But sometimes our readers ask specific questions which are not covered in the main article. This page lists their comments, questions and answers. ANSWER : What's happening is that as the roots begin to sprout they are unable initially to push down through the compost. They therefore push the seed upwards. You can try three things. First plant the seeds slightly deeper. Also, when you fill the pot with compost don't firm it down. Simply tap the base of the pot on a table to settle the compost slightly.
The final thing you can try is to only half or third fill the pot with compost, then place the seed on the compost. Place more compost over the seed to the correct depth. Think more along the lines of April next year. ANSWER : If the seeds haven't germinated in a month and they have what looks like mould then almost certainly I would throw them away and start again.
Make sure the new ones are kept warm and slightly damp but not water-logged. Are they doing any harm how can I get rid if them? You often notice them when you hang out washing in your garden - they appear from nowhere. They feed on the pollen from the flowers and do no damage at all, just ignore them. They now range between 12 and 24 inches, but it is a still a way off last predicted frost date, I now realise, last week of April for this area, south east.
Is there anything I can do to slow them down, e. There are 17 of them in this batch. I also pushed the toilet rolls well into the containers, so not masses of compost below them for roots to grow, though not that many roots showing yet. The bean leaves look healthy as far as I can tell, I have attached photo which hopefully shows this white stuff! My advice would be to plant them when the roots start to show at the base of the toilet rolls, who knows, this year there may not be a late frost in which case you will be ahead of schedule at no cost.
I would also sow a few more seeds now just to be sure. Alternatively you can repot them to extend their life in pots by 10 days or so.
The white mould is just that, mould. It's caused by a combination of lack of air flow and high moisture. In all likelihood it won't cause problems. This will give some air circulation and at the same time harden them off slightly. If you leave them to continue growing you will end up with a congested mass of foliage at the top which produces very few beans. I take mine down when they stop cropping and put them on the compost heap. As far as I can see there is no advantage to leaving them in the ground over winter.
On a practical note, their tendrils quickly become very hard to remove from netting or whatever you use to support them if they remain after they stop cropping. But there is probably no other good reason to remove them before next year. If you want to go overboard, the shoot will appear from the little, normally white, indentation in the seed. Planting this upwards will enable the shoot to reach the surface about a half day earlier compared to the indentation being placed downwards in the soil.
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If this is a recurring problem and you live in a mild area, try growing varieties with some French bean parentage, which set pods more easily in warmer summers. More on problems with runner bean flower set. Runner beans are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. However, a few pests and diseases can be problematic, one of the most common being black bean aphids.
Young plants also need protection from slugs and snails. Occasionally, fungal or bacterial diseases such as rust or halo blight can develop, while in warm, dry conditions red spider mites may get established.
In the case of broad beans, pinch out infested tips. On other beans, catch populations when small and squash. These feed on the young seedlings and you'll see the tell tale slime trail on the soil around your crop, as well as on the leaves.
There are many ways to control slugs and snails, including beer traps, sawdust or eggshell barriers, copper tape and biocontrols. Plant or sow beans into soil that has had plenty of organic matter, such as well-rotted manure added the previous autumn, as this will aid moisture and nutrient retention around the roots.
Plant in a sheltered site as this will encourage bees to visit and pollinate the plants. A common fungal disease of many plants that can be recognised by orange, yellow or black spots or blisters that form on leaves, along with pale and distorted stems.
Leaves can fall and in severe cases, plants will eventually die. Dig up badly infected plants and dispose of to prevent the spores spreading to other plants. Carefully check plants before buying to ensure they are healthy and show no signs of disease. Nigel Slater recommends serving runner beans with lemon and garlic crumbs , as a lovely side dish for grilled fish.
Buy runner beans. Take action Why take action? Support us Donate Careers Commercial opportunities Leave a legacy. Join the RHS today and support our charitable work Join now. Hot links Browse inspiration articles Buy plants online. Buy tickets. RHS members get reduced ticket prices Join now. Harlow Carr North Yorkshire. Hyde Hall Essex. You may need to cover individual plants with plastic milk jugs minus their bottoms , clear plastic, sheets, etc.
Crop Care The requirements of runner beans are simple - water and weeding, possibly some feeding. All three can be accomplished by a mulch of organic material spread round the plants - this will help retain moisture, keep the weeds down and gently feed the plants.
If your soil is good the only other attention is hand watering in very dry conditions, especially as the flower buds begin to develop. Finally, pinch out the growing tips when the plants reach the top of the supports to encourage side shoots. Pests and Diseases Halo Blight Brownish spots on the leaves are surrounded by a light coloured 'halo'.
This disease comes from the seeds themselves. Possible causes are home-saved seed from the previous year not stored correctly; soaking runner bean seeds before planting; seeds bought from a bad source.
It's a good idea to examine the seeds at planting time and reject any which are marked, wrinkled or unusually shaped. There is no cure, dig up and destroy the plants. Slugs Slugs find all parts of runner beans delicious - the roots, stems, leaves and of course the pods. Click here for an in depth look at how to deal with slugs. Blackfly Planting Marigolds really does attract beneficial insects such as ladybirds and hoverflies and these love to eat blackfly.
Spraying the plants with water also works - it simply knocks the blackfly off the plant. Where neither of these methods work, it's down to the garden centre for a chemical spray - most work well. Whichever way up you plant the seed the root grows down into the soil and the shoot grows up to push out into the light.
In many other plants the seed leaves appear above ground with the first shoot and you have to wait for the next leaves to identify the plant.
Unlike garden peas, runner beans are not hardy so they are often started off in pots in a frost-free greenhouse and transplanted into their final growing positions once the risk of frost has passed — in south east England usually early May.
What you choose depends on how regularly you grow beans and how flexible you want to be. Each runner bean plant can grow to over 2m tall and they keep cropping until you stop picking or they catch the frost.
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