Beans in plastic greenhouse

Kathy 2

Help!  My climbing beans are now 3 feet high and have outgrown the spare room window sill.
Is it still to cold to put them out permanently into my plastic greenhouse until it is time to plant them into the ground? I also have dwarf beans and peas.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Kathy 2

Thanks Philippa. I am in Greater Manchester. It's not so much the faff, but the worry of moving large yoghurt pots with 3 foot delicate looking plants attached to garden canes in and out of the greenhouse twice a day. With my luck I will either drop them or damage the stems.

purplerallim

In that size pot are they root bound? They would need at least a 15cm pot or more, they are greedy feeders. Might be easier to pot them on now than when they are twice the size in a few weeks.🤔 Then keep them in the greenhouse, with protection, till the end of the month.

Kathy 2

Thanks purpleallium.

Kathy 2

Thanks Philippa. I only recently potted them on to the large yoghurt pots (8-10 cm) and they took off. I intend growing them in the ground, up 6 foot tee-pees. That's if the slugs & snails don't get to them.

purplerallim

Once you get beans out of the soil and about 5cm tall I find the slugs don't bother them as much, if at all @Kathy 2 🙂

Kathy 2

Purpleallium, the slugs & snails round here haven't read that book. I have found them climbing the tee-pee canes. :-(

nick615

@Kathy 2  If your beans are a regular crop for you, I've devised a system for myself of everlasting bean sticks that grow 24 plants in one square yard.  Mine are currently in the garden for the eighth year, and counting, as I resent having to buy canes that don't last long.  nickatipixnetdotcom if you'd like the full spec?

purplerallim

You might not have any at the moment but I have used water retention crystals sprinkled on the surface around the seedling to stop slugs. It doesn't look pretty after a while , but then you just dig them in.

Womble54

I’ve been using a little tea light heater in my plastic greenhouse to keep things warm overnight. You can get 10 hour tealights. Put one or 2 on a dish at night and put a terracotta pot over them. Works quite well and will keep the greenhouse 2or 3 oC warmer than outside (depending on outside temp and size of greenhouse).

Kathy 2

Thanks Womble