Talked beans with friends yesterday. One said her neighbours each side of her grow beans. This year one side says theirs are flourishing while the other side say theirs are struggling so it is possibly what we did with the plants earlier as far as planting out and watering etc.
An update. Since the really hot weather finished my runners and climbers have flourished like never before - tons of flowers, loads of tender beans, full of flavour and not a hint of stringiness. They're still flowering like mad and I'm struggling to keep up with the harvest. The dwarf beans began to flower again last month, but though I've had a few average sized beans from them, they've been nothing like previous years in both quality and crop yield. But couldn't be happier with the runners, best ever! It pays to be patient. Thanks everyone.
Yup - the same for me. I had my first runners this year on Tuesday - lovely! The plants are growing like mad, covered in flowers and loads of little beans that'll be ready for Sunday roast
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Just goes to show it’s not the fault of the seed bean but that they needed more water. Mine have been the best ever, still producing, although almost finished, I always sow the drought tolerant ones.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I've had the same experience as several of you this year - good plants but no beans. I watered plenty during the drought, though that was not easy! The plants were vigorous, didnt wilt, had a fair number of flowers but no fruit set. They have started to produce copious flowers in the past couple of weeks and lots of beans are coming too. I figured it must have been the heat rather than lack of water per se in my case (lack of humidity yes, lack of irrigation no) and this has been borne out. Thank goodness - I love beans!
Just been reading up and heat at night is a factor - we had lots and lots of very hot nights in London:
"Very hot weather, especially at night, which inhibits the germination of pollen grains, interrupting the pollination and fruit-set process. Cropping should resume in September, once the nights start to cool down."
I don't think it is realised just how much water runner beans need. Many people say they water every night, for instance, but I feel strongly that is not enough. I have had an enormous crop, and have watered several times a day, and very large amounts! I would love to be more specific but maybe I will measure next year. that would be most interesting.
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I had my first runners this year on Tuesday - lovely!
The plants are growing like mad, covered in flowers and loads of little beans that'll be ready for Sunday roast
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Mine have been the best ever, still producing, although almost finished, I always sow the drought tolerant ones.
Just been reading up and heat at night is a factor - we had lots and lots of very hot nights in London:
"Very hot weather, especially at night, which inhibits the germination of pollen grains, interrupting the pollination and fruit-set process. Cropping should resume in September, once the nights start to cool down."
(from https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=381)