What not to put in a runner bean trench ??

[Madasafish]

Nothing dead survives round us. The foxes dig it up and eat it.

[Paulottie]

Nothing dead survives round us.

:...dead things don't 'survive' anywhere.

[Tracey]

Pompeylottie....I looked up companion planting in Bob Flowerdew's bible...bad news: says peas and beans do badly with onions...Don't know why (except the shadeing issues..onions hate that)..he also says that beans hate onions khol rabi and sunflowers.

Paul, I found this info.

"Beans and peas use special bacteria in the nodules on their roots to fix nitrogen into the soil. Onions contain an antibacterial action which would also be true of their roots. Where the roots come into contact under the soil, the onions would prevent the legume roots from housing the necessary bacteria effectively, explaining why they cannot produce more lush vegetation. The onions don’t mind the beans but the beans can't cope with the onions."

[kethry]

Paul, I found this info.

"Beans and peas use special bacteria in the nodules on their roots to fix nitrogen into the soil. Onions contain an antibacterial action which would also be true of their roots. Where the roots come into contact under the soil, the onions would prevent the legume roots from housing the necessary bacteria effectively, explaining why they cannot produce more lush vegetation. The onions don’t mind the beans but the beans can't cope with the onions."

Tracey, thankyou. that's extremely useful: i have some peas growing in a long (3m) bed at one end, and garlic at the other, and i was worried i was going to have to move them. as it is, i can grow something between them (there's a half meter space between them where i can grow something else) and now i know it won't be a problem, knowing its the roots that is the problem not something else is useful info.

thankyou!

keth
xx

[Alison]

A lot of the old boys round here grow their beans in the same place every year. Goes against my logic, I have them as part of my rotation as a rule...Can't work it out. Any Ideas?

They might be planting them in the same place but by putting a new trench in every year they are in effect changing the soil - my dad used to keep his in the same place so that he could reuse his sturdy support system without having to move that every year also.

[middlefield]

My runners are in a permanent position as there is a sturdy support system. I take-out all the soil each year and use that nitrogen enriched soil on the brassica beds.

I then fill the bean trenches with 'new' soil, mainly compost, with lots of cardboard and paper to retain moisture.

I've not buried anything though - I've never heard of small mammals being used like that

[Hans Mum]

They might be planting them in the same place but by putting a new trench in every year they are in effect changing the soil - my dad used to keep his in the same place so that he could reuse his sturdy support system without having to move that every year also.

thanks for that, now i know why my dad always grew them in the same place makes sense now

[lainey lou]

who the heck is Max Branning?

latest love rat on 'stenders.

PS Not that I'm a viewer of that sort of trash, please don't tar me wiv that brush!

[JennieAtkinson]

Going back to the trench .............. I've been putting in the trench all my household compost bar tattie peelings, but I've been mixing almost 50/50 veg to shredded cardboard/paper as I thought it was really for drainage purposes really. Is that ok?