too late to sow dwarf beans?

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al78

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too late to sow dwarf beans?
« on: August 08, 2018, 08:38 »
My climbing beans seem to have turned from healthy and productive, to looking like they have been sprayed with weedkiller. It might be a simple matter of lack of water, but if it is terminal, can I start dwarf beans now and have time for a crop before temperatures get too low?

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jaydig

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2018, 08:40 »
I sowed some the week before last, and they are up and growing away well.  If we get a gentle autumn, they should produce a crop.  It's always worth a try if you have the space and the seeds.

Later today I'm going to sow more borlotti beans - ever the optimist!

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Plot94

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2018, 09:50 »
Totally agree, I sowed another batch 10 days ago, all growing well. I intend to sow more in a few weeks to go into the poly tunnel when I've cleared some space, they did well as a late crop last year.

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al78

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2018, 20:16 »
Thanks, I'll get sowing this week.

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Growster...

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2018, 20:41 »
One year, we were picking runners in November, and getting sick and tired of them...

Mind you, this year's utter failure has begun to revert to hope, with new flowers, and some beans about a couple of inches long, so we may well get some sort of result in a week or so...

We've only had three feeds this year! Unheard of in the past!

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AnneB

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2018, 22:22 »
My climbing french beans have been amazing this year, drowing in them.  The freezers are stuffed and friends and family have been well supplied.
I have grown Cobra, Carminat, Kentucky Wonder Wax, Cosse Violette, Cherokee Trail of Tears, Veitch's Climbing, Snowcap, Cara la Virgen de la Baneza, Borlotti and Lazy Housewife.

I have had a small to moderate crop of my Black Knight runner beans, but now the weather has cooled down a bit I am hoping for a better crop, plenty of flowers.

I have paid a lot of attention to watering and mulching which has helped.

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al78

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2018, 22:29 »
I'm not surprised you are drowning in them if you grow that many different varieties. I've only grown about eight climbing beans, all the same purple variety, saved seed from a friend's crop last year. That is normally more than enough so supply my needs. I have already been giving away bags of beans at the local bridge club. It is just last weekend it looked like they have committed suicide.

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AnneB

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2018, 22:47 »
I'm not surprised you are drowning in them if you grow that many different varieties. I've only grown about eight climbing beans, all the same purple variety, saved seed from a friend's crop last year. That is normally more than enough so supply my needs. I have already been giving away bags of beans at the local bridge club. It is just last weekend it looked like they have committed suicide.
There are 4 plants of each variety, so a lot but not unmanageable in most years.  They have gone berserk this year though.  The borlotti, Lazy Housewife, Snowcap and Cara la Virgen de la Baneza de Leon are all grown for dried beans for winter rather than to eat fresh or freeze.

Runners quite low output so far, but hoping for improvement now the heat has subsided.

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New shoot

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2018, 10:16 »
I've grown a few types and they have all been watered the same.  Everything grew and cropped except the Lazy Housewife, which just sat and sulked.  Now the rest have cropped themselves out and given up early and the Lazy Housewife is climbing the poles and looking like doing something at last.

Perhaps not lazy, but just sensible and waited for the rain  :lol:  Anyway, I'm glad a grew a few different ones as it looks like my cropping season will be extended after all   :)

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lettice

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #9 on: August 11, 2018, 08:44 »
Not sure you can ever go wrong with beans.
My Cobra (saved seed) as ever has gone crazy. Picking bowlfuls twice a day from eight plants.
My Painted Lady (saved seed) runner beans always do well, and this year have been producing good crops like mad, best crop I have ever had. But have had many more than usual each picking that are on the verge of going seed fat quickly. Not sure if that's the prolonged heat.
I saved some of the Sonesta beans that are after a few years new to me. They are very prolific, but very dwarf. Do find that the woodlice like to nibble the bottom of the beans as quite a lot tend to drag on the soil.
My usual purple queen (saved seed) that I grow in pots only, have done as well as ever.
Do grow hunter (helda flat type) beans and they are a quick grower and cropper with loads of beans for a month. Do grow a second sowing that I sowed a few weeks back and are now six feet tall and flowering nicely, ready in a week or so.

I've sowed beans as late as mid August from a few varieties of runner and french and they have grown well and quick.
But, I've found my staple prolific ones now, so really just need the main sowing that keep my picking daily.

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lettice

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #10 on: August 11, 2018, 08:57 »
My climbing french beans have been amazing this year, drowing in them.  The freezers are stuffed and friends and family have been well supplied.
I have grown Cobra, Carminat, Kentucky Wonder Wax, Cosse Violette, Cherokee Trail of Tears, Veitch's Climbing, Snowcap, Cara la Virgen de la Baneza, Borlotti and Lazy Housewife.

Interesting varieties there.

I tried Kentucky Wonder many years ago and found them a bit of a disappointment. They cropped well for a few weeks but that was it, a short life. Did grow them up poles, much like I do with Cobra. But compared to the endless prolific cropping and many many months of producing time I get with cobra, I stuck with my Cobra.

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jaydig

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Re: too late to sow dwarf beans?
« Reply #11 on: August 11, 2018, 15:31 »
I've just dug over the vacated pea bed, and must say despite all of the rain we had yesterday, it was still as dry as a chip underneath.  It's been water well and raked, and I've just got round to sowing another batch of borlotti beans, more beetroot, radish, spring onions and little gem lettuce. 
As my grandmother used to say - they've got two chances to my one, although I don't really know why she thought anything had two chances to her one, but I never questioned it when I was young.
Have to wait now and see if I'm lucky enough to get a crop of anything.



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