will be trying a few of these too.
A dead heat I reckon. :-X :-X :-X
Oh dear, looking at my last post about ssving seed, I might have seemed a bit nangy.
The main varieties we grow are Red Rum and White Lady, both of which are F1s.
Last year OH did a brilliant job of succession sowing, and we had a very good year of succession picking. ;D ;D
We never had an enormous glut, but we did manage plenty of beans.
valmarg
Always save seed - dead easy - leave a few pods on at end of season when their are always a few missed/hiding away in the foliage.
Tried growing them in potato grow bags (9.95 for 3 from Marshalls) last year. Scrunched up newspaper in the bottom for water retention and to lessen amount of compost needed and they were great. Could water easily and put them wherever, mine were in full sun, no problems and this year the compost from them will go on plot.