"ajr" wrote in message
...
: Good afternoon,
:
: A couple of questions that hopefully someone can quickly answer - as
always
: a quick trawl of the 'net has produced a dozen different answers!
:
: I've been growing broad beans for a couple of years now and this years
crop
: has started to flower, but is very stunted; the tallest plant being only
: about 2 1/2 foot. Every other year they have started to flower at about 4
: foot, at which point I've 'pinched' the tops off; the plants have then
: continued to grow to about 5 foot and produced lots of beans.
:
: I assume that they are stunted this year due to lack off sunshine and the
: cold weather, as I've never grown them in the same spot twice and the area
: that they are in this year was well fertilize last autumn.
:
: If this is the case should I pinch the tops off to create 'dwarf broad
: beans', or will they shoot up if we get some warmer weather?
:
:
: Runner beans - should these be fed with anything i.e.: tomato feed etc
and
: if so when i.e.: when they start flowering?
:
: Many thanks in advance.
:
: Cheers,
:
: Andrew
:
I don't pinch the top off just because they're flowering , I let them go for
a while until they're a decent height or the blackfly starts. The runner
beans trench should be prepared for feeding beforehand with compost or
manure and a sprinkling of blood fish and bone or chicken pellets. There
should be no need to feed after that.... just add water as much as possible
in less wet days