Runner Bean Advice

[Samurailord]

Last year I tried to plant the 'trinity' in my garden - sweetcorn, squash and runner beans but failed miserably.

The sweetcorn didn't get higher than six inches before being munched to the ground in a single night by marauding snails, the squash produced no more than three sets of leaves before foundering, and the beans had all their tops eaten by something.

I used the now vacant space to plant some purple sprouting broccoli that were much more successful - I have had plenty of spears from seven of the eight plants. (the last never really did much and didn't crop at all)

Last weekend I decided it was time to take out the broccoli as it had all but finished.

Fortunately I wasn't in my usual hurry so it wasn't simply a case of grab and heave, and imagine my surprise when I discovered a spindly little climber trying to clamber up the broccoli stalks!

I carefully unwrapped it and disposed of the broccoli to get a better look - there were actually two plants, runner beans from the shape of the leaves, but the stems are so thin I was afraid of breaking them.

They weren't quite in the same place I had planted my beans, but as I had moved the soil around a bit when planting the broccoli so I suppose that is only to be expected.

I managed to get them wrapped around a couple of bamboo canes to get them off the ground and hoped that they would survive the upset.

I have just had a proper look at them tonight, and they appear to be doing well and have wrapped tightly round the bamboo, in fact they are both almost at the top of a 3 foot cane, but the stems are so thin!

Can anyone suggest how I can encourage these plants to put on some bulk so they can produce at least a couple of pods for me?

I will try and get some photos tomorrow to make sure I haven't mis-identified them. I would hate to think I have been getting all excited over a couple of weeds

At least then I won't feel quite as much of a failure as I did last year

Thanks

Andy

[singleseeder]

Hi Samurailord, welcome to the vine.

I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties last year and hope that you keep on trying, just as the rest of us do.

I hope I'm wrong, but my first thought about your 3ft high plant is that it could be bindweed (convulvulous) I would be quite surprised that a bean had survived the winter. However, you haven't said where abouts you are. Put your location in your profile and it helps us offer help.

Perhaps I'm just a pessimist, so a picture would be useful. Cheers.

[Rhoda]

Hi Samurailord, welcome to the vine.

I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties last year and hope that you keep on trying, just as the rest of us do.

I hope I'm wrong, but my first thought about your 3ft high plant is that it could be bindweed (convulvulous) I would be quite surprised that a bean had survived the winter. However, you haven't said where abouts you are. Put your location in your profile and it helps us offer help.

Perhaps I'm just a pessimist, so a picture would be useful. Cheers.

I thought bindweed as well. It will grow anywhere and grows very quickly! Once you upload a photo it will be easier to identify Fingers crossed it isn't bindweed though

[WendyC]

Could well be beans. They are only grown as annuals as they are not frost hardy. However the roots could have been covered in enough soil to be protected or they could be beans from any pods which did set last year. I'd protect them from slugs and snails using your preferred method. ( I use pellets just to get them going and as once they are bigger are not so tasty to slugs) Give them a good mulch of compost and make sure they don't go short of water. Not a problem at the moment! If they look like they need a boost I use liquid seaweed feed (can't remember name but it's in a brown bottle) Usually take care of themselves once they have got going. You might like to give them a fleece jacket depending on temperatures where you are. They don't seem to like cold wind much and go a bit white and shrivel. I hope you are successful as they are generally on of the most rewarding crops. Good Luck!

[Samurailord]

Hi Singleseeder

Thanks for the reply.

Now you have mentioned it, I have googled pics of bindweed and unfortunately it does look very similar. The climber has little heart-shaped leaves which look just like purple bindweed.

I am in NW England, and you are probably right about a seed surviving the winter unscathed, although we had an unusually mild winter here last year.

I will try to post a picture tomorrow just to make sure

Andy

[veggiechicken]

Hi Andy and welcome. Runner beans are perennial but I think you would be pushing your luck, frankly. Put some seeds in the ground instead and hope for the best! Happy gardening

[Samurailord]

Hi all

Thanks for all the replies - I'm frankly amazed at how many folk are willing to offer advice or simply comiserate, and in such a short time after posting too.

I have done some digging back through my old seed packets and discovered that I didn't plant runners, but a pea, Kelvedon Early.

Even though the leaves look very similar, the spindly nature of the stalk is making me more and more convinced that what I have here is bindweed.

The plan -

1. get some photos and post them here early tomorrow.

2. Visit B&Q or the local garden centre to get the necessary bits to build a pea/bean frame and plant up a few dozen in a separate part of the garden.

3. once the plant has been identified by those more knowledgable than me:

a. If bindweed - dig it out and dispose of, dig the rest of the bed to plant garlic and spinach.
b. If vegetable - dance a little jig and prepare a lovely liquid feed for the poor blighters.

[veggiechicken]

Hi Andy, Sounds like a good plan.
When you have a moment tell us a bit about yourself at Introduce Yourself! We're a nosey lot!!

[Tripmeup]

Hi Andy...and welcome

Part 3 a might need to be reconsidered as it probably too late to put garlic in for this year...you could sow some in late October for next year tho....

[taff]

good plan

and hiya

[Samurailord]

Thanks Tripmeup

It's knowledge like that I am hoping to glean from these forums - and thanks for the welcome, taff

Andy

[tamsin]

Not to late for peas or beans, you could try starting them in toilet roll tubes somewhere safe from slugs and snails, then plant them out when they've got big enough it takes more than one bite to finish them off. There is a good thread on slug removal about - if you start thinning them out now, you might have the population down by the time your seeds are up.

Dig you put anything in the soil? Things like beans and squash are very hungry so where you don't have anything in yet, digging something in might help them a bit down the line. If it's just a small patch a bag of soil improver (the garden centre name for what we call compost when it comes out of a compost bin) might be worth it.

Have a look while you're in there - sometimes they have reduced plants this time of year. You could give a tomato a go if you can get a plant - they are usually fairly easy and they taste very yummy compared to the shop ones.

[Samurailord]

As promised, here are pictures of what I am now pretty sure will turn out to be bindweed.

Andy

[veggiechicken]

Its all progress, SL, you can now recognise bindweed! Try to get as much root out as you can - its white and grows deep. Any bits that are left behind grow back.

[Samurailord]

Damn.

Even though I knew, deep down, that this was unlikely to be a veg instead of a weed it's still a bit of a blow.

Anyway - to prove I can grow something I have taken a pic of my rhubarb, of which I am very proud.

Apologies for the poor pic quality, but it was taken with my phone in the pouring rain

Andy