Kitchen Garden Forum

This is not good, I hate being all-over the place but I need help.

I struggled with french beans until last year, planting too early, wind, my dog eating the beans and far to curly.

I solved most of those problems and I would rather my dog still be alive to share my beans but they are always curly, why is that ?

I like to put even French beans through a bean slicer, last years crop was good but I couldn't put them through the slicer because they were curly and that has been the case with previous bush beans. Last years were climbing French called ?

I'll remember later.

I have noticed that my Cobra get curlier as it gets later in the season. I wondered if it were cold weather that caused it ?

Ive grown cobra for the last 3 years and find they get curlier later in the season but still just as nice

Frenchies like a warm soil if you sow direct into soil, which you've found out, and can be a good one to late sow as they seem to produce right into October in a favourable autumn.

I don't have a problem with beans curling. I grew Slenderette last year as a dwarf and some of the heritage varieties as climbers. I know you manure your beds heavily Richard, could the curling be an excess of nitrogen?

Anyone else got thoughts on this?

MW

That particular bed, whilst probably quite rich hasn't had any addition since last the previous season though because I also have lots of comfrey I water comfrey into everything.

My comfrey is soaked until it rots, could this be overuse of comfrey ?

So many things we can get wrong, eh ?

When I asked one of the vegetable plot gardeners at RHS Wisley the question 'Why do my beans curl' his answer was short and sweet,

irregular uneven watering.

Oh, I rarely water my garden unless it obviously needs it. With the exception of feeding with comfrey I just feel it for moisture. Maybe it's time I started using my thingy and poke it in the ground more often.

I though I had reached that Nirvana where my soil retains moisture yet drains well so it rarely looks dry not counting for very hot summer days.

Last years beans went in around end of August, or was it July. I must keep a diary or stop drinking the good-oils. I d remember picking beans in November even but many were brown and extra curly.

During my first two years a massive problem was over-watering and not just the pots.

i like green beans very much