A Simpler Life 2018

DawnW

Cottage_Economy wrote: »

What sort of yield do you get off per plant? I've grown dwarf French beans before when I had no space for climbers and got quite a reasonable amount off them but never tried climbing beans.

Is there a secret to getting climbing French bean started off??

You get loads, just as with runner beans
I start them off in pots indoors and plant out when danger of frost is past, that is all, no particular secrets. They are trickier to get to germinate outside unless you leave it late and the soil is really warm. Sometimes I do them on the kitchen windowsill, sometimes the conservatory (cold) and sometimes in my little lean to greenhouse (cold), wherever there is space, they don't seem to mind which, as long as they are protected from frost. Don't bother to start them till the second week in April at the earliest.

GreyQueen

I've given up on peas, they're like crack cocaine to the birdies and are a PITA (in my opinion) to stake. Between mice stealing the seeds, the birds, the staking, the pea moth laying grubs and the fiddliness of picking them, I find it easier to do without.

I do grow broad beans, the autumn-sown batch are about 8 inches high atm and I may sow a spring batch. They're pretty self-sufficient and crop heavily.

With runners, they're very attractive to slugs and snails and I have to sow four times what I need if I sow in open ground, so many of them get chewed up to mere stalks. I usually start mine in pots in the cold frame and transplant them out when they've got a good twining lead shoot.

They're incredibly productive. I had a humungous amount of beans growing on a single wigwam and none of the experienced gardeners who saw them could credit that there were only six plants on there!

You can also grow runner beans up a string up a housewall, if you have an eyelet or something else to tie the string into. I've even seen them growing up sunflowers, something I'd like to do myself this year - might as well let nature provide some of the scaffolding, hey?

elmer

Oh Grey Queen dont say that about peas, Im not very keen on eating beans but absolutely love raw peas, so I hoped to grow them both together and eat the peas whilst I pick and then decide what to do with the beans

I will probably put them in spaghetti bog as i prefer it with more veg than mince

Well_Preserved

Just dropping in to comment, for anyone with limited space who likes runner beans and doesn!!!8217;t know, there are a few dwarf varieties available that can even be grown in containers. Hestia is the one that comes to mind. It has pretty red & white flowers. I!!!8217;m sure there are others.

DawnW

I have grown all kinds of climbing beans in large pots, they are fine if you water and feed them enough. The Hestia ones are pretty though

I don't grow actual peas any more, as I don't have the space here, but I do grow a few mangetout or sugar snaps most years... why not give those a try? They are never cheap to buy.

elmer

I could push the boat out pea wise and try them all, mange tout sugar snap and normal traditional ones, which are the ones I love

The Hestia beans sound nice too, as I like flowers, I now have a spare room so I can start them indoors, I have mahoosive slugs so any plantlets barely last the night, so I will start collecting pop bottles as well to use as cloches

Oo its nice to have a plan, Its been sunny for a bit today and the snow has cleared somewhat so Ive uncovered the snowdrops from the dead dross that was covering them, at least at the top of the garden

I will hopefully work my way down over the next few weeks, then mulching from the compost bin

Its so nice to feel that spring is approaching

elmer

I was too optimistic about spring

More snow last night and we are back to a Winter Wonderland again today, its -3 but very pretty as long as you dont go outside

DawnW

Maybe a bit early yet. I live in SW England, and all I have planted so far are some broad beans and lambs lettuce, and those are in pots in the greenhouse. No snow here, but freezing cold and it keeps sleeting - that doesn't even have the advantage of looking pretty

RicardaRacoon

Evening all

Just quickly sticking my head in to say hello! Hope you are all well and the simple-living goes to plan!

It definitively doesn't look like spring here... But it was rather sunny today and I sat in the office almost falling asleep wishing I could go outside for a walk...

In a way I am rather pleased with how it goes at the moment. I cook everything from scratch (can count the convenience things on one hand and most of them were even things like peanut butter that I could do from scratch but just don't think it is worth the hassle), I'm already on my 7. book this year and have been to the library twice already. Also I haven't bought much besides groceries, household essentials (including my new toaster...), catfood and a few meals out... Basically all I got were a years supply of my favourite foundation and concealer (departement store does a 25% off on cosmetics in February and I use to stock up), a knitting pattern and a monthly subsciption to the British Newspaper Archives (have decided to cancel it now)

But I am starting to slip back into the internet-blackhole again, where instead of going to bed I end up surfing around, doing useless things... So really need to have an eye on that again!
So plan for tonight is knitting while watching a podcast and then an early night with a good book... Will see how that goes...

CottageEconomy, 50 kg of spuds sounds like a rather useful tip! When I was small the company my Dad worked for got sent a big box of grapefruits each year. Besides my Dad and his boss nooone was too keen on them, so it basically meant half a box for us, half a box for Dads boss and his family...

I am tempted to have an allotement every now and then, but then... All this work and in the end you have no cucumbers or 20 at the same time...

Have a nice evening everyone!

RainbowHippie

jackyann wrote: »

Welcome! I have a butterbean version of hummus that you might like.
Gently fry a chopped onion in rapeseed oil ( or whatever) while doing that, cut a lemon in half and put cut sides down in the pan. When golden, take off the heat, and stir in a teaspoon of cumin.
Drain and rinse a tin of butter beans, squeeze the juice out of the lemon, and add any of the soft pulp that is easy to get out. Put in a blender with the onion and oil. Add salt, pepper, paprika to taste.
Good luck with the workroom

Thanks Jackyann - sorry for the delay in replying, i have only just read far enough to catch up with the point where i first posted! The dip sounds amazing, i will give it a try

Thanks to everyone for the welcome and hummus tips

No major progress on my craft room/office yet as the person who won the bed (that's currently taking up much of the space) on ebay didn't pay and took a week to let me know they didn't actually want it :mad: It's relisted so will keep my fingers crossed that someone wants it. In the mean time OH has arranged for some friends to stay over this weekend so the room has to be presentable (and the bed will be used so possibly a good job it didn't sell!), which means not much 'deep' sorting-out is likely to get done. Also one of our longer-term guests is moving out this weekend to his new place, which is convenient as i'll then have that room to use as a sorting area, but we will miss having him around.

I am very impressed at everyone's veg growing - i'm limited to pots on the patio at the moment, but love the idea of trying french beans and spinach, maybe some lambs lettuce too I look forward to hearing more about everyone's growing adventures during the year.

Enjoy the rest of your week all xx