Dwarf runner beans "Hestia"

[rodofgod76]

The Mrs sowed a few Hestia runner beans the other week and they currently about 10" tall. One of them though has a secondary shoot coming out of the compost which is about 4" tall now and I've noticed this morning there's the start of a third appearing, all coming from the one bean. Are these suckers, and should they be removed? There's none on the others.

They're currently in seed compost, should I be repotting them, or wait a few weeks and plant them out in planters?

[tootles]

I've not grown dwarf beans before - this is my first year. But, I'm not expecting just one tall shoot to produce all my beans!!
I reckon they will produce lots more........

[deezyb]

I'm growing Hestia for the first time this year....but good to know we can expect one or more shoots rodofgod! I wouldn't know what to expect either!

[selfraising]

I'm growing flamenco which is a cross between Hestia and another one (I can't remember), got quite a good crop from them last year. I planted 3 plants together in a 14 inch container.

[bluemoon]

My Dad grew Hestia last year and they grew bushy rather than the one long stem you'd normally expect from a bog-standard runner bean. He only has a tiny garden and had never grown anything edible before, but yesterday he arrived to deliver Easter eggs and has made off with three tomato plants and half a dozen of my chitted potatoes. He says he got a decent crop of beans and the flavour was lovely when compared to supermarket ones. I think he might have the beginnings of the bug and his local lotties are next door to the golf course so he could probably put up a tent in the car-park and live happily ever after.

[Alice]

I've grown Hestia Rodofgod. They make bushy plants and do very pretty flowers. I don't remember noticing multiple shoots coming from the beans - but then I wasn't looking. I definitely wouldn't remove them.
Remember they're not frost hardy. I don't plant mine til the beginning of May.

[amandaandherveg]

I was very naughty and planted the ones Alice kindly sent me. They are around 6 inches tall at the moment and were moved into the greenhouse today form the windowsill. Only one stem on each at present.

[divvy]

I am trying these for the first time . I'm growing mine in hanging baskets as I don't have much garden space . I only have one stem from each at the moment but will watch them . They are in the greenhouse at the moment , unheated , and are about 3 inches high .

[gojiberry]

I have some old seed but haven't sown any yet, I have nomad and ferrari on the go at the moment. Have never had what I would call real success with dwarf beans. Probably because I don't look after them.

Ian

[Catrina]

I grew Hestia dwarf runner beans last year for the first time and they were very successful. Especially as they got moved around in the plot twice and ended up in black tubs that the florists use to hold their flowers in. (I ran out of room in my allotment so they got moved). I had 6 plants and had loads of beans from those six plants, enough to keep my OH and I and my mother in law happy. They kept going till the first frosts as well. I will be doing them again this year.

[rodofgod76]

I sowed a couple a few weeks prior to the wife sowing some, and the ones she sowed are way way bigger, so much so I'm beginning to wonder if they are indeed Hestia beans, even though they're out of the same packet.



The one in the 3" pot is one of the ones I sowed. Any ideas?

[shirlthegirl43]

Hmm, have they all been raised in the same conditions?

[rodofgod76]

Hmm, have they all been raised in the same conditions?

Not entirely. The smaller one's were placed at my parents house initially. On a south facing windowsill. The larger ones were placed on a windowsill in our house, facing west, though it does get sunshine from midday till sunset.

I think what I was after finding out was, do Hestia beans grow in the same way as the larger plants in the pic? I read that they're compact and need no support, so do I just leave them to grow as they wish?

[deezyb]

just looked at my beans today...and one of them has another shoot growing out of it! so glad of this thread, so now know it's okay for that to happen...also notice some of my other seeds are slowly coming to life!

[Alice]

Interesting. I don't grow my Hestia like that - 1 bean to a pot.
I wait until May and plant them in a big pot - about 8 -12 beans to the pot and let them grow into a bush.
I get a great flower display from them and loads of beans.