runner bean frame question

[mrs baggins]

was going to set up my runner bean canes yesterday at the allotment but have a couple of questions. Firstly what size canes should I be using? 8 foot?secondly the chap next plot said to put them a foot apart in a double row with one on top to stabilise it but I thought runners were planted closer together than this? can anyone advise please on how close i should be putting my canes?

[Two_Sheds]

How tall depends on how tall you are, for picking them. I use 8 foot canes and stand on a box for picking. You pinch out the growing shoot when the bean reaches the top of the cane. Here's a similar thread from last week:http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ion_17163.html

[Mikey]

I've had a thought today about a different way of setting up my runner beans, I built a raised bed for them yesterday, and as I intend for it to be their permanent home for the foreseeable future, I was thinking about a different way of building a frame for them. I have some leftover plasterboarding props from when I was renovating our home, 4" x 2" like t sections with bracing timbers. My idea was to put one of these at either end, of the bed a couple of feet into the ground, and string wires joining the four top corners. Then create a v shape with the bean canes out from the centre, and joining these with a further brace across the top. (I hope your following this)

My thought is this, that when your beans reach the top of the canes in an average a frame, and get pinched out they then put all their effort into flowering, the later into the season you get it gets harder to reach the top of the canes which are still cropping. If you train the plant to run horizontally across the bracing cane, then the runners would hang down into the open centre making it much easier to collect your beans inside, and because the beans lean outward then they would be more visible outside aswell.

This maybe a daft solution to the problem of reaching into the centre of an a frame, and there maybe some good reason for following this shape that I am unaware of, but I'll give it a go this year and see how it works in practise.(I'll also see if I can attach a sketch aswell.)

Runner Bean Idea

[Matt.]

I've built the standard A frame with crossbar art the top. However a chap on our site was laughing at the effort I'd put in. He showed me what he intended which is to run his beans horizontally using the chicken wire fence as support. He has a raised bed along the boundary then two depths of wire ~ 5' high and will force the runners sideways. His claimed advantages are that one he doesn't have to reach and two it makes a living fence stopping weeds and seeds blowing through from adjacent uncultvated plot. When finished just burn off the dead plant. I think its a good idea and I'm interested to see how well it works. Still like my impressive erection though

[Mikey]

I was reading your comments matt, and until you got to the burn it off my thoughts were what a pain to get rid of. Sounds promising though, its basically an espalier runner bean, cool.

[Matt.]

Yes I tend to agree. I think it will be a lot of work training beans to grow sideways when natutrally it wants to go up. His claim is that he hasn't had to buy canes or bother creating wigwams etc. I still like the effect of a wall of beans and with all the flowers it looks nice. That is worth the effort in my opinion.

[Mikey]

I know where your coming from Matt, the beans are one of the few really tall elements in the plot, and I kind of like that it looks so healthy and strong, makes you feel proud of your efforts.