People are wondering why French & runner beans go curly.
curly-beans
TopVeg spent a whole summer at Penn State university measuring the angle of the curve – for plots of beans which were grown with different amounts of trace elements!
bent-runner-bean
There does not seem to be much literature available about this, so we asked the Pea Growing Research Organisation why beans grow curly. This is their answer:
“We are not sure if there is any single reason for pod curvature. Some
varieties are more prone and although we tend to avoid the worst ones,
environmental conditions can be an over-riding factor. Temperatures,
particularly big fluctuations between day and night temperatures can be
associated but some work in the US seems to think that trace element
deficiencies may also be involved.”
Pod curvature in beans is due to several factors:
* temperature – particularly big fluctuations between day and night
* uneven rainfall
* trace element deficiencies
* bean variety -
White Apollo
is a runner bean variety producing straight beans.
Runner beans form long, flat pods which have to be eaten when young.
Picking every other day is essential to ensure a continual supply. They stop producing flowers if any beans are not picked. Runner beans are a highly productive vegetable and the flowers are decorative.
branch-runner-beans
Stick beans is another name for runner beans because they climb up sticks or poles.
- The poles should be 80cm x 80cm apart.
Hazel is the preferred pole, but they are hard to get hold of. It is possible to buy plastic poles, or bamboo canes can be used. These must be firmly supported, as the foliage becomes very heavy, and strong winds will blow them over. The usual method is to have a double line of
inwardly facing and crossed poles with a horizontal holding bar tied along the ridge. Wigwams are becoming more popular, with a cone of poles tied at the top into a wigwam shape.
- Sow 2-3 seeds per pole or cane, when the danger of frost has passed.
Runner beans require a well-dug fertile soil with good drainage.
Varieties
* *Painted Lady - long beans, red&white flowers, high yields
* *Desiree - long, stringless pods . White flowers, heavy cropper, good flavour
* *Enorma – excellent cropper with slender beans
* *Scarlet Emperor - very long beans, delicious and tender
Bean flowers are beautiful and so variable. These photos show french
bean, broad bean and scarlet runner bean flowers.
french-bean-flower
broad-bean-flowers
runner-bean-flowers
The bean row has a succession of beans, starting with broad beans planted in November, followed by two later plantings of broad beans, ending with runner beans and french beans.
bean-row
The early broad beans are now over. The second planting of broad beans, Sutton, have suffered from Chocolate Spot.
They have not grown as tall as the first planting, but they have produced a reasonable amount of beans, and the pods have not been affected by the Chocolate Spot fungus.
chocolate-spot-on-beans
The final planting of broad beans, Bunyards Exhibition & Masterpiece Green Long Pod, are taller and less branching than the early variety. They look clean, with little disease. The pods
are developing well.
Bunyards-Exhibition-&-Maste
The runner beans and french beans are streaking up the supports at the far end of the row, spiralling anticlockwise tightly around the pole.
beans-climbing-poles
Now the first lot of broad beans is finished, they will be replaced with more runner beans. So this patch will be double cropped with beans, broad beans at the start of the season, and runner beans to finish the season.
broad-bean-stump
