Stupid French Beans

[Solitaire]

My French Beans don't seem to understand that they are meant to climb up the frame I have built to support them.

Should I tie them up or leave alone ?

[Nicos]

Nature at it's most amusing eh????

Yup- you'll need to run some horizontalish string sort of wrapped around the frame. I don't tie in each one individually - just sort of intertwine them around the canes with the string acting as a side support.

[bluemoon]

I'd just encourage them a bit, loosely wrap them around the cane and they usually get the idea and do it properly for themselves.

[Nicos]

An afterthought.....
Are they climbing French beans???? If not they don't actually need staking. ( although I'm aware some peeps like to give them a bit of support- I plant mine close together to support each other.)

[Incy]

Beans will only grab in one direction. I think it's anticlockwise, so if you are trying to encourage them to twist round a cane and they keep undoing themselves try the other direction. Again, that is if they are climbing and not dwarf beans

[StephenH]

Anticlockwise viewed from above or from below?

[Nicos]

I'm sure I've read a similar discussion a few years ago- and the conclusion seemed to be that certain types of beans will rotate one way..and always will, even in the southern hemisphere, and others wind the other way- always.
Something to do with the genetics of the beans.

I'd be interesting if peeps say what they are growing, and which direction- so we can test out that theory.

I can't say as yet as mine are only at the 2nd true leaf stage!!!

[SarzWix]

So far as I know french and runners both go anti-clockwise. And that's viwed from the front of the cane, seeing as I'm a short-*rse and couldn't possibly look down from above the cane

[Nicos]

Looking from the side // is anticlockwise (if you're looking from above) if that helps!!!

[Incy]

mine are going anticlockwise viewed from the side. I'm growing them up a rose arch.

[Solitaire]

Mine are going in different directions

[Nicos]

What varieties are you both growing????

[Incy]

will have to check the seed packets as I can't remember

[womble]

I often have this problem, it's worse if it's a bit windy and the stems can't work out where to go while being moved around all the time.
I use a bit of string and tie up the first bit, when it's anchored they usually go straight up.
Anticlockwise I think

[ChrisG]

Surely it doesn't matter from direction or angle you view it, anticlockwise is still anticlockwise?