Climbing French Beans 'Mennonite Stripe'

[Galina Isolating and Pollinating Find all posts View Profile Close Galina]

I was lucky to get seeds for this variety from Chriscross over on A4A. A very rare bean from the Mennonite religious groups in USA and what a beauty. The weight of the crop had pulled the plants over and after photos were taken I had to reinforce their supports. The beans are huge and very fat with it. Yet even the largest beans remains tender. I think they are best eaten as yummy green beans. Chris himself only grows them for the seeds. I love how few pods need to be picked for a meal.

3 photos, one of them showing the rather unusual different colours of two adjacent beans on the same truss. This does happen with this bean, seen it before, but this too is rare.

[clumsy Turning compost. Find all posts View Profile Close clumsy]

Are those metal poles that the beans are growing up, Just asking my canes snapped with the weight of the plants and wind we had last week. Beans look fantastic yours are way ahead of mine.

[Galina]

No the sticks are made out of recycled plastic, they are called Panda Stix http://www.pandastix.co.uk/

Expensive initially compared to bamboo, but they are indestructible. I asked for them for birthday presents for years, a few at a time and they do special offers. They are the 8ft version and I have some of the bigger diameter and some of the slightly thinner ones. Makes little difference.

These beans are quite early, some others are only flowering and haven't set pods yet. We also had wind damage and I had to brace them, but the plants don't look the worse for it.

[Galina]

Just looking into steel bars. Here a 8ft mild steel 6mm diameter bar costs 2.40 pounds each. Heavy but last a lifetime. http://www.austenknapman.co.uk/mild-...UaAlMdEALw_wcB

No doubt with more research or from a scrap yard these can be found cheaper.

[clumsy]

Pandastix looks interesting. I will have to sit down make some proper time to research. I like the idea you only have buy this kind of stuff once.