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How tall should runner bean supports be? I've been told to buy 8 ft canes, as 6ft ones won't be enough. Unfortunately, the seeds we have no label on them, as we were given them and have never grown them before to know what their height could be.
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Just think of Jack and the Beanstalk........8ft canes well rammed into the ground ,(cos if the wind catches it when it's laden with runners, you're in trouble) then you have the cross over bit at the top to rest the horizontal pole in . Pinch out the tops of your runners just before they reach the top to encourage them to send out sideshoots, and to stop them from growing even more.......Last edited by binley100; 01-04-2011, 10:28 PM.S*d the housework I have a lottie to dig
a batch of jam is always an act of creation ..Christine Ferber
You can't beat a bit of garden porn -
Binley, much appreciated, sounds good to me.. I fancy doing a row of canes in pairs meeting, with a horizontal cane across the top, but OH fancies a wigwam. Is one method better than another?Comment
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It depends how many beans you want to grow......S*d the housework I have a lottie to dig
a batch of jam is always an act of creation ..Christine Ferber
You can't beat a bit of garden pornComment
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Two years ago I grew my runners in a row as described by Binley and yourself, and had a fab crop. Last year I grew them up wigwams, as I thought they looked prettier (silly really, only the hens and the sheep see them most of the time!) and whether it was just conditions or something else, but the crop wasn't nearly as good. It's back to rows for me this year, as I do love me Runners...Originally posted by jojo2910 View PostLife is brief and very fragile, do that which makes you happy.Comment
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Absolutely 8ft canes - Wilkos have them at £1.50 for a bunch of 5 or 6. In pairs crossed with one over the top.Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better...Albert Einstein
Blog - @Twotheridge: For The Record - Sowing and Growing with a Virgin Veg Grower: Spring Has Now Sprung...Boing! http://vvgsowingandgrowing2012.blogs....html?spref=twComment
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I love my arch for mi runner beans. I weave them in and out of the arch, there easy to nip off and the beans hang down just right.Comment
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There is little point in growing the beans so high that you have difficulty reaching the crop. So it depends how tall you are.Comment
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Lovely picture, how many plants did you go up it? We have a rose arch that I want to use as well. Also is it one plant per cane or can you squeeze in 2.Originally posted by ginger ninger View PostComment
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There is the height factor to consider as well. Many thanks for all the help so far.Originally posted by rana View PostComment
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8' canes for me in a wigwam. The bean harvest wasn't as good for some folks on here last year, including me. I've just been filling a trench with some of my own compost ready to erect the poles. Good luck.Granny on the Game in SheffieldComment
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Get a stool to stand on?
All the best - Glutton 4 Punishment
Freelance shrub butcher and weed removal operative.Comment
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8' canes at an angle and pushed into the ground will be about 6' so "low" enough to pick from.
Wigwam and conventional A-frame cause the beans to dangle "inside" which makes they harder to pick (you don't spot them all, and some grow enormous as a consequence ...)
X-Frame (like the A-Frame, only crossing over 1/3rd up from the ground) means the beans dangle outwards, so easier to spot - but more tricky to make the tops secure - to avoid the whole lot coming down in a gale.
I do X-FrameK's Garden blog the story of the creation of our gardenComment
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I was all set to do wigwams this year, as that's what I did last year, but hmmmm ... I'm now thinking I'll try the row way of doing it now! Thank you for the ideas
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This is how i do mine, advantages are better light, air movement,when the beans reach the top they are growing away from each other so dont end in a big mass
disadvantages are a bit harder to build
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