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How did you fair with runner beans...
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Message 1.Â
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Sunday, 3rd October 2010
I was really disappointed with my runner beans, scarlet emperor.
I wasn't sure when to pick them so waited till they were the size of those in the shops, they were stringy and tough. Not put off I picked them smaller but they still weren't very nice to eat, some what bland and tasteless.
I won't be growing them next year but may try broad or french beans. Do they taste the same though, maybe it's an aquired taste.
How did you fair with them... -
Message 2
Posted by grandcottagegardener (U14258183) on Sunday, 3rd October 2010
I have grown Scarlet Emperor for several years and excluding this year they have always been a good cropper, tasty, and tender. This year it was different. I thought this was down to me saving seeds from last years crop, but if you have also had a bad crop it could be something to do with the weather.
I also planted Emergo and Enorma this year and was very impressed by the size of pod + plentiful supply,but left on the plant for too long they did get a bit stringy.
Don't be put off by one bad year as they are usually very tasty. BTW - I always pick them before they get too big. The young ones are always the best flavoured. -
Message 3
Posted by pinxit (U14558922) on Monday, 4th October 2010
Scarlet Emperor were wonderful for me this year, but we didn't have any of the heat or drought that other parts of Britain experienced during early to mid summer.(I live a few miles from Land's End in Cornwall.) I find they do have a good flavour. This year I put more than usual well-rotted farmyard manure in their trench about 5 weeks before planting them. It probably helped with water retention as well as nutrients, as they are a thirsty crop. Always pick them before the pods are more than about 1 cm/half an inch wide to avoid stringiness.
I have enthused about French beans on another thread. Their flavour is related to runners but no the same; some people like it more. They are as easy to grow as runners as long as they get a good start. I start both kinds of bean in loo roll tubes in an unheated greenhouse in April/May and plant the whole thing out (burying the cardboard thoroughly) in early June.
Broad beans have quite a different taste and crop earlier. They are tougher and can spend all their lives outdoors. They too should be picked when the pods are up to 20cm/ threequarters of an inch across. After that, the skins of the beans get leathery. You can peel them individually, but it's fiddly!
Hope you enjoy good beans next year. -
Message 4
Posted by Saravisiae (U2247962) on Monday, 4th October 2010
My runner beans were good this year, good flavour not too much stringiness.
Broad beans are entirely different in terms of how you grow them as well as how you eat them - you have to take the beans out of the pods and because they are frost resistant but prone to blackfly attacks, it is better to sow them nowish for overwintering or in very early spring.
Fench beans are the slim green beans that you get in the supermarkets and are grown in a very similar way to runner beans. They don't taste the same at all but it is down to the individual which you prefer really. -
Message 5
Posted by Ian W (U8604472) on Monday, 4th October 2010
My runner beans were lovely this year and produced in abundance but I can't remember the variety at the moment. In my opinion both french and broad beans are tastier and I generally grow all three.
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Message 6
Posted by mister-grow-it-all (U14591945) on Monday, 4th October 2010
plants where of a good size but not a lot of beans
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Message 7
Posted by BigDave (U3975543) on Monday, 4th October 2010
My beans came to nothing this year don't know what I did to them but they just never gave me many beans....new seed and loads of muck in the bean bed this winter will for sure sort it out.
Whatsthemarrow... -
Message 8
Posted by margaretstar (U14415248) on Monday, 4th October 2010
I had just 16 runner beans and had heaps, plenty to eat and plenty to freeze. The larger ones I peeled either size, the smaller ones eat as was. Great flavour and few stringy bits.
Sowed them quite late - mid May and think I might have been lucky
with the weather. -
Message 9
Posted by dwarfbean (U13754109) on Monday, 4th October 2010
Zoomer
From something that you have posted elsewhere I think that you are not too far from my neck of the woods. [ Lancashire ]. So this might be of some help.
This year I grew Painted Lady for my runners. They have cropped well and I usually pick them when they are about 1 cm. in thickness. My OH would not buy them from the shop as she regards the shop ones as over the hill and likely to be stringy.
I also grew Blue Lake which are a climbing french bean. They have cropped quite well and are quite tasty.
Earlier in the year we had broad beans but we pick those when they have grown a bit and remove them from the pod.
I had a few dwarfbeans in but I can't remember the name of those because I bought a collection and have some different ones for next year.
Will be planting some broad beans to over winter in the next few days.
Don't give up 11
dwarfbean -
Message 10
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Monday, 4th October 2010
Thanks for all your replies it's interesting to hear other people have had better success. I'm in Lancashire so the weather could have played a part and I tend not to water veg in the beds.
I'm limited for space as I grow veg in the back garden so it's going to either or next year. I'm keen to try different varieties though and will try dwarfbeans in a large pot. I'll look out for the other bean varieties.
My peas did so much better, peas early, petit pois and mangetout which is probably why the runners were so disappointing. -
Message 11
Posted by pinxit (U14558922) on Monday, 4th October 2010
Do you mean dwarf French beans, zoomer? You can get more beans of the French type per container growing the climbing ones up a wigwam of sticks... Just a thought. Unless of course you meant dwarf runners?! Dwarf runners are available, a variety called Hestia if I remember rightly. Haven't grown them myself. Maybe someone else on here has?
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Message 12
Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Monday, 4th October 2010
Was't quite sure which type of dwarfbean I meant pinxit.
After reading everyone's responses I've made a list of the varieties and was going check them out on the sites where I buy my seeds, local shops etc over the coming weeks, I'm relatively new to growing your own but one thing I've learnt is it pays to get a recommended variety you can't beat first hand knowledge from people who've tried and tested them. -
Message 13
Posted by nan-2-3 (U14275015) on Tuesday, 5th October 2010
mine were the same tough and stringy they were on borrowed time as they were the same last year i have decided not to grow them next year i am going to give the space over to extra peas which were lovely and sweet so much so they didnt usually make the pan as we (my 5 yr old garden hand granddaughter! )and i ate them like we do the tomatoes as sweets!!
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