Allotments 4 All

.... for broad beans, french beans and runners. Any views on best support devise. Wigwam effect vs. net?  ;D

Hi 5 rod here
For runners i would use 7 feet or 8 feet cane wigwarm adding  few centre
canes for moore support
for broad beans use 5  feet cane and rope in sq.
for french beans i would use 4 feet cane and 1
cane per bean.

Broad Beans - none or maybe just a 3 foot cane at each end with string tied between.  If they are planted in double rows then none at all normally.

French beans & Runner Beans.  I would use at least 7 foot if not 8 foot canes pushed 1 foot into ground, I normally grow Runner Beans in a row with horizontal canes at the top and french beans as wigwams so I can keep the different varieties different ( purely aesthetic ).  Actually I think wigwams are stronger.

RBT....

Welcome to the site Matthew...
Broad Beans 4-5'...
Runners 8'... in a run V (upside down...
French beans, if Climbers like Runners but in wigwams... if Dwarf they shouldn't need them.
;D

Quote from: saddad on April 08, 2008, 16:03:03

Runners 8'... in a run V (upside down...

oh wow that sounds like a good plan, why didnt i think of that?


Matthew  welcome to A4A

lbb

hiya, matthew, welcome to the site..we're growing all our different beans on one run, we have a 20 foot bed, double row either side, same as saddad, v shaped 8' canes  ;D

I tried for a tunnel last year but they didn't really grow across the top. Should have started the side furthest from the sun first so the second planting wasn't shaded.

Double row of Runners?

You'll notice that all the guide lines say either 45X25 cm or 60X30 spacing.

Do YOU all do that? If not, are the growers wrong??

sorry, tim, senior moment there, double as in one one side and another the other  ;D
just as well i know what I'm saying  ;D

8ft poles, inverted 'v' stylie, with a ridge pole. rows 2ft apart, poles 1 ft apart, 1 plant per pole. I pinch out the plants at top of pole, thus encorouging more lateral growths with more flowers/fruit.
rgds, tonybloke

Quote from: tim on April 08, 2008, 18:06:09
Double row of Runners?

You'll notice that all the guide lines say either 45X25 cm or 60X30 spacing.

Do YOU all do that? If not, are the growers wrong??

Been growing runner beans for 40 years and do it like my grand dad did, plant them no more than every 9 inches, 18 inches between the rows they seem to like to be close together and I put a manure much around them.  I can't  picture metric distances.

I tried one year to leave the 8 foot canes loose instead of putting them together and found that when they were full and it was windy, they stayed put better with the individual canes swaying in the wind. Been doing it this way ever since.

I Mist them in the evening if it has been a hot day.

I pick them before they get to the length they can grow to because they cook better. 

I dry save and use beans from one year to the next too.

What do you mean by 'the growers?'

WE ARE growers :D