Broad Beans

midnightblue

Hello, I'm having trouble getting any tall bamboo canes to support my broad beans (they'll grow to roughly 3.5ft).

If I can only support them to say 2 or 2.5ft and pinch them out at that height will they still produce well? I almost have no choice unless I can find a way to improvise so maybe some beans are better than none!

I'd be interested what anyone thinks. Thanks in advance.

fidgetbones

I don't support broad beans. Unless you are in a windy area, use what you have.

midnightblue

Thanks for your answer - yes I live in a windy spot, quite high up close to the coast. If I don't support them they will be broken off. It's whether or not to pinch them out lower down than I usually would and what effect that might have on crop production.

Dovefromabove

Your canes will he fine ... I don’t support mine either ... if you want to you can support yours for the first couple of feet. They’ll hold their own heads up. 😊 

midnightblue

Thanks for your reply Dovefromabove - but if I did that they would be broken off at the height of the cane I'm afraid. This is an exceptionally windy area so I do need to support them to the top of their normal growth. It's a question of how much pinching them out below that normal height will affect their crop. 

Allotment Boy

If you cant get taller canes do you have any netting? If you put some net up on the side the wind comes from you may disperse it enough to stop it snapping off your plants. You can pinch the tops out but if you go too low you will loose flower & hence crop.

midnightblue

Thanks Allotment Boy. That's just what I needed to know about pinching the tops out lower than usual and thanks for your suggestion about netting to disperse the wind. I've got some in the shed so I'll put it up tomorrow.

josusa47

Couldn't you overlap two canes and bind them together with duct tape to make one longer one?

nick615

My RUNNER bean set up - we're very prone to wind here too - is based on drain/chimney cleaning rods.  Depending on how many you need, and whether this is likely to be an annual thing, you could 'sacrifice' a few of them by cutting them in half, adding one of the halves to each whole rod, and producing a longer one.  A post at either end, plus string/rope along the top to keep the rods upright, could solve your problem - but only worth the effort if, like me, you intend to use them regularly.  My set up is now in its eighth year, so will work if you think the faff worthwhile?

midnightblue

josusa47 yes good idea thank you, I'll try that.

midnightblue

nick615 your suggestion has reminded me that I have several broom handles - I use them for storing quilts on when I'm sewing - so I could use them with the string to make sturdy supports. Thank you!