Canes

[Simon Kendrick]

Hi there everyone. This is my first posting on the site and I hope I'll gain valuable experiance / advise.

I acquired an allotment in September 2005 and went about clearing it and making the soil workable. Having spent the winter period doing this, I was at a point of rotavating the land. This was successfully accomplished this last Sunday.

I planted out my potatos yesterday but I also made a frame for my runner beans to grow up. However (an this is where I need some advice) I have put in 6 foot canes but I reckon they might not be big enough??? What do you reckon?

Great site...looking forward to hearing from anyone who can help.

Thanks

[SueA]

Hi Simon,
Depends how tall you want your beans to grow. Most people just pinch out the growing tips of the beans when they've reached the top of the canes/wigwam & about 5 or 6ft is normal, if you've pushed the canes deep into the ground then you'll just miss out on a few inches! Remember that you have to be able to reach the tops to pick the beans & they need picking regularly to keep the crop going.Good luck & welcome to the Grapevine.
P.S. Your message has duplicated if you go into the other one & press edit & delete message it will disappear.

[Simon Kendrick]

Thanks for this Sue (I'll delete the duplicate message). I will be planting peas also up the frame I made......will peas grow OK if I just sow the seed directly into its planting position (i.e. not starting them off in pots at home then transfer into the ground)?

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Simon welcome to the forum. I have deleted your duplicate post so don't worry. The cane sticks that we use are about 8 foot long but quite a bit goes into the ground. Our site is windy so we need to make the structure sturdy. Peas don't need a frame like runner beans. Runner bean plants are heavy but pea plants are very light. Some people use twigs pushed into the ground for the peas to grow on. I use short canes pushed into the ground at intervals and I tie string across and the peas cling to the string. I cannot sow peas directly into the ground because they disappear presumably eaten by mice so I grow both peas and beans in the greenhouse and then plant them out later.

[nick the grief]

Hi Simon,

Welcome to the vine. I use 7ft canes but I'm in a sheltered spot. As for peas I do the same as LJ double posts about 1ft apart & 6ft spacings with Bailing twine around at 6" intervals.

Beans I start in the greenhouse as I can do it late & they'll catch up & peas I do about every month cos I eat most of them before I get home

[Birdie Wife]

Hi Simon,
Welcome from another newcomer. I'm just a seedling myself but growing quick with the good honest advice you'll find here!

In another thread Geordie gives a great tip for growing runner beans on canes. By growing them up a tent-shape or wigwam of canes, beans have a tendencey to hang themselves inside the structure. Instead, push the canes into the ground in a V-shaped manner, wiring the ends together and down to the ground so that the structure's sound and windproof. I'm going to try it this way too.

can't remember the thread, but Geordie's full explantation is out there somewhere.

[andrewo]

You can do two crops of peas and beans, start some out under glass and plant out when all signs of frost are gone. At the same time, make a drill and plant peas and beans directly (make sure you watch out for slugs!). A month later you will have the first crops from your under glass sowings and your soil seeds will give you a later crop (this is staggered planting) and can avoid vast gluts.

[SueA]

You can sow peas directly into the ground (as long as you don't have pest problems like Lesley Jay does!) & you could put pea-netting between your canes for them to scramble up or just push some twiggy sticks (prunings from shrubs, hazel, cornus etc.) in between them. You might need to warm the ground up a bit by covering it with polythene for a week or so unless the weather's warmed up in your area.

[andrewo]

You can grow beans and peas up anything from obelisks, A or V frames or up sunflowers! Even up trellis against a south facing wall. A frames must be secure as they can sag under the weight of the beans, especially runner.

[Simon Kendrick]

Thanks for all your suggestions......Andrewo, what a great idea to grow them up sunflowers....that really is pretty cool, going to definately try that.

Concerning sowing directly into the ground, this is my preferred option as I don't have a greenhouse and my good wife won't let me turn our conservatory into 1 nor allow window sills to be used for such useful purposes!!!!....As this is my first season as an allotment holder, I'm preparing for more failures than successes but with experiance, I will get better.

I will be a regular here to gain more and more knowledge!!!!

[andrewo]

Peas are best to grow first in the ground, you will have to wait for early May to get beans going as they can be temperamental depending on climate.