Enorma and Firestorm Runner Beans

[Colin Miles]

Following on from my earlier post about these 2 - never quite sure where to post it - Firestorm is easily outcropping Enorma, despite being a bit slow to get into its stride. Indeed the later sown Firestorm are caught up with the earlier ones and are probably giving a slightly bigger crop. Which makes me wonder how it would perform in a colder summer.

Also interesting is the way it crops. Enorma goes up and sort of stops at the top, whereas Firestorm continues to crop all the way up all the time.

[Cider Boys]

Well after all my criticism of Streamline in favour of Enorma I am now very pleased now with my Streamline crop. (I did have to have a word first with my cook as she had not been boiling them for long enough.) Now that has been rectified I am once again enjoying my beans.

I wonder if anyone grows Scarlet Emperor anymore?

Barney

[oldherbaceous]

That's good news Baney, and i think Johnboy may still grow Scarlet Emperor!

My Enorma and firestorm plants are doing the exact opposite, Colin, but the moonlight have been exceptionally good.

[Motherwoman]

I've grown Enorma Elite and Butler this year. The EE are out-performing Butler by a long way. I don't have a problem with them 'stopping' at the top, they just flop over and carry on. Butler produces a shorter bean with a tendancy to get a 'suntan' in hot weather, a good flavour though.
A friend on the plots is growing St George which seems to be cropping very well.

It's a problem to define which is best as conditions vary from year to year so I make it a point to grow at least two different ones to hedge my bets.

MW

[Ricard with an H]

This thread is very interesting for me as I intend growing runner beans next year, I just realized the reason I don't like runner beans.

Mostly this bean is on the shelves as big as possible for the benefit of the retailer rather than picked when perfect so I have very little experience of what drives you boys and girls to grow them other than some recent reading. The author in this case would rather compost beans that size than eat them which all of a sudden made sense.

My French climbing beans are now nearly two foot high at the tips of the bits that wind around, I'll produce a couple of photos at a month after I planted them so you can help me decide if they are going to produce anything this year though presumably that will be down to the weather.

[Colin Miles]

MW - yes, Enorma flop over but that can get very untidy and cause problems with picking when they hide overripe beans at the top. I also always grow 2 varieties because as you say, conditions vary enormously from year to year. But am impressed by Firestorm, both from growing point of view - yield and manner of growing - and also the nice straight, slightly fleshy beans. Moonlight I have also grown and it did well for a couple of years then I had problems with it.

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Colin, may i ask what the problem was with the moonlight beans, i can then keep an eye out for it on mine, thank you.

[Motherwoman]

I always end up picking runners by bending at the waist and peering upwards! Easier to spot the 'hiders' that way...

My Enorma are now at a rakish angle. I've hauled them up with mini guy ropes this morning and made a note that I need new bean sticks next year. They don't owe me anything as they must be about 12 years old by now. I just dry them off and tie them in bundles in the shed each autumn. My dad always used to dip the soil end of new bean sticks in a bucket of creosote before storing under his shed. Don't think we can do that any more!

Richard, shop runner beans could put you off for life, don't let them! For me the perfect eating (not showing, which I don't) runner is about 8-9" long and shows no visable bump where the beans are. You can tell the moment you slice into the beans when preparing if one has gone too far.

MW

[Cider Boys]

How right you are regarding the eating and picking of runner beans, young fresh beans are unbeatable, old stringy beany beans are horrible.

Barney

[Colin Miles]

Hi OH, Can't remember exactly the problem with Moonlight - just think that one year they didn't do nowhere near as well as previous years. Firestorm is still storming ahead - have been feeding most of the neighbourhood though the last few days of cool weather has slowed them down so that there are only enough for us two. But we eat a lot of them!

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Colin, just goes to show how different situations can effect the same variety, my Moonlight are out cropping all the other varieties....

But wouldn't it be a boring world if everything turned out the same.

[Ricard with an H]

Richard, shop runner beans could put you off for life, don't let them! For me the perfect eating (not showing, which I don't) runner is about 8-9" long and shows no visable bump where the beans are.

MW

I already moved the goal-posts to facing south rather than facing east for next season and the vertical enviromesh might help keep the wind off and keep them warm. A row of beans puts other planting in the shade when it's in full leaf though Little Gem seeded happy in the shade. My French climbing beans are still looking good and climbing but it is getting cooler so I may have to regard this attempt as a practice run unless we get a warm spell with a shift in the wind.

[Elaine]

I was always amazed by the amount of folks (my husband included) who said they didn't like Runner beans, until I realized they were eating the horrors you get in the supermarket. I have given them some of my beans (Enorma) and they loved them...Ken happily eats them now. I pick mine exactly as MW describes and steam them, (as I do all vegetables) any pods which have the bean bumps showing go in the compost.

[Ricard with an H]

This thread has reminded me that I did enjoy runner beans, and I like to put them through a bean slicer. Those huge things they sell won't go into a bean slicer and some have been given wouldn't.

Something else, since I moved the goal posts I realised I'm still making silly mistakes. The new position is as perfect as is possible, the sea-buckthorn on the north side because they don't get shade from trees as big-and-bushy so they protect from north winds, then the enviromesh protects from south wind with trees and bushes protecting from the west. Even an east wind can be accommodated by wrapping the enviromesh around the ends.

I haven't paid enough attention to shelter even though I have worked hard at it, now that I upgraded the brassica patch (Ex cabbage patch, i've gone off cabbages) along with the carrot patch there is hope.

And I just realised I have flowers on my bean plants, I got so excited I started phoning friends. White flowers I think ? Why don't people understand my excitement ?

[Elaine]

Richard, they almost certainly haven't ever tried/failed/finally succeeded to grow something, so they wouldn't understand your delight one little bit.

Their loss!