[vegypete]

hi ya  what do you guys put in your runner bean trench, my grand father used to put old clothing ,news papers even mattreses in the trench he would put in any thing that would hold moisture, aswell as compost or manuer, he used to say them beans are thirsty * ............pete

[BabbyAnn]

even mattreses in the trench

might answer a question that bothered me for a long while - when I was digging a new bed out of the lawn at the bottom of the garden, I found loads of rusty coiled bits of wire ... I concluded someone must have buried a mattress in the garden but it puzzled me for ages.    The houses where I live were built in the early 1930s and the gardens are of sufficient size for growing veg during the 2nd world war.

My bean trench isn't so elaborate - mainly compostables such as fruit and veg peelings with compost and manure.

[sunshineband]

Your grandad had the right idea -- beans are thirsty, and he used what he had available

My bean trench is never large enough to hold a mattress though 

Like Babbyann, mine has more usual compostable inclusions, mainly kitchen waste and shredded newspaper. This year I am goin to line the bottom with a couple of sheets of newspaper too, to act as a sort of sump for the beans.

[DD.]

This recent thread may also help:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=88283.0

[Plottered]

how deep should a bean trench be? ...Ive never grown beans before but im going to try it this year.

[TheSpartacat]

I put lots of shredded newspaper, straw, veg peelings, half rotted manure if i have some handy... my been trenches vary in depth really- depends how soon i start them and how dilligent i've been about taking peelings up to the lotty, but about a foot down is how much i dig, and sometimes they end up sort of mounded... by they subside as it all decomposes...

I do the same for my pumpkins and squash, perhaps a bit deeper than the beans as they like a good reservoir of nutrients and water...

[rick0331]

hi ya  what do you guys put in your runner bean trench, my grand father used to put old clothing ,news papers even mattreses in the trench he would put in any thing that would hold moisture, aswell as compost or manuer, he used to say them beans are thirsty * ............pete

can you use bits of old cardboard?

[Yorkie]

Yes you can use bits of old cardboard, although I would rip them to bits a little first, and not use the shiny-backed type.

[AlaninCarlisle]

On the basis that most clothes today are a mixture of indestructible synthetics and natural fibres, I'd be unwilling to use them in any of my bean trenches