Best way for runner beans

[noviceveggrower]

Hi did runner beans in a wigwam last year but beans got that heavy that it near enough collapsed on me.
The guy who had my second plot had a row of canes all strung together and braced up. Believe me when I mean strung together it took me 20 mins to collapse it down.
I was just wondering which method everyone else uses? Wigwam or rows of canes?
Which do you find is the best method?

[Alison]

I do both, I have smallish wigwams of beans that I eat as green beans (I only grow a few of each variety and prefer to keep them separate) and longer rows of the ones I'm growing for the dried beans. Both work well but it depends on your space. I find that the wigwams are naturally more stable as the rows form a barrier to any wind and take the full loading from that.

[Currysniffa]

I don't grow runner beans just french climbing beans but I have use both methods when growing climbing beans. I have scaffolding polls with canes against them now days. But when I did grow using a wigwam I cut the growing tips off the beans when they got to the top so the wigwam didn't get top heavy and fall over.

[Bren In Pots]

Have a read at this thread it might give you a few ideas ;-

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...mes_58608.html

[Dorothy rouse]

I did 2 Wigwams last year, one for runners, the other for French climbing beans, I found the Wigwams easier to put up myself, using one of those 'green round thingies' that the canes fit into, and and ran some garden twine round about half way up, to help the beans to climb. They did survive the storms at the end of last summer, only collapsing when they had stooped producing. Will be doing the same this year.

[Thelma Sanders]

As said wigwams are more stable than rows - so I do a row of wigwams (all joined by canes at the top) if I want a lot