Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans, and
often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are dozens of
them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been hiding, and how
can I be sure to find the damnned things before they get to the stage when
they are inedible?

Alan

"alan.holmes" wrote in message
...
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans, and
often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are dozens of
them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been hiding, and
how can I be sure to find the damnned things before they get to the stage
when they are inedible?


They're good at hiding aren't they? We pick them in 3 stages. SWMBO picks
all she can see, then I pick all I can see, then SWMBO goes back a few
minutes later and picks some more. We still miss a couple, but not many.

Steve

On Aug 26, 7:46*pm, "alan.holmes" wrote:
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans, and
often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are dozens of
them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been hiding, and how
can I be sure to find the damnned things before they get to the stage when
they are inedible?

After you have picked every one you can find, offer the grandchildren
50p for every one they can find.
Voila, bean mountain, empty wallet!

shazzbat wrote:

"alan.holmes" wrote in message
...
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans,
and often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are
dozens of them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been
hiding, and how can I be sure to find the damnned things before they
get to the stage when they are inedible?


They're good at hiding aren't they? We pick them in 3 stages. SWMBO
picks all she can see, then I pick all I can see, then SWMBO goes back a
few minutes later and picks some more. We still miss a couple, but not
many.

Steve

Ditto that. Spouse and me follow each other along the row. Each
inevitably finding lots the other has missed.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

alan.holmes writes
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans, and
often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are dozens of
them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been hiding, and how
can I be sure to find the damnned things before they get to the stage when
they are inedible?

If you shake the plants, the heavy beans have a different movement from
the leaves and are easier to spot.
--
Kay

"moghouse" wrote in message
...
On Aug 26, 7:46 pm, "alan.holmes" wrote:
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans, and
often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are dozens of
them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been hiding, and
how
can I be sure to find the damnned things before they get to the stage when
they are inedible?

After you have picked every one you can find, offer the grandchildren
50p for every one they can find.
Voila, bean mountain, empty wallet!

ROTFL!

Alan

alan.holmes wrote:
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans,
and often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are
dozens of them, huge and well past their best, so where have they
been hiding, and how can I be sure to find the damnned things before
they get to the stage when they are inedible?

Alan
Do they ever stop producing?
--
Pete C
London UK

alan.holmes wrote:
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans,
and often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are
dozens of them, huge and well past their best, so where have they
been hiding, and how can I be sure to find the damnned things before
they get to the stage when they are inedible?

Alan



I find the best technique is to walk along the row both ways twice, each
side.
The first pass is eyes looking eye level and below, the second is eye level
and above.
Eight passes in all per row.
Only one row here fortunately !

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

On Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:04:46 +0100, K wrote:

alan.holmes writes
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans, and
often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are dozens of
them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been hiding, and how
can I be sure to find the damnned things before they get to the stage when
they are inedible?

If you shake the plants, the heavy beans have a different movement from
the leaves and are easier to spot.

I saw an idea on a gardening prog ages ago. A guy put his bean-canes
in quite wide apart, joined the tops of them with pieces of water-pipe
to make an arch, so that you can walk down the middle. The beans
largely hang down on the inside. I tried it one year. It needed some
work to get the canes to stay in the pipe. My pieces of pipe were too
large a diameter.

Pam in Bristol

On 2009-08-27 12:12:11 +0100, Pam Moore said:

On Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:04:46 +0100, K wrote:

alan.holmes writes
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans, and
often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are dozens of
them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been hiding, and how
can I be sure to find the damnned things before they get to the stage when
they are inedible?

If you shake the plants, the heavy beans have a different movement from
the leaves and are easier to spot.

I saw an idea on a gardening prog ages ago. A guy put his bean-canes
in quite wide apart, joined the tops of them with pieces of water-pipe
to make an arch, so that you can walk down the middle. The beans
largely hang down on the inside. I tried it one year. It needed some
work to get the canes to stay in the pipe. My pieces of pipe were too
large a diameter.

Pam in Bristol

Looks pretty done with peasticks out of the hedge, or with dried out
willow, too. I say 'dried out' because otherwise you find they've
rooted and you have a permanent arch!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

In article ,
Pam Moore wrote:
On Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:04:46 +0100, K wrote:

alan.holmes writes
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans, and
often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are dozens of
them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been hiding, and how
can I be sure to find the damnned things before they get to the stage when
they are inedible?

If you shake the plants, the heavy beans have a different movement from
the leaves and are easier to spot.

I saw an idea on a gardening prog ages ago. A guy put his bean-canes
in quite wide apart, joined the tops of them with pieces of water-pipe
to make an arch, so that you can walk down the middle. The beans
largely hang down on the inside. I tried it one year. It needed some
work to get the canes to stay in the pipe. My pieces of pipe were too
large a diameter.

My bean cage is a 12'x12' frame, 6' high, made up of a runner bean
device I bought, bits of old climbing frame and swing, and some
metal tubing. I put strings for them to climb up, and across.
As I say, beans come out of my ears :-)

This year, I am growing runners, borlotti, blue beans, pea beans
and lablab - and ONE green bean plant. The pea beans and green
one are in the centre.

Has anyone grown lablab successfully? I sowed mine in late February,
and they sat doing nothing until June, and then started growing
vigorously. But no flowers yet, and it's getting late.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In message , shazzbat
writes

"alan.holmes" wrote in message
...
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans,
and often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are
dozens of them, huge and well past their best, so where have they
been hiding, and how can I be sure to find the damnned things before
they get to the stage when they are inedible?


They're good at hiding aren't they? We pick them in 3 stages. SWMBO
picks all she can see, then I pick all I can see, then SWMBO goes back
a few minutes later and picks some more. We still miss a couple, but
not many.

Steve

For the last few years I have adopted the method of sticking 8 ft canes
in the ground (2 rows of 10 or so facing each other) but, rather than
leaving 1ft or so overlap at the top as "normal", I "cross" them much
lower down leaving at least 4 - 5 ft on the upper side of the cross.
This has certainly been beneficial in being able to spot the beans most
of which hang straight down above the cross point. I grow in raised 4ft
wide beds and have never had them overlapping the parameters of the bed.
Out of interest, since adopting this practice the beans have done much
better in the village flower show )). It may be worth considering for
next year.
--
Gopher .... I know my place!
Deepest Dorset

"K" wrote in message
...
alan.holmes writes
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans, and
often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are dozens of
them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been hiding, and
how
can I be sure to find the damnned things before they get to the stage when
they are inedible?

If you shake the plants, the heavy beans have a different movement from
the leaves and are easier to spot.

That's far too complicated for me to remember!(:-)

Alan

"Pete C" wrote in message
...


alan.holmes wrote:
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans,
and often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are
dozens of them, huge and well past their best, so where have they
been hiding, and how can I be sure to find the damnned things before
they get to the stage when they are inedible?

Alan
Do they ever stop producing?

Yes but hopefully not for another month!

Alan

"K" wrote in message
...
alan.holmes writes
Each morning I go to the bottom of the garden to pick runner beans, and
often I cannot find any, then a couple of days later there are dozens of
them, huge and well past their best, so where have they been hiding, and
how
can I be sure to find the damnned things before they get to the stage when
they are inedible?

If you shake the plants, the heavy beans have a different movement from
the leaves and are easier to spot.

I don't want to wait until they are heavy I want to eat them young!

Alan