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pinch out runner beans?

• Message 1. 

  Posted by golarne (U1756280) on Thursday, 25th March 2010

  Advice please- My Year One class are growing runner beans- will it be safe to plant the seedlings out now? Or should we harden them off first? Or should we wait for absolutely no danger of frost? Some are getting quite leggy, are we supposed to pinch out the tips? Thank you!

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  Posted by dirtyrob (U14395261) on Thursday, 25th March 2010

  you have started way to early,i never start sowing my runner beans until April.as for pinching out,wait until your beans have reached the top of your canes(8 feet ones are what you need)this will help the vines grow side shoots, your soil should also highly fertile,if not nip down to the school kitchen for there veg and potato peeling.

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  Posted by richardbees (U3432591) on Thursday, 25th March 2010

  Oh dear! It's MUCH too early to have started Runner Beans in the UK as they're very frost susceptible and can't be planted out 'til May at the earliest - and there's not much you can do to 'stop' them.....(are you sure they're not Broad Beans?)

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• Message 4

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  Posted by jo4eyes (U13654107) on Thursday, 25th March 2010

  Dont plant out now they will not survive. As last poster says, April, after the school holidays would be fine. Perhaps you could redo some then? Sorry.
  
  They will need hardening off before you plant them out in their final position & you could plant more direct into the soil in May. If they are going into soil it is worth getting the compostable veg peelings from the kitchens & digging a 'bean trench' to fill with the peelings etc where you intend to erect the supports. Beans are hungry plants & this will help. Lining the trench with wet newspaper as you plant them helps to maintain the moisture too.
  
  You pinch out the tips once the plants have reached the top of their support/wigwam. I sometimes pinch mine out before they get planted to promote more side shoots growing. Good luck. J.

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• Message 5

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  Posted by londonplantmad (U2392946) on Thursday, 25th March 2010

  i used to grow runner beans for the children inside a plastic bottle. They can see the bean growing through the bottle and see the roots and plant shooting. They loved seeing which bean grew the fastest but it was just for fun and not to get any beans.

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  Posted by grandcottagegardener (U14258183) on Thursday, 25th March 2010

  Golarne - What a shame that you sowed these seeds so early. Runner beans wont survive frost damage, and here in the south of England it's considered safe to plant out in Mid May. Another factor is the warmth of the soil. We've had a very cold winter in the UK and the soil is still feeling very cold to touch. I certainly wouldn't like to stand my bare feet in the soil for any length of time at the moment, and runner beans will feel the same. This is why your year 1's runner beans are romping away at the moment because they are inside and the soil is warm. Try risking putting them outside and they will stop growing. Another important factor in growing runner beans is pollination. Have you seen many bees about lately?
  
  You could try planting them out now, but if you do you will have to cover the whole wigwam in fleece. This will help to protect from frost damage, but the runner beans wont continue growing until the ground warms up. I did this last year as an experiment, but I am not a year 1 student, and was prepared for disappointment. I was lucky with my experiment, but the weather last year is very different from what we are experiencing now and I'd created more work for myself.
  
  I would just do another sowing in late April to plant out mid May and tell the kids that you were just doing a test run for the real thing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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  Posted by richardbees (U3432591) on Thursday, 25th March 2010

  golame, just had a thought.....is there a chance you could switch lessons to cookery / bean sprouts?

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  Posted by farmerSteve (U2644680) on Friday, 26th March 2010

  runner beasn cannot take any frost at all and should not be plannted out till the middle of May
  Are you sure they are runner beans you have planted?
  Any of the broad bean family will be fine

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• Message 9

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  Posted by Gem (U13964749) on Friday, 26th March 2010

  Oh come on, I am sure something can be done.
  
  How about planting them in a large deep pot on a saucer, this you can keep indoors in a hall/reception ?. You will need canes about 6ft high so allow for this. Water well (and put a layer of newspaper about a third the way up the pot) You will need to hand pollinate using a small brush or cotton wool bud, then mist every day to set the flowers.
  
  You could plant some more to go out later in the season and run this as a comparrison - most flowers / longest bean etc.
  
  Give it ago nothing lost etc.....
  
  Gem

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  Posted by golarne (U1756280) on Friday, 26th March 2010

  Thank you everyone- boohoo, I should've checked first! In the past we've just started seedlings in pots, then dumped them, but this year we've cultivated enough space to grow them on. Yes they ARE runner beans. I'm going to try most of the ideas since we've plenty beans. We have a conservatory so can try some inside in a huge pot, some outside with fleece, some just stuck in the soil, and we'll start again with fresh beans! But yes, I'll forget about them completely until after the holidays and cross fingers for warmth then. We're in south Oxfordshire so may be lucky!
  Golarne
  ps And yes, should've tried beansprouts!

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• Message 11

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  Posted by golarne (U1756280) on Thursday, 20th May 2010

  I kept them alive and we have planted them outside at last! An old gent walking past the school assured me that we won't have any more frost! But now we desperately need some rain. Oh dear- reckon they're doomed

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