I grew climbing Borlotto beans last year, and got a good harvest. But the stakes and twigs I put up for them to climb on didn't work very well. I had cut some twiggy branches off the Hazelnut trees in the garden, and stuck them into the ground, but the weight of the beans eventually made them fall over, and the whole lot dragged on the ground.
This year I am trying sterner measures. Leo gave me 12 good stout bamboo poles last Autumn, that have been drying in the shed over Winter. I have used them to make a stable frame based on triangles, that shouldn't fall down, assuming the knots hold. I have been leaning Hazelnut branches and twigs against this frame, tying them on, so I hope that this year the beans will have good support.
I'll be putting down runner beans, Borlotto beans, and I'm also going to see if the sweet pea seeds I saved from 2018 are going to germinate, maybe I can grow them up the poles too. I just love sweet peas.
Checking on my friends across the world. Hope you and your family are doing well in this plague. I love the bean plants. So nice to have.
ReplyDeleteNo problems getting bamboo poles here!
ReplyDeleteBut yes, you do need something solid to support the weight of the foliage let alone the beans themselves.
Good luck with the sweet peas...mine were a dismal failure sown in the dry season even though watered. I will try again now that the rains are with us.
That's the flora side of it. Now, what about the fauna?
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