Allotments 4 All

we all know runner beans love water i was just wondering how my fellow  growers keep their es watered i use troughs with holes drilled in the side and bottom on 8 inches of grass cuttings to keep the bean trench damp any suggestions and pics greatly received

That looks like an effective but rather expensive way of doing it! I tend to put collars made from plastic bottles round mine. They are dual-purpose- keeping the slugs off and channelling the water from the watering can.

Quote from: caroline7758 on May 12, 2015, 19:32:50
That looks like an effective but rather expensive way of doing it! I tend to put collars made from plastic bottles round mine. They are dual-purpose- keeping the slugs off and channelling the water from the watering can.

it would have been but i was given the troughs by a friend who was going to throw them away but in true allotment spirit they are now recycled  into a bespoke bean watering system lol

Planted deeply, mine go seek their own unless there is a prolonged drought. A misting in dry weather may help bloom to set but not likely to need until later. Unless one can thoroughly irrigate, on an agricultural scale, I feel its better to put effort into properly preparing ground, planting deeply/firmly and in correct conditions. Trailing a couple of cans around a plot does little good.

Quote from: ancellsfarmer on May 12, 2015, 20:20:52
Planted deeply, mine go seek their own unless there is a prolonged drought. A misting in dry weather may help bloom to set but not likely to need until later. Unless one can thoroughly irrigate, on an agricultural scale, I feel its better to put effort into properly preparing ground, planting deeply/firmly and in correct conditions. Trailing a couple of cans around a plot does little good.

I'm on very sandy soil even with a tonne of manure twice a year it still lets water thru far too easy its great for digging but bad for holding moisture they get 8 15 liter cans daily in the troughs which are lined with pigeon  droppings for extra vigour

More to do with the prep, but I was always taught to dig a trench and line that with newspapers to help retain the water.

When I first started as a garden  boy back in the 40's spent hops were free if collected from brewery, then they became hop-manure and pricing. We used a lot in our runner bean rows to help with moisture. Now again they can be got for nothing from the micro breweries that are starting up as they do not produce enough for commerce. I have used very successfully porous hose connected to a water butt and you can feed as well with this. It is made from reclaimed tyres.

Yes Laurie, spent hops are great if you can get them and transport them back to the allotments site!  Great that what was common before is becoming common again ... although there is a bit of competition for the spent hops where I am as they are a big bonus for a garden.

yes i couldn't agree more 4 trenches we dug in Oct  cardboard grass cuttings pigeon poo all lyered with green kitchen waste over the months its all rotted down we have a runner bean comp this year so have spent a lot of time on it and just wanted to see any tips that might give me the edge