[Lardman]

My runners seem to have stopped !

Although there are still beans to mature there are no new flowers. I've had a fair few kilos from them so I can't really complain, but it does seem a little on the early side for them to be giving up the ghost.  Is it worth giving them some TLC to try and encourage a second flush ?

[DavidT]

Well we are coming to the end of August, if there are no more flowers doubt if you could kick start them. Why not sow some Dwarf French beans to take you into September/October?

[peapod]

You sure there isnt one or two beans that are hiding and have gone over?

[DD.]

Don't give up on them yet. I've had late flushes on mine in the past in September.

Can't guarantee you will, though.

[mumofstig]

Mine have done the same............i've started giving them a drop more water, as it's been very dry here this year and a drop of tomato food now and again. Hope this gives them a boost

[Lardman]

I've had the hose on them for the past week and it doesn't seem to have helped. 

Theres no hiding allowed, its strictly forbidden, nothing on there running to seed yet.  I dont have anything else ready to go in and they're not in the best position anyway. I just wondered if it was worth using my last ½ bag of pigeon poo on them and it doesn't sound like it is.

Anything dwarf gets eaten within minutes round here - I lost 2 packets last year before giving up.  I did put some more cobra climbing in about a fortnight ago so hopefully they'll fill a gap.

[cooperman]

well I always plant French Climbing beans after the runners and they are just starting to crop now and will keep going for about the next month.

[poodle]

I have found that by planting out a second lot of plants in mid July I have a new crop available by end of this month. It is also a way of avoiding the problem of stringy beans if you have gone away on holiday and have no one to pick the existing crop. If it is dry of course, as it has been over in Suffolk most of the spring and summer, the flowers do tail off very quickly without watering.

[JayG]

Mine too (Celebration), although I have had a good crop from them, starting at the end of July. They look perfectly healthy, just seem to think they have done enough for one year.

My neighbours have only just started picking theirs (older, red-flowered varieties I suspect), so I'm thinking Celebration are probably a particularly early variety.

I might have to think about staggering the sowing of them next year to extend their production run although I've never had to do this with other varieties.

[strangerachael]

Me too, and my plants never even reached the tops of their canes. I dressed them with compost and comfrey and that didn't help. Think I will also try staggering crops next year. Still, at least I haven't had a chance to get well and truly sick of them, which is GOOD    and I still have loads of french beans 

[Greengirl]

My Celebration are doing the same thing too although Red Rum still have a few flowers to open.