How Are Your Beans Going?

The slugs have been going mad over the Monte Cristo French beans and have been climbing the canes and eating beans even at a height of 6ft!

So I've resorted to slug pellets - they're supposed to be OK for birds but I think I provide enough food for the birds that they don't need to go for the slugs or pellets. There are always a lot of thrushes and blackbirds in my feeding area . It's costing about £8 per week for the birdfeed

I'll take some photos of the Shineyframe when I have a chance.

 

The ShineyFrame wasn't built with quite so many cross strings this year which has proved to be a mistake. Training the runners is more difficult because of it.

Having said that, we're getting along OK now.

The main part of the ShineyFrame with the second sowing, AR - After Rabbits ) in the foreground and third sowing in background.





The outside part of the Frame.


Just a quick shot of the Monte Christo French


and the yellow French (don't know the name as they were given to us by a friend)

 

NOTE:
Some of you may have noticed that your runner beans are not as 'stringless' as usual and may be a little tougher than usual. This will have occurred more in the South of England.

Runner beans don't like hot weather and they form a thicker skin to protect themselves against the hot sunshine. This results in tougher beans.

It doesn't happen with French beans.

Runners originate from the mountain areas of Central America and are, therefore, more temperate. Frenchies also come from Central America (and S. America) but from lower levels and are more tropical.

 

If I can get them I shall be growing for us and for plants for sale. If they're available I could order extra seed.

We don't normally save any bean seeds from the previous year. Monte Christo is a new bean but is already on sale over here.

This is a little bit about from an American seed company but all the British companies were selling them this year.

http://www.territorialseed.com/product/Monte_Cristo_Bean_Seed/367

 

Yesterday's picking of runners



The French beans are cropping well and here is a picture to show the difference between some of the beans.

The ones on the right are Blue Lake (a tasty, fairly heavy cropping bean). The middle are just for contrast and are some yellow ones that a friend gave us - no idea what they are. The ones on the left are Monte Christo, the new Blue Lake hybrid that are growing longer and more prolific than the original.

The kitchen paper is 9" and I haven't tried letting the Monte Christo grow any longer.

 

This is yesterday's crop before I bagged it all for sale (some of it had been picked the day before).

Have a guess at the weight of the crop. No prizes given