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Beans misbehaving
Lesley Finch
Posts: 7
in Fruit & veg
I planted my runner beans out in a large pot with a wigwam about four weeks ago. They are growing well and are about a third of the way up the poles but are not climbing!!! I've loosely tied them in and attempted to wind them clock wise but they don't seem to want to climb. Today I untied one and attempted to twine it anti-clock wise to see if it preferred this and it doesn't seem to want to go this way either 
to make matters worse the stem has gone limp, yet it is not broken 
do I just leave them to sort themselves out? help!!!
0
Posts
I think that they climb anti clockwise but they will need tying in until they realise it.
Runner beans climb anti- clockwise (when viewed from above) but sometimes they do seem to take a while to get the hang of it - I wonder if the strongish winds we've had lately haven't helped - most of mine got the hang of it but some just wouldn't until I sloped a small cane next to them holding the tip of the bean shoot against their wigwam and by next morning they'd got the idea and were winding themselves upwards quite happily.
Just continue as you have done and tie the stem against the pole - they'll get the hang of it eventually.
They'll need loads of water in a container, especially in this windy weather which dries plants out quickly.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Guess I'll have to untie them and re- tie them anti clock wise then. They are getting plenty of water and otherwise are growing well.
Hope so!!! bought them as young plants from the local garden centre and they were labelled as such!!!
Not really Verdun, I trusted that the garden centre had the plants labelled correctly. Think a few people will be in this situation 1Runybreak1 after all this rain
Just double checked and these are without a doubt runner beans verdun
They most certainly are verdun!!