"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"David \(Normandy\)" writes:
|
| Is it really necessary to pinch them out? I've grown runner beans for
years
| up an elongated wigwam of bamboo canes and never pinched them out. We
always
| get far too many beans and end up giving lots away to visitors. It was
only
| last week we finished eating the remains of last years frozen ones.

No, but you end up with a complete tangle and can't find the beans,
which makes it hard to prevent some of them growing too big. But, as
I said, on a sufficiently large structure (my cage or a large wigwam),
there is no need to do that.

But that is part of the fun :-) peering into the tangle looking for beans.
The ones that elude me are usually those right at the bottom dragging on the
ground.

David.