[afcb]

Is Epsom salt helpful to beans? I've never heard that before. I will get some, as my beans are hopeless!

[shokkyy]

I checked up on my French and runner beans today, and I swear the French beans have grown a foot since I planted them out on Saturday. They're screaming up the strings on my brand new Munty frame like beans possessed. I'm going to have to remember to check them every day, to keep them on the straight and narrow path, or they'll end up flying all over the place. The runners aren't quite so keen though, healthy enough but not sprinting.

[maxibo]

I checked up on my French and runner beans today, and I swear the French beans have grown a foot since I planted them out on Saturday. They're screaming up the strings on my brand new Munty frame like beans possessed. I'm going to have to remember to check them every day, to keep them on the straight and narrow path, or they'll end up flying all over the place. The runners aren't quite so keen though, healthy enough but not sprinting.

Totally agree! I planted my runners out during the whit bank hols weekend and my French Beans last Sunday.  They love the Munty Frame and are going off like a rocket.  My runners have got flowers coming through already.  Do french beans like to wind anti clock wise like runners do? 

[shokkyy]

Umm, I always sow 2 seeds in each pot and plant them out as a pair, two per string, so one gets wound clockwise and the other one anti-clockwise. Don't know if they like it or not but they've never complained.

[Salmo]

Do they go the opposite way in the Southern Hemisphere?

[maxibo]

I was always told that RUNNER beans like to wind and grow anti clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.  I'm not sure what they do in the Southern Hemisphere! I've never had to force a runner bean to climb - I just drape them vaguely in an anti clockwise direction and off they go.  My Dad said it was something to do with the earths rotation so I'm going with him cos he's my Dad and he's mint and knows everything! 

[grendel]

sun rises in the east - passes south to the west, beans grow and follow the sun, so wind round the frame. well thats what I reckon.
Grendel

[Auntiemogs]

Noooo!    Put my beans in a few days ago in bottomless pots, sprinkled pellets of doom, but forgot the snails climb the fence and they've nipped all the tops off!  Better chit some more I suppose while I see if they recover (have tied them to the canes now so the tops don't waft about). 

[GrannieAnnie]

When my dwarf beans started to germinate.  The seed husk stayed on most of the seed leaves, so I tried to gently take some off.  The top of the plant came off too!  So I left the others on to fall off on their own, but most of them stayed on for ages, and now they are deformed. 

Not sure if they will grow okay and I used all 40 seeds! 

But still got plenty of blue lake climbers!