Enorma and Firestorm Runner Beans

[Ricard with an H]

Have a hug.

I'm an anorack who wanders aimlessly amongst my growing things and things that have yet to grow, I poke and I prod at things in the ground, aimlessly it appears.

[robo]

Ive got to confess my wife and myself have never been a lover of runner beans, french beans yes we will eat as many as we can get, this year I found one that was advertised as stringless regardless what size you grow them too, they have been a great success I did not grow a lot for the reason stated and whats worse I could not remember the name
of them untill I just found the list I made of my seeds earlier in the year, lady di highly recommend them we have been eating them for 2 months today they are laden with red flowers they are still producing but I am letting some grow big for seeds next year

[Ricard with an H]

I took my first picking of the French climbing bean I sowed at the end of July and planted early August though I can't find the thread where I posted photos of the small plants to get an exact date.

I suppose it's all down to this very warm summer that I managed a late crop that looks as if it may get massive. I don't really know what "Massive" is, I just feel very happy and ebullient with my fist-full of lovely beans and millions (Slight-exadgeration) of bean-lets basking in the sunshine.

Shall I put it down to comfrey-juice or the weather ? Maybe a combination ?

[oldherbaceous]

Evening Richard, the weather certainly couldn't have been better for these late sown crops, but i'm sure all your efforts have gone a long way to make the crop even better.

My last lot of runner beans are carrying a huge crop of first quality beans as well.

[Ricard with an H]

It was mostly wind I was concerned about, around autumn-equinox most years we get a lot of wind and wind damage on a large-leafy plant would dessicate the leaves very quickly.

Because we didn't get high autumn winds yet I haven't been able to test the efficacy of the vertical-enviromesh though doubtless it would have some positive effect.

The sea buckthorne hedge on the south-side hasn't done well compared to the hedge on the north-side, which is odd. Because only part of the south-side hedge is lightly sun-screened by three young sycamore. I'm wondering if it was the wildflower growth I allowed alongside the hedge that stunted it's growth though it did get a battering in the new-years winds and may not have recovered. Oxeye daisy can get quite large when growing alongside the cow-poo mulch I put down for the hedge plants.

The hedge was planted so I could grow beans and other tall crops that get smashed by the fresh salt-laden south and south-west winds coming off the sea.

So, my very first crop of climbing beans. presumably if I quickly pick the lower beans my dog Molly won't be tugging the plants for a snack and she does love crunchy beans. The enviromesh kept her away from the carrot crop though she regularly navigates around that particular bed sniffing the air coming from the tasty morsels.

Spaniels Eh, she can smell a carrot being lifted or beans being picked from 50 yards.