To snip or not to snip? The beans have reached the top of the 10-11 foot structure. Just let them keep growing or snip them back to encourage growth lower on the vine?
A photo in the evening light tonight. The structure is made from 2 movable fence sections left by the prior home owners. The climbers are helda (romano) beans with while blossoms, violet podded stringless beans with purple blossoms and scarlet emperor runner beans with red blossoms. We've harvested only about 6 of these beans so far. At the bottom of the photo are bush beans - romano gold and a French/filet type called cupidon. These we have been harvesting all week.Recap: all beans planted May 30th. Seedlings were chomped by something in late June, and then looked like this in July. I fear we will soon be leaving beans on the neighbors' doorsteps.
6 comments:
I love your bean structure! We always pinched our beans out and had great crops. I'm only doing the dwarf ones this year in a pot..not an abundant crop but enough for me.
I've always let mine drop down over the top of the structure, but based on Ruth's comment, I think I'll try cutting mine back tonight and see if I get new growth that way.
Where do you get the coffee bags?
I was just taking to a coworker about these today. They are really a beautiful vine as well as delicious.
Have you ever mixed and ornamental annual vine with a vine thats grown for produce? The results can be beautiful.
All the best, BOB
Thanks for the pinching tip, Ruth. I snipped some I could reach tonight. Glad you are getting some beans too.
Bob, I haven't tried mixing in things other than runner beans (which I still like to eat, but some grow for the flowers) and other pole beans. What other vines do you suggest? I could see some other flowering types would be nice.
Molly, bags come from one of the local coffee roasters (can't you think of a few around here?) As you're local, I could get some for you if you'd like. I pick up a subaru load now and then. May have to be after this I-5 construction mess is over though. I'm sticking to my van pool routine 'til that's over. Let me know.
These would be great inter-planted with morning glory as an ornamental. I do this on a ladder trellis inside my cold frame, since it don't use it in summer.
Hey Petunia . . . SNAP!!!!
we had a runner bean arch too:
http://purplepoddedpeas.blogspot.com/2007/08/salford-black-runner-beans.html
Just goes to show 'great minds ... ' and all that!
Celia
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