Grow Your Own Magazine

Interested to hear about the slug/snail problem with dwarf beans. If I put plastic on the ground around the bean plants to stop them trailing onto the soil would this help? I mean help stop the little b*ggers eating the beans, not aid their access to them. Grew purple teepee last year and snails got more than I did, but my own fault, planted them far too close together - eejit!

Hmmmmm, sadly, I guess I'd better sit this thread out.....see my thread on Cobra Bean germination or rather lack of it!!!

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Always aim for the best result possible not the best possible result

I always germinate mine in seed trays in the greenhouse. When I plant out in rows I plant 2 canes at each end of the row about 40cms apart . I then run string parallel to the row from one cane to the opposte end cane.. about 15-20cms above the ground. This discourages the woodpigeons and blackbirds..and collared doves... and magpies...

Hi Shortie, The two i grow are climbing French beans and are grown like runner beans up poles. I start mine of in root-trainers with good seed compost, that are placed on the window sill at the beginning of April. Once they come through, i remove the cover to let more air to them. Once they are about 5" high i start to harden them off taking them out in the morning and bringing them in at night for 14 days. After that i leave them out in the cold frame at night and lift the base of the root-trainer off the ground, this helps to make more root growth.

Plant them out to their final bed, as long as the last frosts have been in your area. Plant to the same depth as the root trainers. Tie in the plants to get them climbing with soft twine. Water in well and mulch with spent hops. If strong winds are forecast, cover the poles with fleece to an hight of about 2 or 3ft. Pinch out when they reach the top.

The two types that i grow are Cobra and Blauhilde

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good Diggin, Chuffa.

on the contrary. A plastic mulch creates a warm, moist, dark, private environment: slug heaven.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Yes I do this too..........seems to work, I got some slug matting this year to stop the little bleeders, just dont work the electric windows on your car when you have handled it!!

Only advice I can offer this thread is that beans are very fussy about temprature to germinate one degree too low and they wont germinate, three to four degrees or more higher and they will germinate in about a week. I always grow mine in my polytunel, or before I had one, in my hut in compartmented seed trays. The only varieties I have grown are the ones Lidl's sell,one green, one yellow and I've always had a good crop,this year I'm trying a purple Italian variety. When harvesting for the feezer parboil for about a minute and a half with a touch of salt as this keeps their colour, drain and plunge into cold water,bag and freeze. The same can be done for runner beans.