Runner beans

[ardcarp]

We usually get a very healthy crop, but this years the plants have struggled and look sickly. Anyone else had this problem? It's been a strange season.

[gurnemanz]

Same here with a most disappointing crop. We usually have more than we can eat. Plants look healthy with loads of flowers but pods have not been setting. Slight improvement lately.

[oddoneout]

Oddly enough my runners have done well from the off this year - usually they struggle in the early stages because of problems with consistent moisture (or lack of) and cold winds. However it has to be said that despite the length of time they've been grown in this country their tropical origins do show up when conditions are less than perfect to a greater extent than say French beans, and that can include poor pod set or pods failing to develop.
A traditional remedy for poor pod set is daily spraying with water. I don't know whether it does any good, but a weekly foliar seaweed spray ( I use a greater dilution than on the bottle and do it more frequently as that seems to work better) can be a useful tonic for all sorts of plants. Runner beans are also very dependent on good pollination, although there are some modern sorts which have been bred to cope better, so if bees aren't around or have been robbing nectar by making a hole at the back of the flowers that doesn't help. One year I found that an infestation of weevils of some kind had been making the holes( I had been blaming the bees until I happened to see the real culprits in action one day) which bees then made use of so that year was a write-off until the dratted critturs moved on/died.
At least with runners they carry on cropping until late in the season so things may come good for you as we move into autumn ardcarp.

[AuntDaisy]

Yes, they do seem to have been slow to get going this year - but we've had some beans.
For a bit of colour variety, I've tried Moonlight (white), Sunset (pink), Painted Lady (red+white) & Scarlet Emperor (red) this year. Moonlight's usually the most reliable for us, here on the English/Welsh border.

Thanks for the foliar seaweed spray tip, oddoneout.

[oddoneout]

Yes, they do seem to have been slow to get going this year - but we've had some beans.
For a bit of colour variety, I've tried Moonlight (white), Sunset (pink), Painted Lady (red+white) & Scarlet Emperor (red) this year. Moonlight's usually the most reliable for us, here on the English/Welsh border.

Thanks for the foliar seaweed spray tip, oddoneout.

I would expect Moonlight to do well for you as it was bred not just to be at least partially self-pollinating but also more tolerant of poor weather - cool and wet,( also high temperatures but that's less likely to apply to you I would think...), due I believe to the addition of French bean influence. Painted Lady does demonstrate why runners were grown for decoration, but it can become rather too fibrous sooner than many modern varieties. I like the flavour of runners but the rough skin on bigger pods can irritate my mouth and I would rather not have the faff of stringing them either so I pick them at French bean size when the skin is smoother and there's no strings - attached or otherwise...

[gradus]

I would expect Moonlight to do well for you as it was bred not just to be at least partially self-pollinating but also more tolerant of poor weather - cool and wet,( also high temperatures but that's less likely to apply to you I would think...), due I believe to the addition of French bean influence. Painted Lady does demonstrate why runners were grown for decoration, but it can become rather too fibrous sooner than many modern varieties. I like the flavour of runners but the rough skin on bigger pods can irritate my mouth and I would rather not have the faff of stringing them either so I pick them at French bean size when the skin is smoother and there's no strings - attached or otherwise...

Around here ( S. Suffolk) runners have generally done well with good setting and reasonable crops, the combination of heavy rains and heat seems to have suited them.
Unless you are wedded to runners I would try Cobra or Hunter, round and flat respectively, climbing french beans, less stringiness, heavy cropping and good flavour.

[AuntDaisy]

Thanks oddoneout & gradus for the tips.

It's the first year I've grown Painted Lady, and because we've not had a glut they've mainly been smaller - I'll keep an eye on them.
Chiltern Seeds have Cobra, so I'm tempted.

[Serial_Apologist]

With growing runners the trick is to always keep watered from top to bottom in dry conditions, and to pick before the pods start bulging, at which point stringiness becomes problematic. My granddad would insist on pods growing until fit to burst; meals would be marked by silence as everybody struggled with mouthfuls of unbreakable fibrous yarn which would of course get stuck between teeth, a forerunner (no pun intended) of dental floss, I suppose.

[oddoneout]

With growing runners the trick is to always keep watered from top to bottom in dry conditions, and to pick before the pods start bulging, at which point stringiness becomes problematic. My granddad would insist on pods growing until fit to burst; meals would be marked by silence as everybody struggled with mouthfuls of unbreakable fibrous yarn which would of course get stuck between teeth, a forerunner (no pun intended) of dental floss, I suppose.

