Rona Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I chopped off my runner beans at the end of last year but left the roots in as someone told me they will set nitrogen in the soil if you leave them for a while. What with one thing and another I didn't get round to clearing them out to plant anything else and they've all grown back again this year. Although they didn't appear until after I planted out this year's plants, they have grown away really strongly and are doing better that the plants I grew from seed this year. Anyone else been able to keep their beans going from year to year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Well done! - even if it was unintentional How lovely to have free goodies like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 There is an old chap on our allotments who does this every year. We only grow climbing french beans Cobra I wonder if it would work with them too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted July 29, 2008 Share Posted July 29, 2008 My FIL did that one year with the same results as you. We both had a go the following year but without much success and neither of us has tried again. I think it depends on the winter weather too and if it is a particularly wet winter/spring, they tend to rot. I have clay soil, so it always holds too much water in winter, regardless of how fine the soil has become now. Nowadays I dig a great big trench and fill it with the previous years roots and kitchen waste then cover it over a few weeks before planting out. This year the runners are again pitiful, although they were very healthy early on with plenty of flowers - blackfly has been a constant pest despite many baths of washing up water! However the French beans are doing very well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutrix Farmers Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 I did a smilar thing with a chilli growing in a pot in the greenhouse. I just didn't get round to throwing the plant away at the end of the summer after I picked all the chillis off. I noticed a month or so later that it still looked green so nurtured it through the winter to see if it would bear fruit the following year - which it did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 I did a smilar thing with a chilli growing in a pot in the greenhouse. I just didn't get round to throwing the plant away at the end of the summer after I picked all the chillis off. I noticed a month or so later that it still looked green so nurtured it through the winter to see if it would bear fruit the following year - which it did! Chillis and sweet peppers will always crop second year if you can get them through the winter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
