Urgent bean info please.

[bobbin]

Hi. I need to grow giant beans to enter into my local Horticultural Society show Bean Race
I've googled .. as you do.. But I'm still at a loss as to which variety will be best. The same person wins every year. Need I say more?
Time is tight. Your suggestions please!

[fluffybunnyuk]

grow a liana entada for next year. With a 5 foot bean pod you'll surely win... not just this year, but next year, the year after, and after that, and after that...

failing that gigante beans.

If I see Jack on the road today i'll ask him if hes got any beans.

[nickdub]

I'm guessing by "giant beans" you mean the beans with the longest pods ? If so you are probably looking at a type of runner bean. I'm no expert on show growing but I do know a bit about vegetables and I'd say you are best to treat this year as a learning experience, since growing giant veg usually means starting a full 12 months before you show your produce.

Things to get right include :-

1) the site - all day sunlight
2) soil - compost made with FYM probably
3) undercover starting for tender plants - possibly February for runner beans ?
4) support structure a good sized bean plant will do 20' high in a season easily
5) best variety of bean - have a word with bean enthusiasts at shows and see what they think
6) management of the plant eg liquid feed and removal of unwanted beans to get the timing right for your show stoppers.


Think of it as a bit like planning a military campaign, and you'll get in the right mind set.

[veggiechicken]

How about tying a weight on the end of the bean as it grows to stretch it?

As you can tell, I haven't the foggiest but you have to keep it straight to make the most of every inch!!

[Guest]

medwyn and mammouth onion are the two seed companies I am familiar with for exhibition seeds.

VEGETABLE SEED - Runner Beans - Medwyns Prize Vegetable Seeds
W. Robinson & Son (Seeds & Plants) Ltd: Products:

Medwyn do jescot long un which the few people who I have heard grow it have raved about. I think there are a couple of threads on here about it.

[nickdub]

How about tying a weight on the end of the bean as it grows to stretch it?

As you can tell, I haven't the foggiest but you have to keep it straight to make the most of every inch!!

you may be mental VC, but I think you are right about straight beans - I daresay some growers use plastic tubes to keep the fruit growing with no bend.

[veggiechicken]

I'm sure i was told that the night before the show, the beans have special treatment to straighten them, Damp newspaper maybe?

[bikermike]

for a "bean race" surely you'd want runner beans

Vaguely more seriously, it seems a bit late to do more than have a go this year.

Beans can be very hungry, and climbers need support (presumably more so with big ones) so it might be worth working out where to do next years and how to put enough stuff on/in the soil to help them.

Also (like every good competitor), I'd want to know what the rules are? When you say a "bean race" is there a timescale involved? is it size of bean, size of pod, height of plant? etc

[bobbin]

Well.. it's nowt too serious this " bean race" . Just 5 beans laid end to end. Longest line wins. However my lottie neighbour always wins. He did make a disparaging remark about one of my bendy beans last year as well. I really need to beat him. He's just planted his beans. Shows in September. Thank you for all your posts. The growing conditions advice was helpful.I do need bean varieties too though. As for weighting the beans. Hmmmm. You're a mad lot.

[mrbadexample]

I'd suggest Long As Your Arm if you can find any, & grow in tubes to keep them straight as Nick suggested. Good luck.

[Jay-ell]

How about tying a weight on the end of the bean as it grows to stretch it?

As you can tell, I haven't the foggiest but you have to keep it straight to make the most of every inch!!

Yep, show growers do this.

They also grow them in between 2 boards to keep them straight.

I'm also pretty sure they squark by night whilst flapping wings made out of cornflake boxes with feathers glued on pretending to be parrots.

OK, that last one might be a bit iffy.

Longest bean tend to be runner - could try out a variety like Enorma and sow them two weeks ago.

Of course if it's just "bean" then next year you could grow some yard long beans undercover.

[Bumblingbroccoli]

What about yard long beans?

[Jay-ell]

What about yard long beans?

My experience would be that they need a long season and should have been well away by now. Mind you by my experience they don't live up to their name - neither yard long or infact Bean as I've never gotten any.