In article ,
Janet wrote:
In article ,
says...

Yes, but of what and whom - as in your statement, 'the
executive summary is that runner beans do NOT always crop for a
couple of months'?

How about, "of gardeners in colder parts of the country". The ones
where the growing season between frost dates, can be so short I always
have to give runner beans and sweet corn a head start under cover.
Completely different from Hereford and Worcestershire where we used to
poke the beans in the soil and stand back.

You can't count on a crop of runner beans every year up here. Last
summer in Scotland arrived so late and cold it was a disaster for runner
beans.

Nor in the warmer parts in the lighter soils! Here, the problem is that
it is fairly common for the weather to be either too cold or too dry for
them to set. And they have the characteristic that, once they have
stopped setting / flowering profusely because they are too dry, they
need an extended period of combined warmth and wet to start again.
It's a well-known problem in the east, but doesn't affect everyone,
even here, because the soil and aspect are also involved.

Last year, I tried ripening some for use as dried beans - and it was a
complete disaster, because I started too late (the end of August).
There wasn't enough sun after that to ripen them.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.