My maternal grandfather was of the bigger is better school and one of the many chores visiting grandchildren were expected to complete was putting them through the destringer before Granny hacked them into chunks. Paternal grandpa liked them but granny wasn't overly keen and certainly didn't want to be bothered destringing them or trying to eat fibrous lumps so that was where I first came across the idea of picking them smaller while they were still tender, as that was the compromise they reached. It wasn't until I was able to grow my own that I got to enjoy them again.

[AuntDaisy]

I've tried them as an arch this year - last year's tepee involved some wobbly ladder work picked the later ones.

Enjoyed both of those reminiscences - thanks. I wonder if anyone's grandparent grew these giants runners?

https://www.realseeds.co.uk/runnerbeans.html

Rhondda Black
We are very pleased to be able to offer this old heirloom, probably an exhibition variety, from South Wales. It has been a 4 year project by Kate to bulk this up from a handful of seeds. Beautiful black seeds on very large plants, it was originally given to Adam Alexander by a gentleman in the audience when he gave a talk in the Rhondda valley.

[oddoneout]

I've tried them as an arch this year - last year's tepee involved some wobbly ladder work picked the later ones.

Enjoyed both of those reminiscences - thanks. I wonder if anyone's grandparent grew these giants runners?

https://www.realseeds.co.uk/runnerbeans.html

I prune the tops of my bean plants before they get out of reach - added advantage of producing more stems to produce more beans. Also I grow them on a single row of braced uprights with 2 rows of horizontals woven through, all the crossing points tied in with string. I get more use out of a limited space as I can grow lower crops at the foot along the row, the plants have space right to the top instead of getting tangled at the top of a teepee, and the beans are easy to see and pick from either side instead of getting hidden in the middle of the classic double row angled to join at the top arrangement.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Good thread, this. I’ve read a bit about foliar feeding, and would have used it if I had experienced the problems described here.

(I say “would have” – I had to give up my hard won allotment in April so I’m an “armchair gardener” (if that is a valid expression) at the moment)).

Also, I'm glad "Real Seeds" have got a mention here. Although, they were so overloaded with orders during the pandemic they have as much trade as they can deal with I understand. And just one aspect of the raw deal dished out by the Johnson Brexit - with characteristic "epic complacency" - its not, from a practical position, possible for them as a small business in seed selling, to supply customers in Northern Ireland.....

[AuntDaisy]

I prune the tops of my bean plants before they get out of reach - added advantage of producing more stems to produce more beans. Also I grow them on a single row of braced uprights with 2 rows of horizontals woven through, all the crossing points tied in with string. I get more use out of a limited space as I can grow lower crops at the foot along the row, the plants have space right to the top instead of getting tangled at the top of a teepee, and the beans are easy to see and pick from either side instead of getting hidden in the middle of the classic double row angled to join at the top arrangement.

Thanks for the teepee tip oddoneout - think I made it too tall, still learning.

Good thread, this. I’ve read a bit about foliar feeding, and would have used it if I had experienced the problems described here.

(I say “would have” – I had to give up my hard won allotment in April so I’m an “armchair gardener” (if that is a valid expression) at the moment)).

Also, I'm glad "Real Seeds" have got a mention here. Although, they were so overloaded with orders during the pandemic they have as much trade as they can deal with I understand. And just one aspect of the raw deal dished out by the Johnson Brexit - with characteristic "epic complacency" - its not, from a practical position, possible for them as a small business in seed selling, to supply customers in Northern Ireland.....

Real Seeds are excellent, I'm keen to try unusual / heritage varieties - Millefleur tomatoes (amongst others) this year & they do have "thousands" of flowers on a truss.
Real Seeds were on "On Your Farm" two weeks ago & "Farming Today" just before that - both still on iPlayer. They also talked about the ongoing & future seed supply problems caused by Brexit / Boris (has he ever got his hands dirty?)

[gradus]

Crossing the canes/sticks low down helps avoid the tangle at the top and allows the beans to hang free making picking easier.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Real Seeds are excellent, I'm keen to try unusual / heritage varieties - Millefleur tomatoes (amongst others) this year & they do have "thousands" of flowers on a truss.
Real Seeds were on "On Your Farm" two weeks ago & "Farming Today" just before that - both still on iPlayer. They also talked about the ongoing & future seed supply problems caused by Brexit / Boris (has he ever got his hands dirty?)

Thanks for the tip off about the programmes. Duly into my downloads to listen to.

As to Boris.......don't tempt me!
CS