[Aitch]

I'm going to try and grow peas and beans this year and I was wondering does the size of the cane actually matter ? I'll b growing in polypots about 45cm wide, how many plants would b best for something of this size ?
Thanx in advance
Ian

[gobs]

It will depend on the growth habit of your variety. Some peas are little, others tall. By beans you probably mean runners, then a mighty cane is needed.

In any case, you can chuck quite a few seeds/plants into that size of a pot. 3-5 maybe.

[solway cropper]

As gobs says, runners will need canes at least 6-8 feet long. I grow plenty of dwarf french beans in containers with excellent results and they just need a few twigs for support. Broad bean 'Sutton' is a dwarf variety and does well in large tubs and there are quite a few dwarf pea varieties as well. In a 45cm polypot I'd put 6 to 10 seeds depending on the habit of the plant.

[Aitch]

Thanx guys, the one we have bought are from suttons and the beans are climbing French bean (cobra) and the peas are hurst greenshaft. And just to make sure I get it right, I plant round the egde of the container (round container ) and it's one cane per plant ?
Thanx again
Ian

[paintedlady]

You could get 2 runner/french beans per cane (plant either side of it)  - you might have to train them up the cane at first then they'll wrap themselves round it & upwards once they start to grow proper.  Peas on the other hand do best with twiggy supports as their tendrils tend to grasp on to anything bar the cane intended for them 

[DD.]

You'll be lucky if pea tendrils grip onto anything!

If you're growing in containers, try a variety such as "Alderman". they grow tall and will give you a larger crop for the ground space taken up.

[gobs]

I think, it might well be a tall pea, you are having there. For container space, it does not really matter how many, they do not need much room, however, the winds might knock your pots over with too much top growth. Place them carefully.

[Kristen]

Dunno if this applies to containers too?

I raise my Runner and Climbing French in modules or small pots so I can plant out after last frost (I guess for a container you might sow direct and bring that indoors on a frosty night instead)

When I plant out I put a seed in with each plant too to give me a second crop - more so with the Climbing French as my Runners tend to go to the first frost anyway, but the French give up before that.

So is second-sowing around mid-May to first week of June a good idea for containers?

[Aitch]

Thanx for the advice, I didn't think of them falling over so I might change my plan and get some 1m long trough type pots, that way I could lean the canes against the wall and put netting on them which hopefully would b better for them to grow up. Thanx again
Ian