"Barney" This years runner bean crop was
especially bad for us as the flowers for the first 4ft of height fell off
and failed to set.
Anything particular which can be done to prevent the same happening next

Someone once said that runner bean flowers set better if they get wet. So
when watering mine I always give the foliage and flowers a light wetting
too. I've never had any failed runner bean crops and have been growing them
for around 10 years now, so perhaps its true. I water/wet mine in the late
evening as the sun starts to go down to avoid scorching the leaves.
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/