Runner beans for a beginner

[Snoop Puss]

I can't grow borlotti either. Way too windy, so they really struggle. And I've given up trying to grow any kind of bean for drying. The local shops sell locally grown dried beans that are really good and it's more trouble than it's worth, watering my own for the pitiful crop I get. I'd rather put the effort into something else. Runner beans might not do well here, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Night time temps are around 18-20 ºC for much July and August, though on occasions it can get quite a bit warmer than that. Daytime temps are horrendous. We have cold nights up till early June and from mid September onwards (cold snaps that kill off tom plants mid to late September). So that doesn't leave me much of a cooler season.

Anyway, I'm clearing a space under the shade of an olive tree. Not your average spot for runner beans and they and the tree might compete for water. But, the tree will provide some shade and a bit of a wind break. So, I'll be digging a trench for kitchen waste and the like and will water very well when/if they get going. Thanks for the advice. Am really looking forward to trying them.

[sparrow100]

Hope you update this - I'm really interested to see how they do. FIL has the same issues in Italy and would love to have runners. He has an olive grove and a massive shady fig tree.

[Snoop Puss]

Will do, but he might have better luck than me!

[Zelenina]

Have you tried growing dwarf Borlottis, Snoop? Or any other kind of dwarf French beans?
It seems they are grown much more in Spain than climbing beans. You might find some useful info in this article about them. Bush Beans growing in Spain also called snap beans » Spain Info

On the same page is a link to a video about a veggie garden in the Spanish desert. The woman in it says runner beans and climbing French beans don't grow well there, but dwarf Frenchies do much better. Here's the direct link. https://youtu.be/iyI4ZGDY_Y4

[Zelenina]

Here are two articles about the kinds of legumes grown in Spain. The first one is about broad beans
Spanish beans (broad): description, production, tasting notes... | Foods from Spain

And this one is about chick peas, lentils and beans. It includes the names of bean varieties from different parts of Spain. Have you tried sowing some of the dried ones that are sold locally? They would probably be well adapted to local conditions.
Spanish Legumes & Beans: varieties, production, export companies, production areas, protected designations of origin, legumes and beans from Spain | Foods from Spain

[Snoop Puss]

Should have updated this earlier: I had no luck with runner beans at all.

Am currently trying climbing French beans in the same spot (near an olive tree). The ones closest to the tree are doing by far the best. The others are more exposed and are struggling in the hot, windy conditions. I'm trying several varieties (bought Algarve from MoreVeg, was given others in a mixed packet as a free gift), but it's not a fair trial as the Algarve are doing very well, but shadier.

Probably not the place to ask this but to save starting another thread for what is really a very basic question, as I've never succeeded in growing climbing beans to this stage before: should I be pinching the plants out to make them bushier? As far as I can tell, flowers are developing at the leaf nodes, but some plants seem to have opted for another vine instead.

[roitelet]

I can’t grow runners here either SP. They do grow and I get a few beans then it gets too hot and dry and they keel over. However I have more success with Borlotti which taste rather like Rinners if you eat them green.

Pinching the top out of the plants will encourage side shoots. I do it in the tunnel just before they reach the top.

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks, roitelet. I'm a bit amazed I've managed to get these to grow so well.