Grow Your Own Magazine

I know there are a couple of ways of planting beans and peas using poles....straight lines, in a circle etc. What do the grapes advise as to the best way?
Bernie aka Dexterdog

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

Hi dexter1 I use both methods and both work very well.
Here are a few things I would take into consideration:-

* If you garden on an exposed site, a long line of fully laden bean poles can easily be blown over by the wind!
* The same line of laden bean poles will cast a lot of shade over your other vegetables.
* If you grow a lot of one type of bean all together in lines can make sense though.
* If you like to experiment and grow smaller amounts of different legumes(like I do mostly)then the wigwam method would be better
* I think the wigwams are more decorative, they can also be fitted into 'odd' spaces
* Why not use both? Runner beans, climbing french beans, Borlotti beans, Butter beans and load of other legumes can be accomodated on either.
* And finally, you don't need to use poles, netting/mesh can also be used to good effect!

Make sure you eat plenty of legumes and you will finish up 'full of beans'!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

As an experiment I have set some beens against the border chain link fence!
Only problem is the house at the back, still they are welcome to have the ones thet stick through.

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

Like Snadger I have used both. I like to grow Climbing French and Yin-yang so I give each its own wigwam. This needn't take too much space - I put down an old round dustbin lid and plant in the circle this makes. Last year I grew up 2 long A-frames and included sweetpeas with the beans but I found that here and there they swamped each other out so I'm giving the SPs their own wigwam this year. I'm also going to grow some of the climbing French Beans up my sweetcorn as per 3 sisters. Lots of things work and I don't think anything is 'best' as such. You want 'best for you' and that depends on your space, your needs, what you find aesthetically delightful etc!

The taste will be fantastic however you grow them!

Flum

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

We are using the inverted V rows ala Snadgers suggestion on another thread, look great, make harvesting much easier and are nice n sturdy, or so Mrs D tells me, I havent seen them since she did them at the weekend while I was in hospital! Think I'll get her to show me today!

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Some things in their natural state have the most VIVID colors
Dobby

Well I have several fcators to consider:
lack of available space
raspberry canes
wind
laziness.

SO I find wigwams are easy to erect in confined spaces .. with the accent on QUICK and EASY.

So I do wigwams.. :-)

Thanks everyone! Think I will give both ways a try. Sorry to hear youve been in hospital mr d - hope you are feeling better soon!
Bernie aka Dexterdog

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things