Allotments 4 All

Does anyone successfully grow French beans and if so HOW?! I've tried three times now and each time they stay at about 6 inches tall about produce a handful of beans each - and that is it.  WHY? ???

somebody's got to ask - they're not dwarf ones are they? My Cobras are at about 8ft

 ;D  I don't think so (seed packet blew away so not 100% sure!) but I'm pretty sure they were standard french beans.  In fact I used the end of the last pack and I'm really sure they weren't dwarf ones.  Same thing happened last year but I figured I'd planted too late or the weather got them or something.  But exactly the same this year.

Runners were nuts and I suppose I expected these to do the same.  I thought they wouldn't be quite as vigorous as the runners but I think they're sitting there laughing at me!!!  ::) ;D

Ahem, I have found one seed packet and they were dwarf beans.  *blushes*

But the other ones weren't!!  Honest!!  ;D  And they are all the same size!  About 3 inches off the ground and with 2 bits each side about 6 inches long and 3 or 4 beans each.  Now I know that isn't right for normal french beans but surely that isn't right even for dwarf beans?  Is it?

french beans aren't as vigorous as runners, but 6in is taking the mick  :D Still early though I suppose. Some of my other climbers aren't much more than a foot tall.

Just read your post ;D

Most of mine are struggling to get off the ground this year... I blame the wind we've had...  :-[

mine are the same, the definately dwarfs have flopped over and the not dwarfs have some teeny weenie beans on them, if they dont perk up ill plant some more round the base and hope for the best, but the winds have snapped some of the stems so i guess im lucky to have any at all! u should see the state of my toms! they think its easier to grow along the ground.... bladdy wind!

here are ours, notice the gap in the middle, the yin/yang climbing beans aren't climbing  ;D
plus, some of the other ones are climbing french beans and they're very slow

It is not unknown for the 'wrong' seeds to go into a packet.

Or should it be the wrong packet was used for the seeds?

Hi, french beans like lots and lots of well rotted manure dug into the planting hole, also a sprinkle of bonemeal in the hole aswell,  important to know too is you cant give beans too much water when growing, try this and you wont go wrong, regards Andy

My Pea beans were 6" tall when I planted them from a root trainer. They haven't grow since. An early assault by black fly seems to have led to terminal depression :(

My french beans are the same,

the variety is Haricot Vert Igo.

;D

My French climbing beans wouldn't climb either at first but they are away now ! I had to give them lessons on how to twiddle up the pole ::)

I've never heard of a variety called Igo. Where did they come from?

You do sometimes have to do a bit of manual winding (anti-clockwise) - especially if it's been a bit windy.

oooh why anti clockwise? i kno i kno newbie in the house! will try n find some bonemeal for mine theyve had some manure, maybe it wasnt enough? going on the last few days weather here theyre not currently short of water  ;D so if theyre none too cheerie next time i see them i know theyre hungry windswept or bone idle.... either way be  it a little late im starting off runner beans in the house to plant up when theyve popped theyre heads out, in a tonne of manure, with poles to climb, and strict instructions to make good or its away to the compost with them :) hopefully runners are more co operatve than french beans and dwarf yellow beans and borlotti beans....

Loopy you are not alone ~~my french climbers were stubborn ~~my runners didn't want to climb! I think runners get a shock went they are put out at first. I also think they exhaust their growing medium. eg...in peat pots tubes or whatever they started out in. The roots then have to find their way out into the goodness you have created in the allotment! If its cold or windy they get a double shock!! As I mentioned before mine have really picked themselves up in the last couple of weeks!! I gave them a good liquid feed. Yours will be fine  ;D

Duke

I always have to give my beans some lessons in climbing. I just wait till they recover from being transplanted, and start growing again. Then I wind them round the poles, and most of them are fine. A few recalcitrant so-and-so's fall off, and need extra tuition.

Quote from: loopyloulou on July 03, 2008, 19:27:00
oooh why anti clockwise? .........

That's the direction in which they naturally wind  :)

The fragrant Honeysuckle spirals clockwise to the sun
and many other creepers do the same
But some climb anticlockwise,
the Bindweed does for one,
or Convovulus, to give her proper name.
Rooted on either side a door
one of each species grew
and raced up to the window ledge above
Each corkscrewed to the lintel in the only way it knew
where they stopped, touched tendrils, smiled
and fell in love.

Flanders and Swann didn't mention beans

Quote from: Barnowl on July 04, 2008, 10:38:46

Quote from: loopyloulou on July 03, 2008, 19:27:00
oooh why anti clockwise? .........

I wonder if beans go clockwise in Australia??? ???
Duke