[chrisjsmith]

Decided to rip my runner beans down today as they were 90% dead.  I think the black fly and the weather won this year - managed to get a meal's worth out of 15 (!) vines.

Has anyone had similar bad luck - is it just a bad year?

[rhysdad]

Not from where i am i'm afraid. I'm growing 15 vines of Wisley Magic this year and apart from some blumming strong winds which removed some blooms, they are 'beaning up' fantastically. I'm going to be sick of them before long..... (sorry i couldn't emapthise with you, better luck next year) 

[WirralWally]

My runners were on the slow train to nowhere, and then we had a week of torrential rain.
The rain seems to have stirred them into overdrive.
Now you can almost watch them growing. 

[Dave Mack]

My runners were on the slow train to nowhere, and then we had a week of torrential rain.
The rain seems to have stirred them into overdrive.
Now you can almost watch them growing. 

WirralWally ... go on knock a man while hes down 
Chris sorry to here about your bean mate ... there is always next year 

[chrisjsmith]

No worries - I think it's funny.  You win some and lose some as they say   Tomatoes are doing great so I'm still happy

TBH I think they may have gone out a bit early.  I planted out in early June and they were at the tops of the sticks by the end of the month.  Then they died

[Babstreefern]

I've grown runner beans for the past 4 years, but this year, I decided to go to French Climbing beans.  There are only so much runner beans you can eat.

Is your plot a new one that hasn't been worked on or have you inherited from someone, as the ground may not be good enough.  I had problems last year, as we moved plots, and the one we've just taken over has been worked, and my beans came a cropper (sorry for the pun ), but anyway, I ripped them all down, dug a trench in the section I was growing them, buried them, then threw some manure in and BFB, then filled it in, and started with some more beans and hey presto, I got a bumber crop.  Hoping its not too late, plant some more beans and leave them in the greenhouse, as they will shoot up with the heat, and then plant them out, and hopefully, you may get some beans this year

[chrisjsmith]

Know what you mean about there being only so many runner beans you can eat.  We got loads last year and were sick of them by the end of summer.  Delusions lead to me plantingn more this year (and some left over seeds!)

The plot is actually my garden so I've worked it for 3 years now into a semi-respectable state.  It had swedes and turnips in the patch last year so should be ok AFAIK.  It was well composted and dug and turned over the winter.

Got some of those free BBC french beans in elsewhere which appear to be doing ok as well.

Oh well

[WirralWally]

WirralWally ... go on knock a man while hes down 

  Sorry, hadn't meant to be smug.
I had three goes at planting runner beans this year.
The first two sowings just disappeared in the ground. Nowt; zilch; gone; vanished!
Third lot grew but didn't appear to be producing anything edible - until the rains came.

Now I can supply the neighbourhood.

[Babstreefern]

WirralWally, when they disappear, it may be because of slugs eating as youngsters, before they have got going.  I always sling some slug pellets in amongst them, and I don't have any problems now. 

[chris23005]

[quote
Got some of those free BBC french beans in elsewhere which appear to be doing ok as well.

Oh well
[/quote]

I have to say that out of the free French beans from the BBC and the dwarf beans that I planted, the free ones are doing brilliantly! Taste good too!

[JohnB47]

Bad luck Chris.

I've heard, from lots of long term allotment owners, that you can't really predict what's going to happen one year to the next in this lark.

I've done alright this year - used soapy solution on some of the blackfly, leaving some for the ladybirds. The allotment is heaving with ladybirds at the moment - lots crawling over my winter squash for some reason - no blackfly on them.

But next year I think I'll sow some runners early and some later (both in pots to start with), so that I can maybe beat any early disaster using a second planting. Just a thought. It seems to me that it took a while for the blackfly predators to get going this year.

[Paul Plots]

.......Hoping its not too late, plant some more beans and leave them in the greenhouse, as they will shoot up with the heat, and then plant them out, and hopefully, you may get some beans this year

I think this is good advice - if you have some seed stick them in paper pots or 3" pots, water well and keep and eye on them in the greenhouse.

As soon as you have a couple of leaves (any sort.. seed or true) stick them out on the plot with a dash of slug bait and, who knows, you might get a good late crop!

Best of luck! 

[Bluebell007]

Hi i have had excellent results with my Runners- St George, My next door neighbour has had complete failure tho. His are covered in black fly and not even 1 bean, At the weekend while he was out I tied a few bunches of my picked beans to his plant with cotton. It made him laugh when he saw it!   

[granjan]

Hi i have had excellent results with my Runners- St George, My next door neighbour has had complete failure tho. His are covered in black fly and not even 1 bean, At the weekend while he was out I tied a few bunches of my picked beans to his plant with cotton. It made him laugh when he saw it!   

That's just so funny 

I've been growing Painted Lady for the last two years.  Apparently, Painted Lady and Scarlet Emperor are two of the first beans bought into the UK in 1645.  I only know that 'cause I read it in the weekend newspaper    St. George is an new offspring of Painted Lady and is supposed to be much better so I'm interested to hear it's doing well.  They look so nice with the bi-colour flowers too.

[diggerjoe]

mine are really slow this year  but I put this down to where they are on the plot. Where they should have gone is a nice big bed previously well manured which is still home to my new shed in bits waiting till I get the time to put it up - so beans went in another area not manured soft ground but had to rely on chicken pellets for fertilizer - the beans have struggled and put this with black fly I reckon that there will be space in the freezer this year