Uh-oh, I'm lost in Maths!

[Kristen]

planning what and (specifically) how much to grow in the space

How about the Grow Veg planner?

http://www.growveg.com/Default.aspx

Personally I think planning a veg patch like that is more about fiddling about than getting on with growing, as when you grow you wind up with different numbers of plants to what you planned, or ground isn't ready, or still has the previous crop in it, so you then plant elsewhere and all the planning in the world is straight out of the window ...

... but I say that with decades of experience, so I expect I can easily juggle in my head what other things are coming along later and where they will get squeezed in, so for someone new to it a planning tool may help?

[Maddiesaur]

Thank you, I'll have a look at that today. The weather is pants so I can't think of a better way to spend the day

[Two_Sheds]

I don't grow many peas, just mangetout. They seem less wasteful.

nothing is wasted though, the pods go on the compost and are turned into nutrient for other crops
My guinea pigs eat the pods, and they're a favoured "foot toy" of the parrot, who doesn't eat them but shreds them up and throws them on the carpet

Shelling peas for a family takes so long

What, no child labour ? I get my school gardening club to shell my peas & beans, they love it. They also do all the lentils for me, because they're tiny and fiddly for me

[Maddiesaur]

Thanks for all your replies A quick question.. I have a Broad Bean (No clue on variety, our local RHS Rep was handing out handfuls of them) that has soared compared to the rest planted at the same time. It gets sunlight 7 hours a day and has two large leaves about 5" from soil.. it's shot up to about 3ft tall over the last two days with another two leaves forming right at the top, it looks ridiculous!

Can I trim it down to encourage healthy growth without killing it off?

[Kristen]

Is it definitely a Broad Bean? Sounds more like a Runner Bean - of even one of Jack's Beans

[Maddiesaur]

Errr... pass? Buahaha! Would a picture help? I was caught off guard with how large it grew so quickly, so I grabbed the Mr's Pot Noodle pot from under his nose and popped it in there for a bit more space. The poor thing is fast outgrowing my three year old Yuccu plants!

[Kristen]

Would a picture help?

Definitely And a close up of the leaf and growing shoot/tip please

[Maddiesaur]

Brilliant thank you.. here goes with the pictures..!

[Maddiesaur]

The others, planted the same time (Day, hour..) in the same compost and smaller containers, are about as tall as the first leaves on this one. It took them about 9 days to germinate and this one only took about 3.

It's currently sat in it's emergency pot with a knitting needle supporting at, on the very bright and sunny windowsill. It's a lovely Green colour and I keep it as watered as the rest. It's just so crazy tall and leggy, if I can trim it back, that'd be great! Unless it's just a giant variety and it's growing as it should.. in which case.. it'll be ten feet tall by next weekend lol

[Kristen]

Brilliant thank you.. here goes with the pictures..!

That's a Runner Bean (or possibly Climbing French)

[Maddiesaur]

Thank you Thats super helpful x

[Two_Sheds]

It gets sunlight 7 hours a day

um, it doesn't look like it gets enough light. If it's indoors, it won't be getting sunlight at all, so I'm confoozled.
Where is it?

[Maddiesaur]

It was sitting on the windowsill with the rest, which gets sunlight all day, so it's had that since germination. When it started outgrowing the rest, I put it out during the day on the roof outback which is a real sun trap. In the evenings it sits on the sunny windowsills, as the sun doesn't go down until 9/10ish now. 7 hours a day outside sun, usually much more though. As you can see, I'm up at silly AM most days, so all the plants get shifted bright an early with the sunrise and bought in (if they are out) at about 7/8pm to take their evening/nightly position in the evening lit windowsill until morning Today is really the first day this week where it looks like the weather will be dull and grey and probably very wet, so I'll leave it at the windowsill.

I just took the plant into the living room to get that picture, trying to get a picture of the new growth against the really bright window wasn't working

Sorry, my fingers get ahead of my brain sometimes and I don't type things very clearly hehe!

But you are probably right. I don't know what else to offer it though, couldn't give it more even if I had the extra hours in a day haha. So can I pinch it down without killing it?

[Kristen]

So can I pinch it down without killing it?

Do you want just [edit:]ONE solitary Runner Bean plant? Its going to need 8' (pole, trellis, something in full sun) to climb up, and although Runners are prolific just a single plant will struggle to give you enough, at any one time, for a meal.

[Scarlet]

Sorry, I'd just bin it and start again. Runner beans get much too leggy if grown indoors, even if youre putting it out for some days it's having too much heat and too little light and as Kristen has pointed out you need a few more plants to make a meal. Plenty of time to start more -I haven't started mine yet.