Runner Bean Trials

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by shiney, May 17, 2021.

  1. shiney

    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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    Each year we, amongst others, do the veg and flowers trials for Which? Gardening. :blue thumb: They contacted us and asked if they could send their photographer round so they could include our beans in the magazine.

    I thought it was a bit early in the summer to send him round as it was the third week in July but thought that maybe they needed to get it in for an early copy date. So round came Charlie Bright (has photographed a lot of famous people) and we got on very well.

    He took lots of photos and sent some of them to us and we waited to see whether they would publish one. We waited - and waited and last week the magazine arrived with a picture of Mrs Shiney and the beans. As it had been nine months we had forgotten about it until the magazine arrived. :)

    The beans we were trialling were 'Tenderstar' and they published a blurb along with the picture.

    230720 Gardening_Beans-146.jpg

    Of course, the picture doesn't look posed! :whistle: :roflol:

    The blurb (edited slightly):-

    "In Spring 2020, 933 Which? Gardening memebers sowed runner bean/French bean cross 'Tenderstar'. Almost everyone reported good germination, but only half liked the flavour. Four in ten would grow it again.

    In their trials
    (they do the trials as well) the beans were short with large seeds and rather stringy, and the furry skin wasn't pleasant to eat. The yield was disappointing, being one of the lowest of all the varieties they grew, at 5.6kg from 12 plants.

    Member Mrs Shiney :smile: started off her seeds in a heated propagatorand grew on her seedlings before hardening off and planting out mid-May, picking her first beans at the beginning of July. She grows several varietiesof beans, selling the produce for charity, and 'Tenderstar', although flowering earlier than the othersshe was growing, was soon outstripped. She liked the bi-coloured flowers, though and said she would probably grow them again."


    We wouldn't grow them for the bean but the flowers were quite attractive. We also found that the blackfly preferred them to the other beans. :noidea:

    We grow our beans through black porous membrane which warms up the ground (we can plant out a bit earlier), keeps the weeds away and virtually no slugs etc.

    We also train our beans up the poles and across overhead to give us a bigger crop. We don't pinch out the plants at all so we get a good 14ft of plant. They need a lot more watering.

    By August the overhead is solid with plant, flower and beans that dangle down and easy for picking.

    'Tenderstar' were quite a short bean
    230720 Gardening_Beans-122.jpg

    230720 Gardening_Beans-71.jpg

    Especially compared to some of the other varieties we grow.
    230720 Gardening_Beans-55.jpg
     
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    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

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      Superstar celebrity Mrs Shiney :love30:
       
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      • Fat Controller

        Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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        Brilliant and what lovely photographs :)
         
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        • shiney

          shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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          Mrs Shiney said "Thank you" :)
           
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          • Victoria

            Victoria Lover of Exotic Flora

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            Congratulations Superstar! I know nada about bean growing. What lovely photos of Mrs S and that turquoise colour really suits her. :imphrt:
             
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              Last edited: May 20, 2021
            • JR

              JR Chilled Gardener

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              I've been busy developing a 'new' plot this spring which involved renovating a shed.
              But today is too rough out there so i thought to mention my runner bean experience this time around.
              I usually sow old varieties like 'prize winner', though i do like 'polestar' which I've grown happily in the past.
              However i picked up a packet of 'Stardust' white runners a month back to try.
              I put 12 prizewinners in pots, and 12 Stardusts in the same size pots with the same moisture level.
              All 12 prizewiners germinated but only 2 Stardusts grew.
              It appears that they are easily rotted in wet compost. Ok so i have sown some more in a dryer mix and they are popping up, but i don't think they'd have done any good in the ground just now with all these showers.
              So my expectations with the 'RHS approved' Stardust has been a dissapointment. I wonder if anyone else has had poor results from these wonder hybrids (they are a runner/french bean cross apparently)
              :scratch:
               
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              • lolimac

                lolimac Total Gardener

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                Mrs Shiney is a Star:wub2:
                 
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