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Runner Beans - Wrong time of the Year ?

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by ricky101, Jun 27, 2018.

  1. ricky101

    ricky101 Total Gardener

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    Hi,

    Around now is normally the time plant out Runner Beans, but it did make me wonder if its worth growing them... ?

    Typically we eat them with a hot meal yet their harvest period is usually around the hottest time of the year, when cold dishes like salads etc are more usual.

    Although we can freeze some, (only a modest fidge/freezer) , even our small row of 6 plants means we have to give or throw away half the crop when they peak.

    Seems a pity they cannot crop later in the year... any thoughts ...?
     
    ricky101, Jun 27, 2018
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  2. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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    I used to find they cropped best in September and October, they do start, I know in late July and August, but often the plants are still making vegetative growth at that time of the year and the flowers often fall off.
    Never worked out if it was due to that, plants still young and growing fast, or too higher temps.

    And old bloke next door to me used to swear it was sparrows, but never could explain why they didn't peck the flowers off later in the season.:smile:
     
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      pete, Jun 27, 2018
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    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

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      I plant Runners around mid May for cropping in July - they do seem to run out of steam by early September which I always attribute to us going away on holidays and not picking regularly enough. I have tried later plantings with no success, by the time they establish it's got too cold for them.
       
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        JWK, Jun 28, 2018
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      • JWK

        JWK Gardener Staff Member

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        @shiney is the Runner Bean king, I would like to hear his opinion on extending the season.
         
        JWK, Jun 28, 2018
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      • shiney

        shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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        Hi @ricky101 I suppose that is simply a matter of preference. I eat a hot main meal every day of the year :) but there are plenty of salad recipes for using them cold. :dbgrtmb:

        I can also get through a pound of beans at each meal! :rolleyespink: :biggrin:

        Planting in succession can increase the length of the cropping season.

        In general the length of the cropping season is about the same but successional sowing can increase the season by at least two weeks and sometimes four. We also go away in September and that certainly affects the cropping period. The beans need picking at least every two days, at that time of year, to ensure that they don't decide to give up for the season. I try to delay it by picking anything longer than 2" before I go. The later sown plants do tend to survive this better.

        Some of my early sown beans are now at least 10ft high and doing well.
        P1390663.JPG

        and are starting to go across the top.
        P1390665.JPG

        @JWK John, I would guess that your beans are also going over the top of your Munty Frame. :blue thumb:

        Our later sown beans are now about waist high and the latest are only 2ft high. I've got those on the other frame at the other side of the plot and they're where we have the French beans (Bridgwater, Blue Lake and yellow). The Bridgewater are also 10ft high but are only just coming into flower.
         
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          shiney, Jun 28, 2018
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        • JWK

          JWK Gardener Staff Member

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          Great post @shiney - very informative thanks.

          Yes they are. My early batch have now reached their end stops - all are in bloom now and tiny bean pods starting to form.

          I am having a fight with pesky blackfly this season, I made a mistake and grew Broad beans next to the Runners. Broad beans are a blackfly magnet and some of the little blighters are finding my Runners.
           
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            JWK, Jun 28, 2018
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          • Scrungee

            Scrungee Well known for it

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            My second sowing are about 6" high and have just been planted out.

            When there's a runner bean glut, in addition to heaps with hot meals, I eat them cold with pesto sauce in salads.
             
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              Scrungee, Jun 28, 2018
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            • Kandy

              Kandy Will be glad to see the sun again soon.....

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              @JWK We grew winter Broad Beans which Mr Kandy sowed in November and when we came back from our holiday the other week they were infested with blackfly which we don’t normally get on winter beans.The infestation was so bad it was too late to do much about it and we didn’t want to spray with chemicals although we are getting a bit of a crop.

              The blackfly Have now found my runner beans that we have had to sow for the third time and they are well away from the broad beans.Despite me washing the blackfly and ants off of the leaves with water then spraying with a soapy water solution we still have them so are now going to try adding garlic cloves to the water that Mr Kandy found in the freezer yesterday and see if that gets rid of them.We have also noticed some of the leaves on my flowers on the allotment also have blackfly on them now:sad:

              Plenty of ladybirds and their larvae about but not enough to nosh all the blackfly as they are breeding too fast:sad:
               
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                Last edited: Jun 29, 2018
                Kandy, Jun 28, 2018
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