Runner Beans

Anon999 · February 2016

Hi, It's a bit hot here but now winter time and my Runners have grown reasonably well with many flowers and tiny beans. The problem is once they get to 2" long maximum, they stop growing and eventually wither and die. I now use self pollinating seeds because there is a shortage of bees most years due to Hornets. Tried other types previously but only a very few beans due to shortage of bees. Why should they stop growing as no shortage of water and not exposed to the sun during hottest part of the day? Any solutions?

Dovefromabove · February 2016

Tell us more about your beans and how you grow them please. Whereabouts I the world are you?

Some photos of the whole bean plants and close ups of the flowers and beans would be helpful.

To upload a photo you need to click on the green tree icon on the toolbar above where you type your post.

What is the name of the variety of bean you are growing?

Nanny Beach · February 2016

Been (bean!!!) growing Firestorm a few years since they came out really good cropper. Lovelly and stringless. Also grow Armstrong recom3ended by Pippa Greenwood, not a very good crop at all.

Lyn · February 2016

I always grow Firestorm as well, always get them from Marshalls, they usually do a free P&P later on. I much prefer self pollinating varieties, no need to worry then if you get bees or not. Always a bumper crop as well.

Dovefromabove · February 2016

No response from the original poster yet - I wonder if he/she's on the other side of the world.

If there's no pollination problem my suspicion is that the plants are suffering from drought - beans do need a prodigious amount of water - because my garden is quite free-draining I usually give mine half an hour's soaking at the roots at least three times a week, even if it's rained recently. The heavy foliage of climbing beans keeps a lot of rainfall off the soil underneath them.

Runner Beans

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