Kitchen Garden Forum

Just been reading Delia's Kitchen garden book,she says you can plant runner beans and sweet peas up the same sticks together, has any one else tried this. I have always keep them separate.

I have heard this one before. Apparently the sweet pea flowers attract visiting insects that will hopefully due the business in the runner bean flowers as well. I haven't tried though but it seems like a good idea.

John

Hello Cocknycarrot, they do look quite nice at the beginning of the season, but they tend to get swamped by the runner beans as the season goes on unless you leave them a fair bit of room.
If you want them for cutting it is better to grow them by themselves.

I grew them together this year but I doubt I'll do it again. As has been said, the sweet peas do get swamped and then when they go to seed it's not always easy to tell if you're dead heading a pea pod or accidentally removing a bean. As a result they just looked a mess this year.

If you want to enhance the floral effect of runner beans then grow Painted Lady.
Similarly in peas try Purple Podded, Thomas Etty had it last time I looked.
Allan

I grew them together with great success this year and plan to do so agin next year.

I grow them in parallel rows - insects and cut flowers. GQT mentioned growing them together today. I've never had the pollination problems people complain about. It might be my traditional cultivation with a deep trench of organic matter, the near by Broad Beans and Sweet Peas or my moist cool climate.

Thank you all for your answers and advice, I have decided not to take Delia's ideas on, but she has helped me many years with her cookery books.

Hi Cockneycarrot,
I trialed Geoff's method of growing in parallel rows and it worked very well. Masses of Insect and Bee's
around. We both live above 500ft and do have cooler moist conditions. I feel that growing up the same pole is somehow foreign to me and not a wise move.
JB.