'Permanent' bean supports?

[Nicos]

Just canes moggssue, although peas can be a bit less clingy and benefit from some pea netting.

Oh nooooo....pea netting!!!! ( I'm only just about recovering from the messy job of picking out the vegetation to be able to re-use the netting again!!)
Chicken wire , and a blow torch sound a good experiment to me!!!

[moggssue]

It covers all beans and peas and anything else in the family such as lupins

Lupins??? Mine have been in the same spot in the border for 3/4 years now. Do they need treating a bit differently to the rest of the bed, in terms of food or etc?

So - runners and frenchies will have their own purpose built permanent support from next weekend (going to try with bamboo canes and plastic chicken wire?), but what about peas? And broadies?

[pigletwillie]

My tall peas again stay in the same place. Broadies I do rotate because they dont need supporting with a framework so can easily be planed into a rotation.

As for your lupins in the bed, leave them be, they will be fine, just feed as normal and mulch in winter and your beds will be in tip top condition.

[moggssue]

Cheers PW - very helpful (As ever of course!!)

[jc47]

Here I go again folks .... went to the lottie yesterday and had a nosey at what some of the other peeps were doing/have done. Now I KNOW all about the principles behind rotation of crops and such good stuff, but lots of the plots around me seem to have very permanent pea/bean supports. Do you think there's any merit in having a permanent spot for these crops, and if so how would you deal with the build up of disease in the soil? I thought it might make future life easy to not have to build a new support system every year but am doubtful cos of the rotation issue?? Any thoughts??

I've had my runners in the same spot for at least 15 years and have had no problems. Its my beleif that the bees know where they are every year and that accounts for an early crop of beans.

[bluemoon]

Lupins??? Mine have been in the same spot in the border for 3/4 years now. Do they need treating a bit differently to the rest of the bed, in terms of food or etc?

So - runners and frenchies will have their own purpose built permanent support from next weekend (going to try with bamboo canes and plastic chicken wire?), but what about peas? And broadies?

No, I just meant that lupins fix their own nitrogen, my Gran grew them in the same place for at least 30 years and, as far as I'm aware didn't do anything special with them.

[Snadger]

I intend adopting a technique I first heard mooted by our guru NTG.

Basically you find a place for your runner beans that won't cast a shadow over other plants. You then concrete in permanent posts at each end with a top rail fastened to the top. this gives you a basic frame work to use 8 foot canes in a wigwam formation once you plant your beans.

This is where the clever bit comes in!

You then dig a trench one spit deep and line it with polythene or old bin bags, fertiliser sacks or anything that you have lying around. It doesn't have to be black as the next step is to pierce the whole lot with a garden fork and start piling waste vegetable matter and newspapers into it.
Once its full, you cover the vegetable matter with soil and plant your beans.

The beauty of this system is that because it's on polythene, at the end of the bean growing season you just lift out the polythene with growing medium that's on top of it and spread it on the garden!
You are then left with a trench which can be lined with the same polythene if you like and the whole process can start again with the small difference that you will need to import soil from another area the following year to top up the bed.
This way you are bypassing the rotation system and you will always have a solid framework in an area which doesn't cast shade on other crops!

[mclarenpitcrew]

Like the idea snagger, sounds like a winner to me. I was going to ask about tall peas, but now all is clear they and the frenchies can stay put.

[mrs dog]

I love that idea I'm going to do that at home as the plot is going at some stage this year. Will do it at my new one tho.

[moggssue]

Well, the lovely OH came home with some free scaffolding posts on Friday (dont ask ... ) and I have lots of shiny new bamboo canes, so we're good to go - but only going for 5feet high. I'm only 4'9 so wouldnt be able to get to the ones at the top hahaha!!

[Snadger]

Well, the lovely OH came home with some free scaffolding posts on Friday (dont ask ... ) and I have lots of shiny new bamboo canes, so we're good to go - but only going for 5feet high. I'm only 4'9 so wouldnt be able to get to the ones at the top hahaha!!

You would be better of geting a ladder then!

I use 8 foot canes but you must remember they are set at an angle and into the ground.
1 foot in the ground and a 6 inch overlap at top wil bring the vertical height to just over 6 foot.
Runners grow to 6 foot easily and you may find at 5 foot the wigwam will be top heavy!

[moggssue]

Anyone got any hints for making lottie ladders? My canes are only 6foot, allowing 1 in the ground but never thought of the overlap ... see Sue head back to GC to bargain a swopsie!!

I did think that maybe they'd just hang down a bit if they got to the top? WOuld that make them too unstable?

[Janna]

I grow all my beans on a series of rose arches linked with bamboo canes. It is really easy to pick them all as you can get to both sides of each plant, and it looks really good too! I grew lots of different colours of french beans last year, and then bored everyone by taking photos and going on and on about how beautiful my bean tunnel was!

[minskey]

Wow! Janna, a bean tunnell, what a great idea. Could I grow climbing frech beans like that?

[jennybb]

Can we see a pic Janna? It sounds lovely.