Runner bean supports

[ginger ninger]

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.

I had about 18 each side. It sound a lot but I like runner beans .

[Croila]

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

Wow, this looks fantastic! I can see that not having them merge together really makes sense. I'm going to try and rig something up, not quite sure what as I can't get round both sides of my bed (it's against a very tall fence) but I'll take this is an idea and adapt it. Or try anyhow!

You know, I'd love to see a photo taken from this exact vantage point when it's all full of beans

[Pies]

This piccy was taken in July last year so a bit more growth to come but not too much
Best i can do untill about September

[Croila]

Oh how lovely! I can see they'd be pretty easy to pick too. These are great! Thank you for posting ... You've definitely given me something to think about!

[Bren In Pots]

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

Just wondering how far apart are your canes ?

[Suky]

Wow, this looks fantastic! I can see that not having them merge together really makes sense. I'm going to try and rig something up, not quite sure what as I can't get round both sides of my bed (it's against a very tall fence) but I'll take this is an idea and adapt it. Or try anyhow!

You know, I'd love to see a photo taken from this exact vantage point when it's all full of beans

I'm planning something similar this year. I plan to use 7ft canes on the corners joined to cross canes using ball joint thingies (plus, probably, extra upright canes in the middle) and then 8ft canes sloping out as in the picture. Until I got my lottie I had planned to grow in a border and use a support at the front of the bed and the sloping canes from the fence out over the lawn.

[Pies]

They are about 12-14" apart

The french beans in the foreground are staggered about 8" apart

[Bren In Pots]

Thanks, it does look a good system.

[tamsin]

My beans never seem to get as dense as the pics here. I tried two up a cane but the canes are still pretty visible/beans easy to find. Is it the pinching out that makes them thicken up? I haven't been doing that - maybe that's what I'm doing wrong. My canes are in a row straight up with a short post each end and a horizontal cane between to stop them falling over.

[King Carrot]

I use one of these, known from another forum as a "Munty Frame" here in the foreground of the photo. The tall side of the frame must be towards the south as the beans follow the path of the sun as they grow straight up and then wind around the string at an upwards angle. My beans grow 8 -9 ft tall and you can easily reach them as they drop down into the middle bit which I usually plant up with courgettes. I put netting on the back and grow stuff up the back too.

[Two_Sheds]

This is how i do mine

What a brilliant frame, please come and make one for me
I like my wigwams made from four 8 foot canes 18" apart, they are the strongest design I've used (without building a Pies Frame).
I tie them together at about 5' so they form a cross shape, and when the beans reach the tops they are hanging outwards rather than all being inside the wigwam.
To maximise space I tie strings from the top and peg them down in between the canes, so that each wigwam has four canes and four pegged strings, and can grow 8 plants which are each 9" apart

A picture would help, this one shows what I mean: wigwams, 7.09 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Lotsaveg]

One of the most effective ways I've seen was a 6ft x 6ft square area with an 8ft 2x2 post in each corner. Large-hole netting was fixed on three of the sides of the square, with the fourth side left open and facing south-east. Beans were planted in trenches either side of the netting walls.

Then you just need plenty of bees!

[broadway]

Great photos folks

[Bramble_killer]

wow, thank you for the lovely photos and ideas folks

loving it.

[Glutton4...]

For the last two years I have made a tall 'X' at either end with 1" diameter canes (saved from container-grown trees), a top rail tied in across the top of the two 'X'es, and a lower rail both sides, tied in at about 6" off the ground, tied to the 'X'es at either end. I tied several long lengths of bale string to these low horizontals, up and over the top rail, and back down to the bottom rail on the other side. I guess they must have been about a hand's width apart. I planted my Runners under the bottom rails, and threaded them up the strings. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures.

The advantage with this, was that the strings moved in the wind, and prevented the whole structure from becoming too much of a 'sail' in the wind, although, I did anchor each end as well.

The disadvantage was, that a lot of the Beans were in the centre, but they were easier to get at than if they had been grown up canes.

I already had the big canes and the string, that is why I used them.