Runner Beans

[Paul Laycock1]

I used to grow my own back in the U.K., has anyone succeeded in growing them here.

Not interested in French Beans or other Thai alternatives.

If you have had success please share your secret. I did try after double digging and incorporating plenty of mulch in the soil. All attempts failed.

[gennisis]

havnt the garden to grow runner beans but why cant I buy frozen ?

Ive looked in all the chaing mai supermarkets but ;no go;

[Paul Laycock1]

Agree also have the same problem with frozen cauliflower. Fresh yes but not frozen. One day maybe I'll try growing in pots. Just need someone to send them to me.

[KittenKong]

We tried many times to grow runner beans in southern Europe with no success: the plants grew but the flowers would never set, so no beans. In the end we decided that it was just the temperature/humidity that was wrong and we gave up. I imagine it would be the same problem here. The only place near us where I did see runner beans growing well and producing was in a village in a valley that had a very large and very cold river a few yards away, which kept the maximum temperature well down.

 

As for freezing, you cant even buy frozen runner beans in the UK, at least nowhere I have ever seen. God alone knows why not as they freeze well. Every year I buy a few kilos of fresh ones, bring them back here in my luggage, blanch them and freeze them. Perfection on a plate.

[KittenKong]

On 08/10/2017 at 9:53 AM, Paul Laycock1 said:

Agree also have the same problem with frozen cauliflower. Fresh yes but not frozen.

 

Makro Pattaya has frozen cauliflower though usually only mixed with other veg (carrots, peas). BigC has imported Casino frozen cauliflower.

[Paul Laycock1]

Yes. Seen them and am aware, have some in my freezer. That's mixed veg.

Never seen them in BigC, although I do my shopping in Mukdahan, not a lot of choice for us.

[KittenKong]

5 hours ago, Paul Laycock1 said:

Never seen them in BigC, although I do my shopping in Mukdahan, not a lot of choice for us.

 

The Pattaya (Klang) BigC has quite a wide selection of imported French frozen products, usually the Casino brand.

[Paul Laycock1]

Thanks. Don't think I'll be traveling to Pattaya any time soon and certainly not for frozen food.

[wayned]

I'm from the US and have tried growing both green beans (runner beans) and Lima beans here.  I bought the seeds from seedtrack.com in the USA. I planted them so that they would climb on a fence.  The vines grew okay, but they never flowered.  I think that the temperature here is just too hot, but what do I know.

[Paul Laycock1]

Wayned, had a similar problem despite constant watering. I found the root of the bean just pushed itself out of the soil despite double digging and mulching

Those day's are over now so just buy whatever is in season and available.

[faraday]

Started some Runners three weeks ago, & seem to be doing ok so far.

I'm hopeful they'll be good as the temperature here in Udon is much cooler now & will be until January.

[Pdaz]

Yep, I brought some runner seeds with me from the UK. The vine grew like mad on a shady trellis but no flowers. The local bugs had a field day eating the new leaves.

[tutsiwarrior]

59 minutes ago, Pdaz said:

Yep, I brought some runner seeds with me from the UK. The vine grew like mad on a shady trellis but no flowers. The local bugs had a field day eating the new leaves.

ye gotsta spray them mothers with soapy water...keeps the bugs off...

 

I always had my beans in full sunlight in California and they were gooduns...

 

fresh snap beans with hog jowl like my Tennessee grandma useta make...ain't nothin' like it...

 

 

[wayned]

6 hours ago, tutsiwarrior said:

fresh snap beans with hog jowl like my Tennessee grandma useta make...ain't nothin' like it...

Crowder peas and hog jowls, like they make in southern Mississippi, aren't bad either.  Here I use the long purple beans if you can find them.  Actually if you let them mature until the peas fill out the pods and shell them they are very close to crowder peas, but the Thais never let anything mature before they pick or kill it.  I've grown some in the back forty and had to threaten my SIL to not pick them until they got mature.  It was like talking to the wall!  The dogs would bark to alert me that someone wa back ther and low in behold there she was in the normal Thai disguise, log pants, long sleve shirt, "T" shirt wrapped around her head with only the eyes showing and a big hat.  When I yell she yells back and keeps right on picking!

[notmyself]

On ‎11‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 12:19 AM, KittenKong said:

As for freezing, you cant even buy frozen runner beans in the UK, at least nowhere I have ever seen. God alone knows why not as they freeze well. 

 

Had some (fresh) over the summer while I was in the UK which was lush though my niece wouldn't eat them. I used to work in the food industry buying ingredients and one of the products was a mixed vegetable pie which needed runner beans but nobody sold them frozen. I managed to source them from a company in France but the price was prohibitive so eventually they just stopped using them. 

[Paul Laycock1]

I haven't been back to the U.K. in 13 years. Most things like peas, mixed veg and baked beans are acceptable with a little good cheese. 

Other food I learn to live with but not the Thai lack of hygiene so I cook for myself most day's. Just a shame you can't buy them here.

[wayned]

In the US, at least a couple of decades ago, you could buy them frozen and canned.  I thought that the canned were acceptable, but the frozen just didn't have the right texture.  I've never seen either here in 20 years.