Climbing beans and peas in grow bags?

browneyedbazzi

Has anyone tried growing beans or peas in grow bags?

I'd really like to grow both, but don't really have room in the veg patch...I do however have a space on the patio adjacent to some wire fence. The wire fence is a temporary measure while we wait for a hedge to grow on the other side, so I quite like the idea of growing something that climbs up the fence to provide a bit of screening. I was wondering if a some grow bags could solve the lack of space in the veg patch and the need for some screening at the same time.

Good idea or doomed to fail???

Linda32

I do have an idea, I've seen or read it somewhere. I have to say I've never tried it, I'll try to explain.

Take your growbag and turn it on its end. Cut the end off as if it was a bag of compost. Now you will have to shake quite hard to get the grow bag material to settle towards the bottom. Now roll down the side of the grow bag. Remeber its on its side now (Hope I am making sense here)

You might have to cut off some of the bag or empty out some of the material. If you manage it as I am thinking you ought to be able to insert three cains down the inside of the bag and grow your beans up these cains.

HTH and that it makes sense.

safestored4

I have very successfully grown climbing French beans in growbags against pea and bean netting along the side of a West facing garage for the past 15 years. I start the seed off around now on the kitchen windowsill, harden off outside for a few days once they have formed four or so leaves, and then finally transplant them into two staggered rows in the growbags - six plants at the back, five at the front. Keep well watered and give a weekly liquid feed - any of the tomato feeds that you can buy wiil do - as the nutrients in the compost in the growbag give out after a few weeks. I have not tried growing runner beans by this method as I suspect that their much more vigourous growth may require a greater depth of soil to succeed.

Either way, unless you are in penuary go for it. For the price of two growbags and a packet of seeds you could be eating fresh beans for a couple of months and stocking the freezer. If it doesn't work, so what, just try a different approch next year.

browneyedbazzi

Thank you both!

safestore - I prefer french beans to runners so that is what I will plant. I don't think I'll use seed though. The garden centre near me is selling plants in packs of 10 for £2 which is cheaper than a packet of the seeds. I won't need any more than 10 plants anyway (there's a limit to how many beans we will eat and my freezer is small).

I do have seeds for the peas though, but I've read they don't like being transplanted so it'll be best to sow them directly into the grow bags?

safestored4

Peas don't mind being transplanted provided there is not too much root disturbance. I start mine off by planting thickly an inch or so apart in lengths of plastic gutter in the back porch. The gutters are moved outside for hardening off once the peas are a couple of inches tall and no longer at risk from the mice (of which there are quite a few in our back garden, but we like watching them play about) . After a few days I just slide them out into their final position in the garden or down at the allotment.

On the question of cost I haven't had to buy any pea or bean seeds for the past two years. I came onlne across a small seed company in Wales who go under the name of The Real Seed Catalogue. They supply many old heritage varities and encourage you to save your own seed as a way of keeping the strains alive. I had not previously tried this but it works. Allow a few of the best pods to dry out, shell the peas or beans and keep them in a bowl in a warm place for a few weeks then pop them in an envelope over the winter. You can't try this with any modern F1 varities which may be what your garden centre is selling.