French beans

[geacher]

Hi

My french bean plants are growing wonderfully in my polytunnel, most have them have hit the top (about 10ft). Someone has advised me to cut out the tops to help growth also it is a bit of a jungle however most of the flowers are from 4-5 ft and up, right at the top there are loads of flowers.

Shall i cut them or leave them???

Thanks

[alan refail]

Hi Geacher

Same situation here every year. I leave them and let them run horizontally along wires between the crop bars. Others may say cut them off.

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan,
Although my tunnels are commercial (I have 11ft of head room) I am always very careful when using canes in the tunnels for obvious reasons so I arrange a trellis and grow the beans at an angle of around 30 degrees
with 10 ft canes. this generally takes all the growth of French Climbing Beans and they are a doddle to pick. This year I haven't bothered with climbers and have grown only dwarf varieties both in the tunnel and outside.
JB.

[Colin_M]

I arrange a trellis and grow the beans at an angle of around 30 degrees with 10 ft canes. this generally takes all the growth of French Climbing Beans and they are a doddle to pick.

Hi JB, so does this mean that your beans are growing diagonally?

Cunning! Guess this would be a useful approach outside too.

[Johnboy]

Hi Colin,
Exactly that!
JB.

[geacher]

So i decided not to pick out the bean plants, I am a little dissapointed with the yield of beans so far, but you never know it may get better. I have 300 plants and have only picked 5kg beans which are a bit mis-coloured and completely different sizes, plus you have to search high and low to find them. I wish i filled the whole tunnel with cucumbers now because in the other half i have 20 cucumber plants and ive already picked over 600 nice cucumbers.

Thanks for your tips

Ross

[Geoff]

The wind's probably stopping your beans setting!

[geacher]

So i'm thinking about maybe pulling out these beans soon if i can fill one half of my tunnel with a suitable replacement, What could i get in there now? Is it too late for a second crop of cucumbers bearing in mind i live in cornwall?

Thanks

[Nature's Babe]

Suggest swiss chard, ruby chard and fennel, all year round cauliflower, and lettuce if you can get them in quickly and you might get away with more cucumbers if you can get hold of some plants, I just put in 4 more cucumbers but as plantlets, I am in the s east and cue's melons and courgettes have doine really well this year despite the drought, its raining this weekend for the first time for ages. Fennel and chard actually does better as a late crop, less likely to bolt.