[Growster...]

We finished up with several hundred spare beans last year, so having tried all the ways to eat the old ones, we're considering putting them in an 8' x 4' bed as green manure, because presumably, there will be quite a bit of nitrogen formed, and if there are any late beans, well that's a bonus!

I'm wondering how the stems will finish up though, as the ones that go up the sticks can get very wiry! Perhaps be prepared to chop them up a little when the frosts come.

I know broad beans are good green manure, but has anyone else tried runners?

[BabbyAnn]

Any legume can be used as a green manure - actually, virtually anything that grows can for that matter when it is dug in and composts down.  I suppose runner beans normally take so long to get going and need warm weather to do well so probably one of the reasons why it's not high on the list, but I see no reason why you can't use them. 

Re: stems - yes, they can be a bit wiry but they eventually rot down too, and chopping them up will speed up the time it takes to compost.

[mumofstig]

Most things don't even need digging in - chop and leave on the surface - by Spring all that's left are the woody bits, to be raked off The worms will have done the hard work for you.

[Growster...]

Any legume can be used as a green manure - actually, virtually anything that grows can for that matter when it is dug in and composts down.  I suppose runner beans normally take so long to get going and need warm weather to do well so probably one of the reasons why it's not high on the list, but I see no reason why you can't use them. 

Re: stems - yes, they can be a bit wiry but they eventually rot down too, and chopping them up will speed up the time it takes to compost.

Thank you, BabbyAnn, we haven't ever tried the stuff before, but Mrs G picked up a packet which would cover a small village and an even larger mountain range for a few shillings, so we thought we'd give it a go!

The beans were just getting in the way, and there will doubtless be plenty of new ones this year, as we've nly been picking a week, and we're giving them away already..;0)

I hope they'll help smother the weeds though.

[Growster...]

Most things don't even need digging in - chop and leave on the surface - by Spring all that's left are the woody bits, to be raked off The worms will have done the hard work for you.

That's fine by us, Mums, thank you!

We only found out last week, that we (hopefully) can get a load of very old manure too, so that might get chucked on as well!

[Annen]

I went through all my packets of old seeds last year and planted the old beans, peas, anything I didn't want to use, and then dug the results in. I don't know whether it acted as manure, but it cleared out my old seeds!

[Anton]

"I went through all my packets of old seeds last year and planted the old beans, peas, anything I didn't want to use, and then dug the results in. I don't know whether it acted as manure, but it cleared out my old seeds!"

That's an interesting thought. What season did you plant them? Autumn? And how high did you let them grow? And when did you dig them in?

Anton

[Annen]

"I went through all my packets of old seeds last year and planted the old beans, peas, anything I didn't want to use, and then dug the results in. I don't know whether it acted as manure, but it cleared out my old seeds!"

That's an interesting thought. What season did you plant them? Autumn? And how high did you let them grow? And when did you dig them in?

Anton

Sorry, that should be "sowed" not "planted" in my post.   I think I sowed them late summer when the beds were emptying, dug in things that looked like seeding (except phacelia which I and the bees love) and left the ones that grew for the frost to kill off. I mostly forgot what and where they were so they got turned in in the general digging. I remember I had broad beans and peas in September, but it was a very peculiar year last year. Now I come to think of it, that could be why I have parsnips coming up among the red cabbage

[BabbyAnn]

I went through all my packets of old seeds last year and planted the old beans, peas, anything I didn't want to use, and then dug the results in. I don't know whether it acted as manure, but it cleared out my old seeds!

Last year I also had a clear out of old pea seeds (I seem to have about 6 different packets that were opened and well out of date) and sowed them in the same beds as the mustard green manure in late summer    Most germinated and got about 6 inches tall before the frost/winter killed them off.  I wasn't sure if the peas were going to be viable for cropping the following year so it made sense to use them as a sort of green manure rather than throw them in the bin 

[Growster...]

Mrs Growster has nominated her Sweet William bed as the first one, so I've got to do a risk assessment on the way we dig it over first, after that, they'll get chucked in anyway..;0)