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help needed please

dodododo Posts: 48
in Fruit & veg
hello i have some runnerbeans, some peas , and 3 cucumber plants l to plant i dont know which ones to plant where,   will they all grow to the same height or should i put one in front which may be smaller i do not have a lot of space  but am willing to have ago at this any help will be appreciated thanks 

Posts

  • dodododo Posts: 48
    oh i forgot to say the runnerbeans and peas are just seeds

  • SueAtooSueAtoo Posts: 380
    Runner beans need something to climb up, like bamboo sticks. can get to 8' or so but you can pinch out to 6' or so in order to reach the beans. Peas maybe around a metre, again need something to cling to, maybe twiggy pea sticks, twiggy prunings or netting. Don't know about cucumbers, some people grow up supports.
    East Dorset, new (to me) rather neglected garden.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Make a wigwam with long bamboo canes for the beans. I usually just let cucumbers run around on the ground but the ones I had last year looked as though they wanted to climb up something so I made a frame with bamboo canes but they needed a bit of help with tying up with twine.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    dodo,  If you intend to regularly grow runner beans and peas, you'll benefit from investing in your own specialised kit that will last you for years on end - but hardly worth it for a one off trial.  I grow runners with 24 plants in one square yard/metre of ground, see attached, and peas on plastic covered wire fencing, either of which would suit your lack of space?
  • pinutpinut Posts: 194
    edited April 2023
    You need to go vertical when you're limited in surface area.

    Build a pergola out of bamboo canes (atleast 20-25mm diameter), wooden battens or whatever materials you have at hand. It must be about 2m tall and must be built strong in order to withstand gale force winds.

    Lets assume that the plot is 1sq meter with sides top, bottom, left and right when looking down from above. Sun light hits the outer side of the right the most and tracks roughly from top to bottom.

    Plant runner beans (2 to 5 plants) on the left side of the square. Train them up strings suspended from the top of the pergola. They will twine themselves up the strings and eventually form a canopy roof which will shade out everything underneath.

    Plant 2 cucumbers on the top side and 1 on the bottom side - place them nearer to the opposite corner of the runner beans. Train the cucumbers up strings and prune them like vine tomatoes (remove side shoots) so that the fruits form on the main vine or very close to it. Alternatively, remove side shoots at the point just beyond one female flower. Pruning is very important and must be done to allow light into the centre.

    Plant peas in the centre, close spacing so that they form their own supports. You can insert sticks to help.

    Water well and at regular intervals once the plants kick into action as the weather improves. Try not to get the leaves wet and try not to water the cucumbers directly at the base.

    Fertilise with a 7:7:7 fertiliser, tomato feed, home-made comfrey/weed coffee etc once flowers appear or as required.

    Unless you want seeds, harvest regularly to keep the plants productive. Harvest even if you will not be making use of the crop, otherwise, the plants will think, "I've produced the next generation, now I can finally die".

    Slugs, snails and powdery mildew are the main enemies of these crops. You will probably encounter the latter on the cucumbers around August time - just prune off badly affected leaves when this happens.


  • dodododo Posts: 48
    thankyou all very much for your help and advice 
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487

    pinut  Better 'styx' can be obtained by using two, or 2.5, drainage/chimney rods that will last for years.  Central pole, ideally plastic.  Wheel of some sort on top, to which are attached the styx using cable ties.  Pic attached and mine are in their tenth year.
  • dodododo Posts: 48
    thankyou for all your  comments and advise much appreciated  as an update i took the advise of vertically growing  my runner beans seem to be thriving,  peas are slow growing but still alive ,  i have a cucumber growing on my plant which im dead pleased about ,also 2 pumpkin plants are growing had lots of flowers , my squash plant isnt doing much except growing still which is good i think . my tomatoeplants are getting tall and i planted a raspberry plantand am amazed some raspberries are growing.all in all im quite chuffed i never thought id be able to do it . once again thanks so much 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    How lovely to hear such positive news in what has, for many of us, been quite a tricky growing season. Thank you 🙏 and please don’t hesitate to come back with more queries if you have any 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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