Perennial Runner Beans

[Bigmallly]

Anyone fancy joining me in growing some Perennial Runner Beans?...............The pic below shows a Runner on it's 3rd year so I've sown a dozen or so & will put them in the tunnel in the next few days:

[Llevrah]

I just had to Google what a perennial runner was I had no clue they could be cut covered or lifted and reused! Thought they were annuals and that was it.
I have a few blauhilde and purple king beans on with the runners, you think these would do the same if treated the same?
Hopefully I'll have an answer in the next few weeks if I can do this, this year.
I'm waiting to find out about an overgrown plot I'm first on the list for it but atm the rent is paid fir it and the person has been ill so hasn't been down but many are complaining about it. So as Moore gas been seen on it this year they are trying to get hold of the plot holder to see if they are going to.come back. If not then it's mine and all the veg will be moving to there as it's an extra 50 sqm to what I have now and the fruit will stay on my current plot.
If I find out very soon I'll get some planted to put on the new plot and try it with those

[veggiechicken]

I'll join you as I have a 3rd year bean too.
I'll dig a few up and put them in pots to overwinter in the GH in the hope of a head start next year

Good luck with the plot llevrah

[Bren In Pots]

I've got a few 3rd year beans I like how they throw up multi stems instead of the single ones.

[muddled]

Oh yes! I'll play!

I'm all about overwintering this year

Do you find increased yield with overwintered beans then? Or earlier cropping? What are the benefits?

[Jay22]

Haven't grown any this year...first time for a while...so I won't have any to overwinter. I did try this two seasons ago but it didn't work! Good luck to those giving it a bash this year.

[Bigmallly]

I've got a few 3rd year beans I like how they throw up multi stems instead of the single ones.

I'd never noticed................

[vixylix]

I can't even get seeds to germinate this year... never mind keep the plants going for 3 years!!

[Bigmallly]

Although the plant in the pic is a Runner, the plants I am going to try to overwinter are CFB Hunter. I sowed 32 & got 100% germination.

[Bren In Pots]

Heres a picture from the other year this one had 5 stems.

[hamamelis]

I appear to have an accidental overwintered one outside; forgot to dig it up, and it started popping out shoots a few weeks back!

Annoyingly the slugs have scoffed most, and I've had to try move it into a better spot as it was in the middle of my winter brassica patch, but I'm curious to see if it can recover.

We did have a mild winter...

[Jay-ell]

So do you grow them in pots, dig up the plant and transplant into pots or just use a thick mulch to insulate the plants in situ?


I have thought about doing this but want to do my own landrace seed.

I also want to try out the dwarf runner Pickwick next year and alternate years between that and Scarlet Emperor.

Would overwintering Climbing and dwarf French beans work - has anybody tried it? I know that they're more tender than runners.

[Bigmallly]

It's Climbing French Beans I am trying Jay-ell. They will be grown in a Polytunnel & cut down to ground level when they finish, hopefully they will regrow next Spring................that's the theory anyway......whether they will overwinter outdoors, I don't know.

[Jay-ell]

I doubt that they'll overwinter outside up here - I usually just leave the roots in the ground to rot down and they've not grown back - although with thick mulch, stray and cloches with a mild winter they MiIGHT just be able to make it.

If I was to overwinter I'd dig the roots up and pop them into a pot in the gh wrapped with fleece or something to protect them from cold.

I might plant a couple of dwarf french beans in pots to give it a go, or a teepee in a pot for climbing french (is it too late to sow these now?)

Are broad beans perennial? Suppose it's not too late to sow a few in pots (Suttons Dwarf) and give it a go.

Of course the problem is going to be that with the bananas, pomegranate, overwintering chillies, green house winter veg, etc the green house if going to be jam packed full.

[Penellype]

Its the storage aspect that puts me off too. I only have a garage and in the spring its full to bursting with buckets of potatoes.