[juliec]

Hi Guys,

Can I grow bans and peas in the same raised bed trench?  Its about 10 foot long and I thought I could do half beans and half peas!

What do you guys think.  I bet DD knows the answer to this one.

Many thanks as always for your help

Jools

[DD.]

I don't see any problem apart from the fact that 5 feet of peas is nowhere near enough!

[juliec]

I don't see any problem apart from the fact that 5 feet of peas is nowhere near enough!

how many peas would I get approximately from 5 foot?

I wont ask how many feet of peas you grow DD!! hehe

[DD.]

According to Dr. Hessayon, 1lb of peas to each foot of row.

But I reckon that's on a good day with the wind behind you!

[juliec]

According to Dr. Hessayon, 1lb of peas to each foot of row.

But I reckon that's on a good day with the wind behind you!

But surely that depends on how many plants you can  fit in a foot of soil?  How many do you fit in a foot and it its a wide bed can I do a couple of rows fer foot?

complicated this growing lark!!

[stompy]

They're both Legum's so there shouldn't be a problem at all.
What beans are you thinking of, dwarf french, climbing french or runners?
You have got to plan where they're going to go to allow for the shadows thrown from the taller plant's

[DD.]

You can't just cram in twice as many plants in a row (applies to anything) and hope to get twice the crop, light & available nutrients come into the equation.

Recommended pea spacing within a row:



Rows ahould be as far apart as your particular variety grows, but you'd probably get away with a bit less in a raised bed.

[juliec]

You can't just cram in twice as many plants in a row (applies to anything) and hope to get twice the crop, light & available nutrients come into the equation.

DD your a star, I knew you would be able to help on this.  Ok so my sons making another raised bed tomorrow for the beans, we can have 10 foot of peas and 10 foot of beans.

Heres the next question.

If I bulid teepee type structures can I use your planting drawing on both sides of the structure (as long as theres light and nutrients) to double up the growing area?

thanks DD and Stompy

Jools (the pea beginner)

By the way Stompy, I dont know the difference between french and runner beans Ive only grown runners, Ive got white Desiree seeds>

x

[DD.]

I'm not keen on teepees as they tend to get cramped towards the top of the structure, peas I think are best grown in straight rows. If you want to try to get more in, I'd be inclined to narrow down the row spacing.

In simple terms:

Runner beans - flat.
French beans - round.

You can get dwarf and climbing varieties of both.

[stompy]

French beans are the thin type usually around 5" to 6" long and pencil thickness.
You can get 2 types, the dwarf french which only grow about 12" to 18" tall and the same in width, like a small bush, then there's the climbing type which grow like runners up a structure, again producing the same size pods but you get a higher yield than the dwarf variety.

I personally grow the dwarf variety as they don't get hit by bad weather (wind mainly) as badly due to the fact that they are vertically challenged.

The other thing about French beans is that you can pick them very small and use them raw in salads and they come in several different colours, green, yellow and purple.
And as with all beans, the more you pick the more they produce and they freeze well too.

[juliec]

ahh  its simple when you know!!

Stompy what do you mean the more you pick  the more you get! surely you pick them when they are ready! and thats it.

Am I stupid or what! DOH (and Im not even a blonde) hehe.

Well Ill have to take a pic of this to put on here for you all to see my lovely bean trench... sorry DD and my pea trench too.

Jools

[DD.]

If you pick beans young, before they've reached full size, they'll be more tender and prolific.

[stompy]

When you pick the beans young from the plant like D.D said the plant will produce more flowers hence more beans.
If you leave the beans to grow to maturity then the plant thinks it's done it's job for the year and stops producing. (not sure a plant actually thinks but you know what i mean)
So the more you pick the more you get 

I think it goes back to when the plants were wild and the plant thinks it's being grazed on (as it still is by us though, not a wild animal (although some people i know )) so to make sure it can reproduce it just keeps on flowering until the plant dies due to the cold weather.

[juliec]

Well me thinks now that todays lesson in peas and beans has taught me as much as I probably need to know about growing beans, now all I have to do is keep the pea moths off them, the pigeons and little sticky grandchildrens fingers, cos I know one little boy who will gorge himself on peas!!  (much like DD)

Many thanks to you both yet again, your brill.

Jools