[cricketwidow]

I have around 140 runner bean plants and normally by now they are laden with flowers, I do have some flowers but they do not appear to be setting, the flowers are falling off and there are no beans behind them, is anyone else having the same problems this year due to the weather?

[sarajane]

I do believe from reading the posts we are all struggling with a variety of crops.

Runners on our site appear to be particularly affected.  none are thriving.  Lets hope for a bit of an Indian Summer

[Kirpi]

The rain is keeping the bees at home so the flowers are not being pollinated. Need more sunny days to bring them out.

[cricketwidow]

I notice there is a reply from camborne in cornwall, I am up here in Lostwithiel Cornwall, so thanks for that I now know it is not just me, I was getting quite despondant.

[JayG]

Although runner beans are self-fertile, unlike peas they need a pollinating insect to "trip" the flowers to release the pollen onto the stigmas (or introduce pollen from other runner bean flowers.)

Apparently this can be done manually, but given the number of flowers and the dexterity required (the "keel" has to be pushed down and an artist's paintbrush or similar inserted simultaneously to transfer the pollen) it's perhaps not surprising it's not a common practice!

It's not at all unusual for runner beans to lose many of their first flowers, although of course in persistent bee-unfriendly conditions this could continue until conditions improve.

[Spana]

I notice there is a reply from camborne in cornwall, I am up here in Lostwithiel Cornwall,

... and I'm just a bit inland from Widemouth Bay. 

My runners are dreadful, only about 2ft tall, yellow and pathetic. I noticed yesterday that they have a few flowers low down but didn't think it worth looking to see if any had set 

My cabbages are a waste of space also

In all my veg growing years I've never had so much empty sodden ground in July