Soil
Runner beans like light and airy soil, preferably with a ph level of between 5.5 and 7.0. The ph is a way of measuring the acidity of the soil and its very easy to do. Above 5.5 and Nitrate is available to the plants and Phosphorus is made available between 6 - 7. You can find more on soil testing and ph levels here.
Regardless of how you support your beans, the soil preparation is very important. So here is what you should do over the winter for either the Wigwam, Single Row, fence or pagoda type of support.
First decide on the position of your frame and in the centre dig a trench about 30cm by 60 cm and no more than 15cm deep.
Over the winter put into the trench all your kitchen bio-degradable waste, i.e. potato peelings, egg shells, vegetable leaves, or any organic material. Periodically you can cover with a small amount of newspaper, compost and then some soil so you build up in layers.
Leaf mould and mulch will improve the soils fertility and moisture-retaining ability. In the spring put all the soil back in the trench, it does not matter if it is raised slightly as the level will soon drop, do not compact too much as it needs to be light and airy.
If you are going to grow your beans in a back yard or on a patio then you should use a peat based compost combined with natural soil. If the compost is too rich the seeds may rot.
It is easy enough to mix soil and compost if using a large pot but if you only have grow bags i would suggest germinating indoors in a small amount of soil and relocating to the grow bag when you have 2 full leaves. Make sure you water well and often and that the bags or pots can drain easily.
You may not get the best results crop wise using bags and pots but you will at least get a pretty plant to brighten up a corner of the yard. |
