[Gandan57]

Set myself a little challenge in the spring, to pick the first runners by today, 1st July and be still picking in 100 days time, which I make to be 8th October.

Because of the naff weather in May and much of June things didnt look promising but I just managed to pick a small handfull for tea tonight.   

     

Also today to keep things going I`ve made a fifth successional sowing of a few seeds. First seeds were sown on 31st March so that is an interval of 92 days.

[LilacSandy]

I am greener than your beans.  I only have a few flowers, all together say ahh...

[sunshineband]

I am greener than your beans.  I only have a few flowers, all together say ahh...

That makes two of us 

But I do have pink flowers as well as red ones and white ones 

All joking aside -- those beans look lush 

[mumofstig]

Mine are still only about 3ft tall and no flowers yet *sniff sniff*

[sunshineband]

Mine are still only about 3ft tall and no flowers yet *sniff sniff*

Just pop over and you can share mine 

[mumofstig]

Awww you're sooo kind 

[Gandan57]

My neighbour`s are only six feet high, yet he was picking yesterday.

I have one plant that has red and white flowers. Should have taken a pic of it.

[sunshineband]

Awww you're sooo kind 

I know 

[Gandan57]

Challenge successful!

Today is day 102 since picking started and managed to fill a carrier bag, although quality and quantity are tailing off now. Still a few flowers but whether these will set beans is debatable, and these flowers are not on the last sowing, made on 1st July, but on earlier ones.         

 
Photo taken this morning.

[mumofstig]

Well done you!
which variety are they?

[Gandan57]

Variety unknown I`m afraid mum, my own saved seed.

I did grow a packet of Moonlight alongside my own. These germinated later and were behind mine in growth but did crop slightly earlier and finished quicker. I haven`t seen a white flower for many weeks now.

[totalnovice]

WOW! very impressive - my beans have not been as good as last years but I have still had plenty, and there are just  a few in the freezer for soups and stews in the winter. At least I won't still be eating them as the first fresh ones come off next year!

I'm very impressed with 102 days of picking though. Good going.

[azubah]

Mine were very slow to start, but produced a reasonable amount, though not as much as usual. There are still a few coming, but not many and with a tendancy to be thin. The harsh winds did a lot of damage.

[shokkyy]

My crop was a bit pathetic this year, and they were really nice beans so I'd have liked a lot more. I pulled the plants up this week, because the few remaining beans on it were all kind of withering rather than getting bigger. I didn't have enough to freeze many, but they were surprisingly nice from frozen so I'm keen to increase and extend the crop next year.

Gandan - I couldn't have come close to filling a carrier bag even at peak, and that was from 32 plants. How many plants were you getting that crop from? And when you say you did succession sowing, do you mean you started a new row alongside the old row, or you replaced the old plants?

[ermck1]

I have been given some very special seed for next years runners! 15 years of developing the best crop.

Fingers crossed.