[rowlandwells]

if you grow runner beans do you prefer to grow your beans up canes or sticks  in rows or is your preference growing your beans up wigwams which in your opinion is the best method for both cropping and picking

have you changed your traditional variety for stringless variety and do you grow flat podded type beens

we have always grew our runner beans in a double rows tied together like an arch but I'm keen on trying wigwams as a trial

[Aidy]

This was my old bean pole set-up on my old plot, the beans grew upwards and slighlty outward so the beans would for the most part dangleto make it easier picking.
Have a look or search for Munty's bean pole system, thats a good one too.

[DD.]

I would not recommend going down the wigwam route. Things get very crowded at the top!

[snowdrops]

I now use a Munty style frame after seeing it on here,prior to that I used to cross the poles to form an x at the bottom rather than traditionally with the x at the top. This allowed the beans to hang free of the plants( the leaves irritate my skin & it’s easier to pick them) I used to take a length of twine with a loop tied to each end & pop that over each opposing canes to stop the weight of the plants later in the season pulling the whole thing apart.

[mumofstig]

A lot of pics are blocked my Photomuckitup  bit there's still enough here to get the gist
Munty's runner bean frame in Growing FAQs and other Information - Page 1 of 19

[victoria park]

I've used all sorts of structures and like the munty idea, but never got around to it. I like the odd wigwam as a structural shape here and there, away from the main bean trench. They are very resillient to the excessive winds we can get and they look lovely. It's not just about squeezing every last bean out of the year, as I always end up with plenty to last all year round when dried.
They do get crowded though in a wigwam, that's true, and I must admit I've got some perennial sweet peas that need more room than the wigwam they've been used to and am attempting a transplant soon.
In the end, I go with what canes and timber I have to hand at the time and what size beds are available. Beans and legumes tend to be second class citizens due to them being so easy to grow. I must get more organised.

[Plot 1 Problems]

Another Munty devotee! I'm a Firestorm fan, lovely mostly stringless pods and self-setting so you always get a good crop whatever the weather

[lettice]

Just a row of canes here for my many years tried and tested Painted Lady that produce tons of tasty runners every year without fail.
No more than six foot out of the ground for the poles, so 7 foot poles.
Always tease them across the top poles when they reach the top of the canes, then they do not start their way back down too much.

Runner beans would not be good grown up a wigwam, as they are so productive. Wigwams are a better ploy for french beans, but not for the like of Cobra that are so productive and need a row of poles.

That munty one looks weird, not seen that before. Not sure I would want to be crawling through and underneath that. Suppose you have to careful to tease them up and across that.
Also, that looks more like a permanent structure, so must limit preparing the soil below, that runner beans love with all your scraps and compost dug in out of their season.

[JayG]

Wigwams are a stable construction, but I did find the beans got very congested at the top, and could be hard to get to for picking lower down too.
I used to use the inverted 'V' formation row until the whole row blew over one year despite having guy ropes at each end (luckily I was growing them near a hedge which stopped them being completely uprooted!)

For the last 6 years or so I've been using a 'permanent' Munty frame made from angle iron - the angle of the diagonals means this ageing orang-utan doesn't have to bend too far to pick the beans. (The canes in the pic are there to support garden netting over the top of the beans - there were a lot of very naughty sparrows about that year!  )

If your canes are strong enough, a row of canes in an 'X' formation gives you some of the benefits of a Munty frame.

[victoria park]

Space saving is one of the considerations on a small plot. One other method I've used is wigwams of French beans, tops attached by well fixed canes to either side of the main traditional Runner bean trench. The wigwams become, in effect, sort of outrunner/flying buttresses/stabilisers against the high winds. Very effective, provided they're tied well.
However, a good move three years ago when I gained some more ground was to change to dwarf varieties for my French beans as there is a limit to how long I spend on all these structures, as I do rotate every year. Didn't realise they could be so prolific with so little effort. Sadly, I can't say the same for the dwarf kale. 

[rowlandwells]

you've convinced me the munty frame  sounds and looks good to me  I'm growing enorma and scarlet empire this  season thank you for your comments and pics

[Plot 1 Problems]

Splendid news Roland!
That was my first go with a munty and I only had short lengths of timber available so it's lower down than it should be. This year will be taller so It's easier to get beneath and pick at the dangling beans.
One good thing about having a munty frame over a bed is that it provides shade in the full heat of Summer to crops like spinach that will normally bolt under full sun.
Has anyone tried growing ridge cucmbers up a munty frame?

[snowdrops]

My Munty  frame spans 1 of my paths & is taller so I don’t need to grovel on the floor(plus I’m not that tall, helps sometimes lol). I (hubby) just move it each year from path to path as my plot is divided into 6 beds 5ft wide by the length of the plot.

[strangerachael]

This is what I've been using for the past few years. Not a great photo - sorry - it's the only one i could find. The end arches are metal ones I bought from Argos and stuck them in the ground about 8 foot apart, and joined together with canes, vertical and horizontal. It creates a tunnel that makes it really easy to pick the beans.

The difficulty is finding something to go over the top of the middle section, I've tried water pipe (but my canes are not all the same length and they don't seem to stay on), I've tried bean netting (holes are too small) and plain string.

Unfortunately the bottom of one of the arches has finally rusted through and the bottom section has fallen off, so I'm not sure how I'm going to do it this year.....

[snowdrops]

Here’s a picture of mine after I had cleared it at the end of the season( well a couple of weeks ago truthfully) lol