bean trench

Fellow gardeners

I started a bean trench for my runner beans  and this turned out to be quite successful. When I had covered the compost with soil I built my wigwag structure on the top. I thought about leaving the canes in place and starting another trench but if I do that do I have to dig the trench to encompass the poles? That is, dig outside the poles so as they are included in the trench as that I obviously plant my beans right next to the poles, so there would be no point just having the compost in the middle!

Anton

Thanks for your answer Balders.

Anton

Two trenches? i.e. each along the line of where the poles will be (instead of "one really wide trench")

Some people keep the poles in the same place every year. One year the beans, and trench, are one side, the next year they are the other side.

I have a Munty frame built from angle iron bolted together so it hasn't moved anywhere for the last 5 years or so - I just dig out a trench every autumn, chucking the soil a few feet away. The trench is then slowly filled with compostable materials and then covered up with the soil immediately next to it (in a mound to allow for sinkage.)

That way I at least partially change the soil each year, although as has been said beans aren't really prone to persistent soil-borne pests and diseases so many people wouldn't even bother going that far.

When the pod starts to brown, thin, and eventually shrivel and split open to release the seeds they are obviously fully mature - they can be picked before that stage, removed from the pods and fully air dried before storing but the smaller they are the less likely they are to be viable.

Depending on luck and how many other people were growing runners in the area yours may or may not all come true next year - I've been saving White Lady for a few years now - last year one plant had red flowers but this year they were all white (but not necessarily Ladies - hard to tell with beans!  )