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Hello, I am new to this forum - there seems to be a lot of knowledge and experience here, so I hope someone can help me!
I used to grow a lot of my own veg some 20 years ago, so am not entirely without experience, but definitely rather rusty! This year I felt inspired to try growing some easy crops in my garden here in the Netherlands and among other things I planted some runner beans. I raised them myself from seed (Streamline), and I then planted half the plants in a (new) builders' container (diameter 20", depth approx 12"), with a central pole and hairy string leading up from holes in the side of the container to the top of the pole. I filled the container with compost with the recommended amount of dried cow dung mixed in. The other half of the plants I put into the ground next to the container where I dug in some compost and dried cow dung (about half garden soil, half compost resulting).
This was done on 1st May - early, I know, but our weather was pretty mild. The plants in the container shot up, plenty of leaves, and began flowering about a month ago. The plants in the ground grew much more slowly, but are now at the top of the poles and flowering nicely.
Not many flowers have set, which doesn't bother me too much atm, but what does bother me is that the plants in the container have become very pale yellowy-green, (this began about 3 weeks ago) and now the beans that have set are also going yellow and dropping off! In contrast the plants in the ground are a good green colour and producing their first edible beans! The yellow plants have also stopped growing and flowering.
I read that you shouldn't give beans nitrogen, but a week ago in desperation I did feed them with a general liquid vegetable fertiliser, but I don't see any result. The only other thing I can think of is that the weather in the last week has been very hot, sometimes above 30C, and I wondered if the roots became too hot in the container? I have kept the plants well watered, so I don't think that is an issue.
Has anybody any ideas for me? Do you think the container beans are saveable?
I have seen one or two threads in the past about this, but no-one seems to have come back with a solution!
Thanks!
I used to grow a lot of my own veg some 20 years ago, so am not entirely without experience, but definitely rather rusty! This year I felt inspired to try growing some easy crops in my garden here in the Netherlands and among other things I planted some runner beans. I raised them myself from seed (Streamline), and I then planted half the plants in a (new) builders' container (diameter 20", depth approx 12"), with a central pole and hairy string leading up from holes in the side of the container to the top of the pole. I filled the container with compost with the recommended amount of dried cow dung mixed in. The other half of the plants I put into the ground next to the container where I dug in some compost and dried cow dung (about half garden soil, half compost resulting).
This was done on 1st May - early, I know, but our weather was pretty mild. The plants in the container shot up, plenty of leaves, and began flowering about a month ago. The plants in the ground grew much more slowly, but are now at the top of the poles and flowering nicely.
Not many flowers have set, which doesn't bother me too much atm, but what does bother me is that the plants in the container have become very pale yellowy-green, (this began about 3 weeks ago) and now the beans that have set are also going yellow and dropping off! In contrast the plants in the ground are a good green colour and producing their first edible beans! The yellow plants have also stopped growing and flowering.
I read that you shouldn't give beans nitrogen, but a week ago in desperation I did feed them with a general liquid vegetable fertiliser, but I don't see any result. The only other thing I can think of is that the weather in the last week has been very hot, sometimes above 30C, and I wondered if the roots became too hot in the container? I have kept the plants well watered, so I don't think that is an issue.
Has anybody any ideas for me? Do you think the container beans are saveable?
I have seen one or two threads in the past about this, but no-one seems to have come back with a solution!Thanks!
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