wrote in message
oups.com...
4 weeks later on and Batch No. 1 is shooting up. The shoots are about
4-6 inches high!
It's not yet warm enough to plant out. Should I "pinch off" the top
growth -- looks like they may get spindly if they keep growing.

Thanks,
Bruce


Don't pinch off the tops. Very gently secure the end of a piece
of string* at the edge of each pot and very gently wind the string
around the stem. Clockwise if they're runners, anti-clockwise
if they're climbing french beans * and find some way of securing
the strings above the beans. They're not too long as such, but
if they're allowed to flop over, and grow horizontally, they
could get tangled up. And you'll damage them trying to
untangle them. When it's time for planting out, you can
continue to train them up their strings - based on a framework
of canes - you tie these strings to strings already hung from
a cross piece above. Or you can simply wind the strings
very loosely and carefully around the foot of the canes.
Being very careful not to pinch the stems at any point.
Vessels in the stems will be supplying water and nutrient
to the plant when it's 8 ft tall. Once they're damaged
in any way, that's it. Finito.


michael adams

....

* long enough to secure it to something overhead

** In the Northern hemsisphere, from above runner beans
wind clockwise all other climbing beans anti clockwise.